much may have been written, and i have read little of it, of what relevance the locker room socialisation is one's life.
1. almost everyday i experience our dojos' women's locker rooms which are separated from the men's locker rooms by nothing more than paravent-like walls open to the ceiling and that allow conversation between the women and the men while showering in same sex privacy.
2. on the rare occasions in which we use other facilities and the locker rooms, i have managed on several occasions to walk into the men's facilities by mistake.
3. long ago, when i was in the age of summer school and summer camp for kiddies, i ended up in one of those places in montreal, canada where the toilets were mixed. yes, the boys and girls used the same toilets, it was not unusual that a girl and boy would wash hands next to each other. i do not remember anything unusual ever happening either.
in the present day situation it is for me always a special treat to have a conversation while showering with somebody on the other side, or to just spontaneously ask something that comes to mind. i find this situation rather advantageous to good communication. the mixed situation does allow for respect of the differences without polarisation and i would advance that this is a very positive socialisation force.
my guess is that i have been thinking about polarisation and the building of fronts. is this something humans do automatically out of comfort or habit, or both?
