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So many times when we think a problem is solved we become complacent. It may not be truly solved but only in a recession. If someone in the news media or the government focuses in on a problem, usually a problem that all of us out here in the real world already know exists, up go the red flags. The flags stay up until some study shows that there is a decline in the problem.
The same thing happened a few years back with graffiti. After a sharp decline in the amount of graffiti on our walls and businesses there was a dramatic increase of this vile vandalism. Again, after the problem is perceived to go away, we shift our focus and while we aren’t looking, the virus begins to creep back into our lives.
I have begun to notice another one of my pet peeves resurfacing and it seems to be coming back at an alarming rate. It is something I am sure most of us don’t think about as much lately with so much to draw our attention on the world stage. But it is one of those things that has always been with us and shouldn’t be. That would be littering.
Littering is one of those problems, especially during the holiday season, that you don’t think about unless something happens to draw your attention to it. In my case it was while I was driving, a time when I am on a heightened state of alert, when I saw the person in the car in front of me blatantly toss a candy wrapper out of the window.
With the way that my mind works, that little action is akin to lighting the fuse to my attention. Now my eyes are on a state of alert, watching to see if this was just an isolated situation or, if like everyone else lately, I just wasn’t paying attention. Unfortunately it was the latter.
Not more than 10 minutes later I watched in amazement as first, the parent driver in a Mercedes Benz tossed a lit cigarette from his window, and then his ill mannered spawn chucked his soda can out from the passenger side of the car. This was a perfect example of where the problem lies, with the parents.
From the time that our kids were able to comprehend the concept, my wife and I have drilled the lesson of not littering into our childrens’ minds. Something that seemed to be lost on the family in the Mercedes. Maybe there was something in their lease about not using the ashtray or keeping a trash bag in the car. Whatever the reason, this behavior is unacceptable in any civilized society.
The other day while I was doing yard work in front of my house, one of my neighbor’s customers, my neighbor runs an automotive repair shop in front of his house, decided that our cul-de-sac was an extension of the city dump and started throwing trash on the ground. He was actually cleaning out his car and instead of walking the ten steps to a trash can he threw his trash under the cypress trees that line the street.
Joe Auto Repair, not wanting to scare off his customer’s business, said nothing. I mean why should he when he tosses his trash wherever he feels like as well. So I began yelling at him to pick up his trash. His response was to ignore me, which was a mistake on his part because I was seriously pissed off and was not going to stop voicing my opinion until he or Joe Auto Repair picked up the trash. When he finally did respond it wasn’t in English so I had to resort to using my pantomime skills to convey my message. Even with this he refused to pick up the trash.
Finally, Joe Auto Repair tore himself away from whatever the hell he was doing under the hood to see why his customer and I were yelling at one another. At least he spoke a little English and even though he didn’t want to, he picked up the trash. Obviously, in whatever country they came from, this type of behavior was acceptable. I think there ought to be bilingual “Don’t Trash California” ads running on TV because the word is not circulating on the street.
I think we should blame the Motion Picture Theatre Owners Association. Under the guise of an entertainment venue they are teaching and condoning the practice of littering. Where else do you go that it is acceptable and encouraged to throw your trash on the ground?
The only trash receptacles are in the lobby and not in the theatre where the consumption of vast quantities of popcorn, candy, and soda go on during the presentation. Considering that the edibles are usually gone before the completion of the film you are basically expected to leave your trash on the floor by your seat.
If you were a relatively new resident of this country and had not been subjected to the ad campaigns of 20 years ago featuring weeping Native Americans, you may not know that littering is a crime. Especially if you frequent movie theatres and can’t read the signs on the highway saying that if you litter you are subject to a fine.
I think it’s time that we begin to refocus on this problem and begin to re-educate all of our residents, new and old, that here in this country we need to respect our surroundings. That if you are new to this country, whatever was the norm in your homeland it is not to be repeated here. That we need and should be teaching all of our children to break the cycle of disrespecting the environment.
The wrappers do not fall far from the Mercedes.
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