Crescat Graffiti, Vita Excolatur » b-level men’s room http://www.crescatgraffiti.com Confessions of the University of Chicago Thu, 02 Jun 2011 22:50:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 The fall and rise of the B-level men’s bathroom http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/2010/05/19/the-fall-and-rise-of-the-b-level-mens-bathroom/ http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/2010/05/19/the-fall-and-rise-of-the-b-level-mens-bathroom/#comments Thu, 20 May 2010 02:56:44 +0000 Quinn http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/?p=1185 Sometime between April 13th and today, the great purge came to the B-level men’s room in the Regenstein Library, clearing away the philosophical wordplay that made it truly the nerdiest place on earth. (Cue the sad trombones.) But fear not, the stalls are not bare– even though the graffiti has had no more than a month to re-emerge, both the nerdy wordplay and the “other” content have sprung back to life.

We’ve got some sort of battle scene between UChicago archers and Princeton wizards. Of course, the outcome of their petty battle hardly matters, since they’re about to be crushed by a reference to “Dr. Strangelove” (1959). (Personally, I wonder if it’s a successful reference if you have to say what it’s a reference to. Furthermore, if you’re going to be a know-it-all and include the release date of a film, you might want to make sure you get it right.)

While the B-level men’s room has traditionally had a striking number of vagina drawings, with a “severe lack of penis drawings“, currently the penis reigns supreme as the only genitalia represented in the stall. The penis is accompanied by the guardian angel of the stall, who has a goatee.

Some of the graffiti writers appear to be displeased with the latest turn of events:

Assholes,
Kindly refrain from “Cleansing” UChicago of its only bit of Charmin. (i.e. reg graffitti)

But not everyone sees this as a crisis:

They always crimp our style. But don’t be so Krauss. They’ve Freid so much space up to Fostor new puns!

If you find yourself missing the last round of intellectual wordplay, head on over to the B-level men’s bathroom graffiti page– I’ve got everything documented up through April 13, 2010.

]]> http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/2010/05/19/the-fall-and-rise-of-the-b-level-mens-bathroom/feed/ 0 The decline and fall of the B-level men’s room http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/2010/02/16/decline-and-fall-of-the-b-level-mens-room/ http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/2010/02/16/decline-and-fall-of-the-b-level-mens-room/#comments Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:44:41 +0000 Quinn http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/?p=768 It’s been about a month since I last wrote about the B-level men’s room (first post can be found here, last month’s update here, though I’ve been back a couple times since). The decline has begun: philosopher wordplay has descended into more penis drawings and an attempt to turn an anti-gay slur into a pun.

Perhaps to counteract the aforementioned slur, the acrimonious discussion of the UN has been augmented with the thought “I want to see more American Acceptionalism”.

A discussion of pregnancy has sprung up opposite the philosopher wordplay; there’s been two opinions over who wears man thongs (one of which tangentially involves Das Kapital), and there’s four drawings of penises and the only two vagina drawings I’ve found. But all that is what you expect to find in a bathroom stall, and nowhere in the same league as the wit and wordplay that made the B-level men’s room great. Personally, I find it sub-par even compared to what you generally find in the stacks and study carrels, and it reminds me why I generally avoid latrinalia.

As Q said to Captain Picard in the final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “All good things must come to an end” and this is the end of the saga of the B-level men’s room, as far as I’m concerned. I wish it could have been painted over in its prime, before it was touched by ugliness. But so it goes.

]]> http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/2010/02/16/decline-and-fall-of-the-b-level-mens-room/feed/ 2 A return to the B-level men’s room http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/2010/01/15/a-return-to-the-b-level-men%e2%80%99s-room/ http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/2010/01/15/a-return-to-the-b-level-men%e2%80%99s-room/#comments Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:55:59 +0000 Quinn http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/?p=586 I dropped by the B-level men’s room* to see if that glorious stall of nerdiness was still evolving, and much to my delight, it is alive and well. Building upon the first 26 entries, the stall now features 40 pieces of philosophical wordplay, though the numbering system has gotten off-kilter, so the numbers only go up to 38. You can see the whole set, here.

I’ve also created a page for the B-level men’s room graffiti with all of the transcriptions and updates in one place for easy reference. And now, without further delay, posts #27-39.

27. Comte your sense, people, and put away your pens!

28. Holbach your marks, you’re going to ruin the Staël! (Addendum: I’ve been Habermas self a good time reading this.)

29. Jeez, it stinks in here. Can somebody turn the Fanon?

30. Thank you all, I really like having something to Reid Weil I’m on the toilet.

30. If only I Caird … but alas, I have no Hart. [Underneath and referencing 22-26]

31. Good thing I found this place; I’ve been Bordieut of my mind. (Addendum: I can’t take y’Althusser-iously … you Kant even spell.)

32. Don’t you guys think you should work on your Sch(p)elling?

33. Can this go on for much Langer?

34. Aw, don’t get all Ryled up.

35. I’ve been Turing all the library bathrooms and this one is definitely Laplace to be.

36. [Mostly erased] Each one … and I don’t want to start and B- … but I’m now going to UN … and Hobbes’le out of here.

36. Sounds like somebody’s enjoying the Bachelard life, eh? [Referencing #14]

37. I also disagree that this is the most Parsons-monious answer.

38. I Ayn(t) impressed with all these Rand(om) thoughts.

39. Jeez, it stinks in here. Can somebody turn the Fanon?

* As mentioned previously, that isn’t the usual gender bathrooms I use. I went before the library opened, and figured– like last time– that no one would come in. I closed the stall door to make it easier to take pictures– lucky for me, because as it happens, someone did come in while I was in the stall. Fortunately, I was standing (feet pointing the wrong direction) rather than kneeling, and I was looking at a picture when the door opened, rather than taking one. I’m short enough that my head didn’t show over the top of the door, and I decided to just freeze and hope the person didn’t notice my female-style shoes. Indeed, he came in, washed his hands, and left; if he did notice, he at least didn’t say anything.

]]> http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/2010/01/15/a-return-to-the-b-level-men%e2%80%99s-room/feed/ 0 The nerdiest place on earth: B-level men’s room http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/2009/11/25/the-nerdiest-place-on-earth-b-level-mens-room/ http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/2009/11/25/the-nerdiest-place-on-earth-b-level-mens-room/#comments Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:13:56 +0000 Quinn http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/?p=405 I have never seen a place with so much nerdiness-per-square-inch (NSI) as the men’s bathroom* on the B-level of the Regenstein Library**. In addition to the usual penis (and vagina) drawings, a few political thoughts, and a sad piece of Chinese graffiti*** that translates to “the place elder brother went was not the toilet, it was loneliness”, there’s 26 bits of wordplay based on philosophers’ names. It truly is a magnificent and unparalleled piece of art, and I’ve transcribed the entire exchange below, using the canonical numbers written in the stall. You can find the full set of photos here.

  1. You, Kant, always get what you want
  2. But if Hume try sometime you get what you need
  3. I can Berkeley follow these exchanges
  4. You people need to be Locked up
  5. Stop – you’re making my head spinoza
  6. Yes, we should collectively agree to stop leaving these Marx on the stalls.
  7. I Derrida you dorks to keep this up. I’m under no Deleuzeions about how stupid this is.
  8. There are many Engels from which to view this (refers to #5)
  9. True! They could be in it for the (Walter) Benjamins
  10. What makes you Saussure of that?
  11. Well, it’s clear they’ve dug out a little Nietzsche for themselves
  12. Suck my Dickins
  13. You mother-Foucaults!
  14. Gentlemen, I have a confession: I once tried to Heideggerl [read: 'hide a girl'] in this stall. But she escaped and went on to a great career as a Barthes-ender
  15. You guys Arendt kidding
  16. I’m a-Freud
  17. You’re so Jung and immature
  18. Husserliously need to relax, maybe w/ a nice cup of Merleau (Ponty)
  19. We surrender! We give up! Auerbachs are against the wall! Mercy!
  20. Let’s stop Adornoing these walls with marks.
  21. Seriously guys. Euripedes lines in front of a girl at a party and she will not be impressed
  22. Also, why didn’t šišek for other options with CAPS[****]?
  23. I hope Descartes them all off to the madhouse.
  24. CAPS Strausses me out
  25. I Gauss you should reFermat your resume.
  26. I’m Thoreauly fed up with it all.

Bonus- some speculation on the state of graffiti in the women’s room (complete with anatomical misunderstanding):

  • Perhaps one of you can tell me, are there these sorts of scribbles in the women’s bathrooms here? I would think so, but I haven’t heard anything.
  • Of course NOT. Everyone knows women are too boring and risk-averse to draw in stalls.
  • Plus they need 2 hands to pee.

* My unisex name, unfortunately, isn’t usually enough to grant me free admission to men’s bathrooms. I went before the library opened, and hoped that no one would come in. I brought a few “Crescat Graffiti” cards to help me plead my case for being a photographer of graffiti rather than being there for any sort of titillating purpose.

** Thanks to Joey Brown for sending me the tip about the B-level men’s room.

*** Thanks to Matthew Felix Sun for the Chinese translation help!

**** CAPS: UofC’s Career Advising and Planning Services

]]> http://www.crescatgraffiti.com/2009/11/25/the-nerdiest-place-on-earth-b-level-mens-room/feed/ 6