Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Loo economy

JAMBHAN n. (Malay) toilet

Dear Sisuahlai,

Should I leave the toilet seat down, as my live-in girlfriend demands? Or, should she be putting it down herself? Why the fuss? Can you help, so-called SOCIETY LITTLE HELPER?

Gobitiam "Ronaldo" Toni Adams.




Dear Gobitiam "Ronaldo" Toni Adams,

Through some extensive googling search, I think I have found your answer...

Jay Pil Choi, a (male) economist at Michigan State University, has demonstrated what men find obvious and women seem unable to grasp: that the “status quo” rule (leave it how it was when you finished) is more efficient than the “down” rule (put it down afterwards) under most plausible assumptions.

The reasoning is that the seat should be moved only when necessary - just before someone uses the lavatory.If a man visits the lavatory twice in a row, the “status quo” rule saves the cost of lowering the seat when leaving only to raise it when returning. Choi also shows, using some fancy maths, that the “status quo” rule is still superior even if the inconvenience cost to your wife of moving the seat is nearly three times the inconvenience cost to you.

Richard Harter, a (male) mathematician, has calculated the incremental costs of moving from bachelorhood or spinsterhood to connubial bliss. Since men sometimes need the seat down, they are used to bearing the cost of moving it. Women who live alone or with other women need never move the seat at all; therefore the incremental costs of moving to a mixed household are obvious.

Yet I feel that these thinkers have missed the bigger picture. Assume two types of man: the considerate gentleman and the selfish pig. It is famously difficult for women to distinguish them at first sight...

Up or Down? You decide. I believe that such argument is non-existent in a gay household. You also have this third option.

Sisuahlai
.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The 4th option is to get a squat toilet. ;)

June 07, 2006 5:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Don't share toilet la. One use the master bedroom toilet. another one use the guest toilet. that is what i do. no problem wat.

June 08, 2006 1:54 PM  
Blogger Francis Ho said...

lu chin chin bo su cho!

June 08, 2006 4:11 PM  
Blogger Sisuahlai said...

AJ, erm, the 4th option is having an urinal and toilet in the bathroom.

HQ, good idea.

FH20, you are right, too much free time can be bad.

June 08, 2006 4:29 PM  
Blogger Kelly Siew said...

I'm a girl hence the answer is obvious. down!

luckily my bf move it down everytime =)

June 09, 2006 2:01 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

Older Posts