A hundred years or so ago, answering the call of nature in Korea was sometimes very dangerous:
In the countryside, Korean adults warned little boys not to urinate in the rivers and streams that provided water for their small communities. The boys were told that if they did, the guardian spirits would cause their male appendages to fall off.
In the cities, little boys often ran naked through the streets and would stop and squat wherever they pleased when nature called. Their little bottoms were sometimes licked clean by the many dogs that roamed the streets and, on occasion, these dogs became too zealous with their licking and ended up nipping away their young master’s manhood.
You can read the rest of the article here – at Korea Times. I am, however, a little puzzled as to why this part was cut out of the article:
But canines also proved to be a far deadlier threat to the children in the countryside – especially during the winter. John Blain, the son of an American gold miner in northern Korea, recalled during the winters of the 1930s that there were a number of Korean children attacked and killed by wolves when they went outside to use the outhouse.
I remember when I first arrived so many years ago that it was quite common to see men – and boys – relieve themselves along the side of the road or near bus stops by merely turning their backs to public view. Smaller children – unconstrained by the awareness of their own nudity – would merely squat wherever they were and relieve themselves. Things have changed and while there are some exceptions to the rule, it is rare to find someone openly relieving themselves on the streets.
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Neff’s stories are usually smelly. Koreans might have been kins of pissed off protestors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv6FV91_3hg
Barbaric Korea has been trying to catch up with Western civilization, and it seems so ridiculous in the eyes of some savior Westerners. Here are civilized Americans hundred years ago:
* In 1871, Tucson, Arizona, was the heart of the Wild West, and boasted 3,000 people, two doctors, a newspaper, a brewery, and several salons — but just one bathtub.
* Herbert Hoover was the only president to turn his entire slavary over to charity.
* In 1903, when the Gillette Company started selling safety razors with diposable blades, they were shocked when hundreds of men complained that the razors didn’t work. It was soon discovered that the stubby disgruntled customers weren’t removing the warpping from around the blades they put them into the razor.
* Television was first demonstrated to the general public at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. But not everyone who tuned in was turned on. On critic from the New York Times remarked that television would never actualy compete with radio because “people must sit and keep their eyes glued on a screen; the average Aemrican family hasn’t the time for it.”
* Oldie ads that would be banned now: http://news.nate.com/view/20120630n02747
“Herbert Hoover was the only president to turn his entire slavary over to charity.” What?
slavery? Slavery was outlawed in 1865. Hoover was President in the early 1930s. What are you talking about?
I like Neff’s stories:-) Far more interesting than modern Korea.
Knee-jerk defensiveness is the sure sign of an inferiority complex.
Can’t we just learn about history without getting our personal pride involved?
Knee-jerk defensiveness is the sure sign of an inferiority complex.
Can’t we just learn about history without getting our personal pride involved?
Indeed Dokdo, Q is on a roll today, the fact that the BBC was running a public broadcast service in 1936 also seems to have escaped him.
but back to topic,
Its still not unusual to see public urination even by women. I’ve seen on several occasions the pull over to kerb, hide behind the open car door method.
It’s not that unusual to see public urination. Tonight is Saturday — head to Itaewon. Or Hongdae, I guess.
History is always fascination.
* Before Spock’s groundbreaking childcare book was published, John B. Watson’s 1928 book Psychological Care of Infant and Child was used widely in American hospitals and contained such stern advice as, “Never kiss your children.”
* In 1938, Time Magazine named as its ma of the year — Adolf Hitler.
* It’s highly likely that the father of the USA wasn’t able to father a child by anybody. Even though George Washington claimed that he always wanted children, he and Martha never conceived. Martha, who had four children in seven years during her previous marriage, obviously wasn’t at fault, so that leaves only one possiblity: Washington had a monumental problem.
* In 1978, President Jimmy Carter, the first Southerner elected to the presidency following the Civil War, restored U.S. citizenship of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America.
* One thing about the Declaration of Independance that isn’t widely known is that Jefferson had to present the document to Congress for approval. Congress debated the document and, of course, made changes. In total, Congress made eighty-six revisions to Jefferson’s masterpiece, elimintating 480 of his words. The most striking changes were that Congress removed all references to “the execrable commerce” — slavery.
Here
are public urination pictures. Here is Neff’s favorite Asian nation hundres years ago.
- man of the year
- a hundred
I don’t know what’s so hard about not streaming it in densely frequented areas. Even my four year old knows he needs some grouping of trees or bushes to let it flow.
I guess I’m the only one who has seen a mother holding a cup for her wee (heh) little one to pee in at Jongro Sam Ga Station.
Public urination caught on video:
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxWq1MCISlI&feature=related
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ1hTzQCbA0&feature=related
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6Xt7x9fzy0&feature=related
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOLMjz8jS2Y&feature=related
And let’s not forget this classic, which always makes me laugh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MsEaRbVuzs
But seriously, poor Q. I feel so sorry for you. I really feel that you should meet the Roberts (and maybe me as well) so that we can clear up your misunderstanding.
Because really, all your commenting here is obviously laboring under a terrible misapprehension.
Q: you are preaching to the choir!
Many walls had a scissors drew on it, to warn off drunks.
I don’t think anyone carried out this ridiculous threat.
What are they going to do with the cutoff “body part”? Sell to a hospital?
I don’t like the title of the post. Consider the followings:
* Dangers of Defecation
* Roadside Runs
* Feeding Fido Feces
* Shit, Lick, & Shoo
* Ooh, Aah, OW!
Is public urination an agrarian thing or Asian thing?
Because China is still like Korea of the old where people urinate in public without shame.
Is this prevalent in countries that developed fast from an agrarian society or an Asian thing. Because I would presume London before the industrial revolution would have had a lot of public urine.
I’d always wondered what drew people to those areas.
“It’s not that unusual to see public urination.”
Right you are! It happens all the time in public toilets. Those places are so disgusting! There even defecation going on there!
But I doubt we can stop it. It’s like prostitution. Outlaw it, but people will do it anyway. I say keep it legal, but tax the hell out of it!
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
With Stethoscope In Asia (Korea)
http://withstethoscopeinasia.com/about_s.htm
Not unless Paris is either asian or agrarian
Nice Jefferey
Just one thing, how do you propose to collect the taxes
Anyway definately not just an asian thing, last one I saw not long ago was a western guy taking a pee in the stairwell of a bar, not six feet from a toilet. Arsehole!!
Alas, Arghaeri, I am merely a big-picture man. The gritty details are left for others to work out, particularly when crap gets sticky. It stinks, I know, but that’s the down and dirty of this life, which has pitched its mansion in the place of excrement.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
I give kids a pass, but I see taxi drivers urinating on the streets all the time. In daylight.
Q, poor little thing: don’t worry, Korea is not alone. I saw this also in China (!) and Cambodia (!!) and India (!!!). See? Korea has good company.
go help out your mama at walmart:
http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/photos/
Hey, thanks for the link, Q. Hadn’t visited POWM for ages. ROK lifers should watch the @ss video to see what they’re missing.
VANKer.
I am not a VANKer, could it be you were a wanker?
“Things have changed and while there are some exceptions to the rule, it is rare to find someone openly relieving themselves on the streets.”
Not where I live.
#26,
“I give kids a pass,”
Most parents in America will see to it their children don’t have to pee/squat in public, they teach children to go before leaving the house and to hold it until a place is found where the deed can be done in private. That’s right, parents take the initiative to find a proper place.
About 10 years ago, I had a few business trips to Eindhoven. My colleague and I were amused to see these “no urination” signs on some streets. They were of a cartoonish cherub taking a piss, in the form of a universal sign with the red circle and slash, indicating “don’t pee here”. Even more amusing, were the opposite signs – same cartoon fellow pissing, in a green circle with no slash. In otherwords, “feel free to piss on this street”.
On the subject of urination and The Netherlands, we took a walk one free afternoon, and passed a weird statue on the sidewalk. It resembled the point of a giant philips-head screw driver, point to the sky. As we were enjoying a pint of beer down the street a few minutes later, my friend says to me, “Look – that fellow is pissing on the statue”. Sure enough he was, and a moment later he was joined by another man. We finally realized this “statue” was a public urinal (for men only, presumably). Alas, I’ve lost the hard disk containing photos from that trip.
This is really starting to get funny. Wrapping on razor blades? You can’t make this stuff up.
Three words: “Jannowitzbrücke, Club Nights”
There is definitely a Sowa painting that I cannot find an image online to link it to.
LOL
http://askville.amazon.com/German-Public-Health-public-urination-allowed-advised-taught/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=8676721
The answer to the question, your husband, madam, is a dunce.
And no more lake swimming for me
Maybe it’s mostly Cab drivers.
In the past 2 weeks I have seen three. Two somewhat shielded by their cabs just whizzing off the side of the road on off hours and one under an overpass across from a Children’s park. He probably wasn’t shocking for the kids but for decency’s sake find some other place it can’t be that hard.
I might not have noticed the third guy except he must have had a super big gulp drink, he was at it for a while and the stream was flowing like a river.
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