Private versus public is a very big debate at the moment: everyone has different feelings about the issue and if I'm going to be completely honest here, I probably lean towards private. I don't want to sound like a snob or anything, but I just find them cleaner, and quieter and I don't have to squish up with a bunch of guys when I'm using the urinal. But if there's no choice, I'm happy to use the public system too.
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Of course, the public versus private debate is not just about toilets, although that's definitely the main one. It's also about schools: some people prefer private schools, some people prefer public schools, and I think everyone's entitled to their own opinion.
There are good things about both types of education. I went to a public school and my wife went to a private school and we both wound up being well-balanced individuals - the only real difference is, she's got better posture, and she says things like "Thank you kindly" when people pass her food at the dinner table, which I find a bit try-hard.
At private schools you can learn about other countries by spending summer on a student exchange program in Paris or Berlin or Beijing, while at public schools you can learn about other countries by spending summer in a hot classroom watching a doco called "Great Railway Journeys: From Hong Kong to Ulaanbaatar" which goes for about as long as an actual great railway journey.
Private, public, it doesn't really matter. In both schools you learn stuff, you come out at the end, and you can be whatever you want to be. Public school kids can wind up being doctors and lawyers, and even a prime minister - but a prime minster with bad posture. And private school kids can wind up making foot-longs at Subway, or working as a plumber - but a plumber with good posture who says, "Thank you kindly" after they've unclogged your toilet.
DANNY KATZ
