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I once saw an obese lady push a big Mc Donalds bag full of garbage out of her car into the street by the curb in front of my house, of course I got mad but decided against going outside and confronting her, what is the point in dealing with people like this? It's like talking to a brick wall.
About the smokers, they throw their cigarette butts everywhere, on lawns, stoops. In the street is one thing but on people's property, that is wrong. It's too bad though that smokers don't die quicker, the sooner the better.
this is the reason that you will find with most people... they just don't want to hold garbage! As soon as something's done, they'll just drop it to the ground, so they don't have to hold onto it any longer.
True. But let's be honest: how does anyone justify laziness to that degree? It's not as if there weren't places to put your garbage. And if you had to hold onto it for a while until you could put it somewhere other than the floor, it's not really so heavy as to cause permanent (or even temporary) injury. Besides, if people in other cities don't act this way, why do so many New Yorkers?
True. But let's be honest: how does anyone justify laziness to that degree? It's not as if there weren't places to put your garbage. And if you had to hold onto it for a while until you could put it somewhere other than the floor, it's not really so heavy as to cause permanent (or even temporary) injury. Besides, if people in other cities don't act this way, why do so many New Yorkers?
My thoughts exactly. This sad type of behavior happens everywhere, which spurred us into a discussion of why. Is it that people are so self absorbed, is it laziness, is it a lack of manners, is it an attitude of "I'm above the rules" or is it an attitude of "people are suppose to clean up after me it's their job." Anyone have any insight on this? I'm concerned as a society what basic principles of care, compassion and respect we may be losing. Because it's not only these basic principles we may lose with our attitude towards our environment, but I can't help but wonder if it would carry over towards our interactions with one another.
NooYowkur81 stated, "At this point I don't think they could do much else, and compared to other places I've been around the U.S.A. smoking is less of an annoyance here. A lot of people do smoke here but that might be a reflection of the high stress lifestyle many live here, and also simply that there are a lot of people here."
Is stress really a reason to justify smoking? I feel there are numerous healthy alternative options, but I'm a nonsmoker. I have been downtown in other cities before and not encounter the mass amount of smoking we witnessed while in NYC. We have almost the same smoking laws here in Oklahoma as you all do in NYC. IMHO, it seems like smokers here hide in back alleys when they smoke (even downtown) b/c they are embarassed (my assumption) that they engage in a socially unacceptable bad habit. Or as mentioned previously, many people in other cities smoke in their cars on the way to work so it's not as readily witnessed. Many places in Oklahoma you can't smoke within "x" amount of feet by the building. Whereas in NYC it was done in the open. We were surprised at how many people smoked in Central Park while many others were trying to soak up the beauty of the park or get their workout in. But why throw your cigarettes down in the grass, streets or side walks? Is our world your ashtray? Would you do that if that were the area your child was playing on the ground with their toys?
I lived in Phoenix for two years, a large city that is spotless compared to New York. The ethic is different. It comes down to bad manners. And I say that as a lifelong New Yorker. Also after coming back to New York, having been away for six years, I also noticed the shocking rise in smokers. Young people in their twenties seem to be taking up the habit fastest of all, and seem to consider smoking a fashion statement. It is downright foolhardy given the level of education they have to make better choices. It is sad to see.
What's up with all the trash? Most New York City dwellers are taught to litter at a very young age. It's the only way the trash everywhere can be tolerated. At least that's my theory. The City could generate a lot of money by aggressively prosecuting litterbugs. it is disgusting.
What's up with the smoking? Several things. First of all, as mentioned above, it's illegal to smoke inside, so everyone's outside. Secondly, New York City has a lot of idiots, of which all smokers are a subset. Did you notice how many palm reading parlors there are in this town, too? Third, it's all about individuals enjoying freedom, man.
I hope you weren't suggesting that people throwing their trash all over the city where it doesn't belong somehow comes under the heading of "freedom." Because I'd like to divulge a tiny little secret: freedom doesn't mean you can do whatever you want to!
I once saw an obese lady push a big Mc Donalds bag full of garbage out of her car into the street by the curb in front of my house, of course I got mad but decided against going outside and confronting her, what is the point in dealing with people like this? It's like talking to a brick wall.
About the smokers, they throw their cigarette butts everywhere, on lawns, stoops. In the street is one thing but on people's property, that is wrong. It's too bad though that smokers don't die quicker, the sooner the better.
I'll try to hasten my demise for you. However, I agree with you about smokers being up there on the litter list. It doesn't take much of an effort to put the cigarette out and throw the butt into the garbage.
I was smoking outside my building downtown near where the police have the checkpoint set up for vehicles proceeding down toward Wall St. A woman across the street from me finished smoking and threw her still-lit butt down into the street right in front of an occupied cop car. The cop got out and said, "I can't believe you just did that right in front of me. Now pick it up." The woman actually said to him, "You are kidding, right?" The cop made it clear that he was not--she picked it up. But geez, fellow smokers, as you can see they hate us enough already. Just make a little effort here to clean up after yourselves!
What's up with all the trash? Most New York City dwellers are taught to litter at a very young age. It's the only way the trash everywhere can be tolerated.
i think there's a lot of truth to this. there's a culture of tolerance for littering in nyc (as well as surrounding urban areas like jersey city and newark) that just isn't in place in other parts of the country with cleaner cities. it's kind of how jaywalking is an accepted part of nyc's pedestrian culture that is learned by example at an early age (or for transplants, at an early stage of their tenure in the city). people seem to think, "everyone else does it, so why should i do otherwise?"
while it's true that nyc's high volume of people on the street is a major contributor to the litter problem, it doesn't fully explain why this happens. after all, just look at other large cities with heavy pedestrian activity for a stark contrast in behavior. in berlin or tokyo, for instance, there are tons of people on the street, yet the streets are relatively spotless. in tokyo (which has a larger population than nyc and likewise has super crowded streets with a frenetic pace), i was actually kind of shocked to see people always holding onto their litter until they reached a garbage can. there's just more of a sense of shame and personal accountability there about littering on the street.
what really gets me, though, are the people who complain about the city's rat and roach problem yet don't think twice about dropping their litter on the street. or those who dump their litter on the subway tracks, which is potentially disruptive and dangerous.
I think way more people/pedestrians is a poor excuse because if everyone was diligent enough to take their trash & dispose of it properly, littering wouldn't be such an issue. It boils down to respect & responsibility.
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