World Toilet Day is coming up. It's November 19 -- just a few weeks away. It's an important event that marks the fact that 2.5 billion people in the world don't have a pot to piss in, and are instead forced to practice habits like open defecation that cause serious risks to health (not to mention dignity).
This year, the organizers of World Toilet Day have come up with an incredible idea to spread awareness. They're calling it "The Big Squat". Here's what's going to happen: on November 19, in busy locations all over the world, groups of people are going to stop and squat. For one minute.
Participating in the Big Squat is simple. Simply squat for one minute in a highly visible location, and then have a plan to explain to anyone who notices WHY you're all squatting.
Squatting is actually a very healthy bathroom stance, but it's also a symbol of the problems in the developing world, where a lack of sanitation forces people to squat in fields, on train tracks, or in other open places. Open defecation is actually one of the worst problems facing the developing world.
It's going to get attention. Lots of attention. And I think each PoopReporter should start a Squat Squad.
It's pretty easy and informal: set up a Facebook group for your area, gather your friends, print out some flyers, go somewhere public, and squat. Then go somewhere else and squat. And then do it again. And again. Everything you need to set up your Squat Squad, from flyers to press releases, is in the Big Squat toolkit.
This is an important and highly-visible event. If you call the media beforehand, you're almost guaranteed to get on the local news. It's a surefire way to spread awareness, have some fun, and freak out some Shameful Shitters. I'll be doing it here in Singapore. How about you?
