Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by zeroname 2763 days ago
> In the USA they used to have paid toilets but got rid of them because it was called discrimination against the poor.

Meanwhile, in "socialist" Europe, paid toilets are the norm. Then again, wild urination isn't a sex offense either.

2 comments

Perhaps not a sex offense, but it can still be illegal. Here in the Netherlands it's illegal in the "bebouwde kom" (basically within a village/town/city). But it's fine when you're in a forest somewhere (within reason - don't piss on someones leg).
In Europe you have to try very hard to fall below the level where you can afford 1€ for a toilet. Arguments that poor people can't use pay toilets don't really work with all that money spent to make sure people always have enough to life with some dignity.
...it's not about affording: when they're drunk and can't find any change in your pocket, they end up pissing on a wall and stiking up the whole street. Some things need to be free even if they are easily affordable simply because (1) there's enough tax money to cover for it, and (2) a (large) proportion of people will simply find payment inconvenient so won't use the paid service, making life stinkier for everyone around.

But hey, at least they got it right with EDUCATION, which probably matters more than this :)