Victorians, Toilets, and the Shaming of the Poo April 30, 2007

Dave Praeger is the author of "Poop Culture: How America is Shaped by its Grossest National Product." Poop Culture is funny, of course -- given the subject, how could it not be? But it's also a heavily researched analysis of something that rarely receives serious consideration. In it, Praeger explores how our psychology and our culture are impacted by the one thing we all have in common -- the one thing we're not supposed to discuss.

On April 30th, he's going to be speaking at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. The title of his lecture: "Toilets, Victorians, and the Shaming of the Poo." In it, he will discuss the origins of the flush toilet -- not as a tool for sanitation, as conventional wisdom holds, but as an ideological apparatus designed to help elite Victorians separate themselves from the masses. This lecture is based on the first two chapters of his book.

This event is free, fascinating, and open to the public.

Official Website: http://www.mica.edu/news/news.cfm?action=detail&press_ID=822