A Boy and His Toilet
I heard about this on the radio and could not believe it. Yes, a boy in Wisconsin, Dustin Kruse, is gaga about toilets–reads about them, goes on factory tours, and got a brand new dual flush full featured model for Christmas. What I also found noteworthy about the analysis of Dustin’s interest was that a psychologist said while the focus is unique, a curiosity about things mechanical is not. ”"Little boys often like to think about the mechanical world and how systems work. It’s a very typical interest.” The fact that the analysis is gender specific struck me. Does this kind of early focus on plumbing presage later gender gaps in engineering classes? I find it hard to believe that this focus is genetic, some male trait passed down from generation to generation, especially since I did not inherit it. I wonder if there is a culture out there where one mechanically inclined girl is also pining for prime plumbing? It certainly is preferable to a desire for a puppy or a pony or other pets–they don’t dispose of their own waste.
