The Big Apple’s Communist, anti-Semitic Mayor Zohran Mamdani this week (yes, that kind of intro is called “poisoning the well,” and I don’t care) announced that the first two high-tech modular bathrooms (of 17) that the city ordered earlier this year from Throne Labs are now on city streets. The rest of the restrooms will come online soon.
Wait, what? How does a bathroom come “online” ? This is how: The new public toilets can only be accessed by texting a number via a smartphone or by using special tap cards, which will be distributed by non-profit organizations in the community. There is strict 10-minute time limit on the things. A speaker inside the room will announce via bot that pooping-time is running out. Next the desperate user will hear in English and Spanish, “Attention: Your use time has expired! The door is opening now!” Then the door will slide open, exposing the user to the world. If someone doesn’t vacate the robo-bathroom at that point, Throne Labs personnel will get an alert to investigate, and if, necessary, call the police.
This system is allegedly necessary because NYC, which no longer observes the “broken window theory” and will not arrest someone for relieving themselves in public, decided that the public urination problem was becoming…serious. But how many public pissers have smart phones?
When I told a friend about this innovation today, he said, “There’s got to be something unethical about that.“
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Unethical? Well, I don’t know about that. There’s certainly an ick factor involved.
On the other hand, it can be unethical to propose a solution to a problem that doesn’t solve the problem. Urgent needs are not all the same and don’t always wait for a smartphone entry. Additionally, some needs take longer than others. What dilemma does Mamdani hope to fix here?
He won’t stop the homeless from public urination. He will inconvenience those bathroom users who are not one-size-fits-all in their needs. He will also provide a, presumably, private place where prostitutes and drug dealers can have guaranteed ten minutes of privacy to make their transactions.