Did you ever consider throwing your trash in the neighbours' yard? Did you ever feel like taking your bag that's filled to the top, and throw it negligently over the fence, without hiding, in broad daylight? I didn't think so, am I right?
And why don't you? Is it because in our society, people have become conscious of the irresponsible aspect of not doing their part in maintaining their yard? And, if certain people don't do it, could they be ordered by their municipality and/or their neighbours that for hygienic reasons, they have to keep their yard minimally clean?
So, can we conclude that this question is just about taken care of? I'll risk myself by saying yes. That, yes, we must respect others, in their privacy and in public places. We realize that throwing our trash on the other's lawn, is something we cannot do. Even if it would be less trouble than disposing of it ourselves, and would allow us to skid the expense of the garbage removal service, we cannot do that. Even if it would be less tiring to throw them out the window onto the neighbour's yard instead of walking to the street curb (as Homer Simpson would), we cannot do that.
So, we cannot do that.
So, why is it so easy to do when we're driving in our cars?
DIFFERENT CASE TYPES
1st case: the geological discriminate
I'll always remember an anecdote that I experienced 3 years ago. I was taking a walk with my girlfriend near her place in Old Montreal, when we saw a man in his fifties stop his car nearby. His car was a big Mercedes that was about 4 or 5 years old, was in very good shape, well-maintained, and the man was well-groomed. Then, this guy opens the door of his car and gets out, leans over... and throws out a pile of old newspapers that were on the bottom of his car (to protect HIS floor mats), and climb back into his car.
Frustrated, we picked up these papers and knocked on his window to tell him he had "dropped" something and that we wanted to give it back to him. Reluctantly, he finally opened his door and took off with his newspapers.
In your opinion, do you think this person would do this in front of his house or his neighbours'? I'll risk myself and say no. But why did he do it, then? In my opinion, the city is, to him, a No Man's Land. A place of no interest apart from working there, making money there, going out, and doing his dirty tricks incognito. In short, he sees a difference between the human and ecologic value of the city, and the one of the city he lives in. That's geographical discrimination.
The contrary is also true when municipal administrations of big and small cities sign agreements with landfill sites located out of their borders, in order to get rid of their garbage. Such examples abound. Let's only think of the dump in Lachenaie which collects a good part of Montreal's trash.
That mentality is called: "Not in my yard, or in my neighbours'. But, in the yard of the next neighbour down, who I don't know and will probably never meet, that's ok!"
2nd case: the person who doesn't give a damn, or the asocial
For some, the respect for others is of no importance. He spits on floors in buildings, he empties his ashtray anywhere, and drives like he's alone on the road. These cases are often very dangerous on the road by the way they drive as well as their total lack of consideration for their vehicle... and other peoples'. A striking example, literally, is to see them park or open their door in shopping centers, or in the city where parking space is restrained. They often leave people (and their cars) "marked" by their passage.
An example that I'll never forget deserves to be told. About 15 years ago, while I was a passenger aboard a car that my buddy was driving, we saw an object fly out of the car in front of us. That object landed directly on our windshield.
That object was a soiled diaper!
And why don't you? Is it because in our society, people have become conscious of the irresponsible aspect of not doing their part in maintaining their yard? And, if certain people don't do it, could they be ordered by their municipality and/or their neighbours that for hygienic reasons, they have to keep their yard minimally clean?
So, can we conclude that this question is just about taken care of? I'll risk myself by saying yes. That, yes, we must respect others, in their privacy and in public places. We realize that throwing our trash on the other's lawn, is something we cannot do. Even if it would be less trouble than disposing of it ourselves, and would allow us to skid the expense of the garbage removal service, we cannot do that. Even if it would be less tiring to throw them out the window onto the neighbour's yard instead of walking to the street curb (as Homer Simpson would), we cannot do that.
So, we cannot do that.
So, why is it so easy to do when we're driving in our cars?
DIFFERENT CASE TYPES
1st case: the geological discriminate
I'll always remember an anecdote that I experienced 3 years ago. I was taking a walk with my girlfriend near her place in Old Montreal, when we saw a man in his fifties stop his car nearby. His car was a big Mercedes that was about 4 or 5 years old, was in very good shape, well-maintained, and the man was well-groomed. Then, this guy opens the door of his car and gets out, leans over... and throws out a pile of old newspapers that were on the bottom of his car (to protect HIS floor mats), and climb back into his car.
Frustrated, we picked up these papers and knocked on his window to tell him he had "dropped" something and that we wanted to give it back to him. Reluctantly, he finally opened his door and took off with his newspapers.
In your opinion, do you think this person would do this in front of his house or his neighbours'? I'll risk myself and say no. But why did he do it, then? In my opinion, the city is, to him, a No Man's Land. A place of no interest apart from working there, making money there, going out, and doing his dirty tricks incognito. In short, he sees a difference between the human and ecologic value of the city, and the one of the city he lives in. That's geographical discrimination.
The contrary is also true when municipal administrations of big and small cities sign agreements with landfill sites located out of their borders, in order to get rid of their garbage. Such examples abound. Let's only think of the dump in Lachenaie which collects a good part of Montreal's trash.
That mentality is called: "Not in my yard, or in my neighbours'. But, in the yard of the next neighbour down, who I don't know and will probably never meet, that's ok!"
2nd case: the person who doesn't give a damn, or the asocial
For some, the respect for others is of no importance. He spits on floors in buildings, he empties his ashtray anywhere, and drives like he's alone on the road. These cases are often very dangerous on the road by the way they drive as well as their total lack of consideration for their vehicle... and other peoples'. A striking example, literally, is to see them park or open their door in shopping centers, or in the city where parking space is restrained. They often leave people (and their cars) "marked" by their passage.
An example that I'll never forget deserves to be told. About 15 years ago, while I was a passenger aboard a car that my buddy was driving, we saw an object fly out of the car in front of us. That object landed directly on our windshield.
That object was a soiled diaper!