The French have made lots of important contributions to America. No one denies this. The Statue of Liberty. Lafayette. Tony Parker. French fries—though these were possibly ripped off from Belgium.
Now they have invented something we hope they’ll keep to themselves: open-air urinals. Some sectors around Paris, it seems, are hotspots for public urination, and previous crackdowns haven’t worked. So in a surrender worthy of Marshal Pétain, Parisian authorities installed red boxes filled with straw compost into which men can relieve themselves. The boxes, known as uritrottoirs, are being pitched as odor-free and environmentally friendly. Located in tourist areas—including one spot overlooking the River Seine near Notre Dame cathedral—they offer no privacy but at least have a flower box on top.
The new pissoirs are causing quite a brouhaha among Parisians. Some residents complain, with justification in our view, that they’re unsightly. Others claim they’re discriminatory—they cater only to men. Officials from the company that makes the urinals explain that owing to privacy concerns, “women need to be in a cabin, so the aim is to free up existing toilets for them.” They might also have pointed out that women aren’t likely to be offenders in the first place, most having the decency not to relieve themselves in public.
And you thought Washington had a lot of leaks! (Sorry.)
