Yesterday at work, while gazing out of the window (as you do when you have been staring at a computer screen all day), I saw a guy get up from the bench he was sitting on, walk a few steps, then chuck an empty soft drink bottle on the ground, among some bushes. Then he walked back to his seat and sat down again to chat with his mate. I couldn’t believe my eyes. If he had kept walking a few more steps, he would have reached the bin strategically placed specifically for such rubbish.
I got up, let myself out of the library and went up to him. “Excuse me,” I said, “I just saw what you did, I was looking out the window…” I pointed in the direction of the discarded bottle. Actually I didn’t need to even point, because I could see that, as soon as I said I’d seen what he’d done, he knew what I was referring to, and he knew he shouldn’t have littered. I’m sure I didn’t need to, but I went up to the bin, gestured at it, and opened it for him to deposit the bottle into. I think I made a comment about littering on our campus. Then I went back to my desk.
Back at my desk I could see the guy went back to sitting on the bench for a few more minutes before getting up and wandering off. I do wonder why he did it. I mean, it wasn’t as if he’d remained seated and flung the bottle away from him – he’d actually gotten up! Did he just lose motivation to use the bin halfway along the arduous trek to reach it??
M suggests that I was outside my “jurisdiction”, since the incident occurred outside the library. I contend that it was a shared, public space and we all have some level of responsibility and care for it. Maybe I embarrassed the guy in front of his friend and the smokers who were out there – but it irked me. What would you have done?
Categories: community
13 Comments
I certainly see why you did what you did. But I get so fed up with ‘correcting’ people, that I usually let stuff pass. That said, I did get in a minor street fight in Taipei because I wouldn’t let something ‘pass’ and it was very bloody well outside my ‘jurisdiction’ in the end. I guess we pick our battles…
Woody
Sure, I do pick my “fights” too. If it had’ve been in a less salubrious area and it was a group of 6 foot tall, 300 lb bikers I might have thought twice…
I’m glad you did what you did. Litterbugs annoy me. Most of the time it is sheer laziness.
If I’m acting in an official capacity I would do the same. Like if I was wearing my name badge while around campus. On the street as a general passerby I’m too chicken.
I’m usually too meek to do anything (which annoys me greatly). This incident reminds me of the time i was standing at a bus-stop in London and a man beside me was emptying out his rugsack, just pulling out bits of paper, old bus tickets, scraps of tissue and releasing them to be picked up by the wind. I was beside myself and still i couldn’t say anything to him. I just gave him evils and hoped he would fall in a big wheelie bin some day.
Good on you for doing what you did, i reckon.
What would I have done?
1. Thought about whether I ever did that type of thing (I’m with you ..maybe I lie, cheat and slander..but littering is just against my personal moral code…and should be against everyone’s 😉 ). 2. Thought about whether there was potential for the other person to watch me later on for wrongdoings (ie. would I feel like I had to be supergood for the rest of my time in that location because they were often there and could then pull me up…or worse, I’d seem like a hypocrite in front of them). 3. Check my apathy meter.
If all those were cleared ..go for it.
I would have done – and continues to do – exactly what you did. Well done! Living in Australia I see most people don’t correct eachother all the time even when we know what the *right* thing to do is. “Mind your own business” indeed.
I grew up in Norway wherein it is everybody’s role to make sure society works for us all. You people talk about juristiction! That’s arguing what is lawful ; I’d much rather argue for what is right, and littering is just wrong. Even bad people know this, and friendly reminders of these matters usually always makes a difference for the better.
Hi CW, I’d probably decide if I had the time and then do the same, if feeling confident and steady. I don’t think it matters that it’s not your jurisdiction, I think students – even visitors – would be within their rights to say they find the action offensive, even if they don’t demand the guy pick up his rubbish. The environment is everyone’s responsibility.
I’m glad you pointed out what they’d done.
I would probably do the same as you had, although it’s hard to be sure whether I would indeed do what I say I would do. I have strong feelings about the environment/litterbugs/general community mindedness, but I’m also shy of confrontation and perhaps would be scared to approach someone even if it was clear they were doing something wrong.
Perhaps I wouldn’t hesitate to publicly berate someone if I saw them kicking a dog/cat. As mentioned, we pick our battles…
Too self-concious to actually say something to the offender, I honestly would have let it pass and then might have gone out later on and retrieved the trash myself and thrown it out. I do that around my compound when I’m walking the dog: if there’s trash lying about, I’ve been known to pick it up and throw it in the dumpster, or if it’s on “my” front lawn area, bring it inside and throw it in my garbage can.
And hats off for the word salubrious; I’m currently leaning over my monster dictionary, where I had to look up its definition. Now…how to use it at work today? =)
Penny: I know what you mean about being “official” – I don’t know if that guy thought I was official but he definitely complied…
jl: meek? You, meek? 🙂
sirexkat: I’ve been known to cart rubbish around with me for ages until I find a bin – littering is definitely against my personal code. And well, if I do something stupid, thoughtless or wrong, I’d hope someone pointed it out to me…
Alex: I agree. We are all part of society!
Dee: The funny thing was, I didn’t even stop and think. I just stormed out there. I wonder if it will make that guy stop and think next time he has something to discard, “Hmm.. are there any windows nearby? Will some weirdo come and berate me if I chuck this? Ah, there’s a bin! I’ll just put it in there…”
Anna: Maybe, if I’d been having a better week, I wouldn’t have been as pissed off to see what he’d done. But then I’ve been known to take beer away from students drinking in the library, asking a racist in a lift if he’d care to repeat his stupid slur…
Mickey: I pick stuff up too. I like my surroundings salubrious 😉
From my visit to Australia many years ago, I was impressed by how civic minded Australians were. Once saw a mother correct her son and asked her child to dispose of the litter properly. In Singapore, most people obey civic rules but then there are those [include your fav term here]… Anyway I was surprised to read your post. I guess bad manners happen irrespective of nationalities. Regarding your question, I’d not have told him off but that’s bec. I don’t know how and I’m worried it might result in an argument. So I applaud you doing so. BUT you got me thinking… so let’s see: First I’d look at the other guy’s viewpoint (the one I’m going to tell off) — if someone told me off in front of my buddies, I’d feel embarassed. And out of spite I might try something worse. So IF I’d tell anyone “off”, I’d just make it non-confrontational and appeal to their good sense. If they think that’s meek behaviour on my part and try to start a fight, I’d respond by saying “hey buddy, I’m just telling you. It’s up to you man”.
Yes, if I had to do it again, I probably wouldn’t have been as garang (lit. ‘fierce’). But I was having one of those weeks, and maybe I took it out on him a bit, I could have been more pleasant. I would still have said something, though…