I just read the most fascinating book:
The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters by Rose George.
I’m still trying to process what I read.
I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that the majority of the world just pees or shits wherever it is convenient (or even not convenient, based on the situation or gender).
And for those of us who go in a “civilized” manner (i.e., in a toilet), disposal is a huge issue as well. We all take it for granted that once it’s flushed, it’s gone, but it’s not.
This topic is not for everyone, but it an important one, and very eye opening, even though I thought I was aware of public health issues and the like.
I’m not going to go into a review of the book here, but I do think people should read (or read about) this book. There are a few excerpts and an interview with the author from Salon.
The author also mentions Steven Pinker’s discussion on the use of profanity in language — interesting stuff, that — which is why I used “shit” instead of “crap” in my title.
There’s a great video from C-SPAN where Dr. Pinker talks about his book The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature (you can be sure I’ve added this to my reading list) including profanity in speech, if you are interested.
Dog Ball Hysterics 