An alternative way totreat litter louts.

Eddiethehill

Last week I saw something that made me rethink how people are encouraged to behave reasonably. I was passing a takeaway in my home town (in Meath) when I spotted something extraordinary.

A bunch ot local teenagers (GAA practice night) were hanging out in front of a local takeaway (nothing sinister, just talking amongs themselves) when one of them dropped an empty chip bag on to the street, right next to a rubbish bin.

One of the lads, seemingly a leader, went and pointedly picked up the bag and placed it in the bin, right in front of his mates. The offender looked soooo embarrased that anybody should treat him like that (a person of limited mental development, or a small child!) that he will probably never do that again. He was really shown up in front of his mates.

This evening when I was in the same chipper, my wife an I were watching through the window, another young lad in a small group, was rolling up an empty paper bag and we waited to see what he would do. Sure enough he dropped it on the footpath outside without a thought. On the spur of the moment I went outside and picked the rubbish up at his feet and put it in the bin for him, saying in a slightly partonising way(but without any hostility at all) that it was OK and not to worry about it, and that all was well.

This embarrased him immensely in front of his pals. Nobody likes being treated like a "retard" (non-PC, but it is the word used), but he did not have any recourse or he would have to have acknowledged that he behaved like one. He just mumbled something, his mates grinned broadly. He looked foolish even in front of the most junior members of his group

I bet you he will think again before dropping litter in full public view.

The way people learn to behave is sometimes through coercion, but often through example. No member of gang would suck their thumb, or carry around a teddy bear, because it would make them look babyish. If you can make dropping litter and making a mess after themselves look babyish then teenagers will stop doing that.

A little favour done for a litter lout will make them want to avoid a repeat performance. People want to be accepted in their group as a full senior member, not as a kid who has to be minded.

Maybe what I did was foolhardy, but I think it had much more effect than complaining or nagging, on at least one person.

Thanks

Eddiethehill

Pocari Sweat

Eddie, the Hill, I am disappointed in your regular use of the word "retard" in your original post and I think that people who use such terms are probably a little backward in their thinking themselves.

Back in the 1970's when outdated terms such as spastics and retards were used, people in general were none the wiser as they were widely used terms but were offensive to many at the time, none the less.

Nowadays, to use such terms in public, shows the person using such terms as below average intelligence or somewhat lacking respect to those less able than people without disabilities.

To illustrate your litter conundrum by depicting the offenders as "retards" and not wanting to be a "retard" or baby etc in front of their peers, is ironically, a little backward and childish in its concept.

Re-edit your post in a more intelligent and respectful manner and I will answer it in due course without prejudice.

Eddiethehill

Pocari Sweat wrote:

Eddie, the Hill, I am disappointed in your regular use of the word "retard" in your original post and I think that people who use such terms are probably a little backward in their thinking themselves.

Back in the 1970's when outdated terms such as spastics and retards were used, people in general were none the wiser as they were widely used terms but were offensive to many at the time, none the less.

Nowadays, to use such terms in public, shows the person using such terms as below average intelligence or somewhat lacking respect to those less able than people without disabilities.

To illustrate your litter conundrum by depicting the offenders as "retards" and not wanting to be a "retard" or baby etc in front of their peers, is ironically, a little backward and childish in its concept.

Re-edit your post in a more intelligent and respectful manner and I will answer it in due course without prejudice.

Pocari,
I accept your point without reservation. My post was about group behaviour, and not meant to insult anybody. For my rather offhand use of the word I must apologise.

When I went to edit my first post above I had quite some difficulty in finding a phrasing which, in my ears at least, was not even more insulting to people. Here I am thinking of how the parents of special children would feel. Phrases like "special", or "cognitively challenged" or "other abled" just seem to me to be politically correct but still shine the same negative light on the subject.

I don't think there is any adjective that can be used in common parlance that has no connotations of patronising. Even the word “special” becomes insulting when the speaker wants it to be.

But I do stay by my original point about treating litter louts like they need to be minded. It does make people think twice about doing the same thing again in front of their peers.

Pocari Sweat

Eddie,
I appreciate your approach regarding my last post and I understand the point you were making. I was perhaps being a little politically correct and I know it is fairly difficult to pursue a compromise in the idea you were putting across.

With the changing attitudes of the young and more extreme behaviours often witnessed nowadays, littering is probably going to be a minor thing that society may attempt to correct in hostile youths and violence is probably going to become more of an issue and more widespread.

Just keep in mind that if parents have not been able to get across good behaviour and manners of adolescents and some are beyond worrying about litter and more into happy slapping or extreme violence, be mindful that your attempt to show littering is unacceptable to some adolescents may lead to extreme reactions by some groups of youths that are beyond reason when it comes to social ettiquette and altruistic actions offered on your part on behalf of society ma end up in an assault on your person and behaviour you were not anticipating when approaching the litter issue.

Very tricky one I reckon, probably easier to carry out if you know the litter louts, and like you said, best carried out in as easy going a manner you can muster with a polite word to those you know.

As for strangers or even a group of them, they may take this offensively and like the immaturity they are illustrating in their actions with the litter they may take their unreasonable behaviour to another level.

Fines for littering and better policing of this by wardens and official bodies is the way many cities have adopted practices in the UK, and stiff penalties backed up by the police are regularly enforced without compromise.

A program recently on UK telly showed a chief litter warden actually go about his job and expertly anticipate where litter was going to be dropped and who the likely culprits were going to be, to then descend upon them on the spot with a stiff fine and telling off. All tried to argue but were no match with this no nonsense crew of litter wardens, they certainly kicked ass figuratively speaking.

cathy01

I think over the years words change their meaning.A example of this is gay.It no longer means homosexual.But wrong, not accepted, different.
The would retard , while hurtful to some , for the younger generation means silly, gay , different.
No offence was taken , by me anyway.
Move with the times.

Pocari Sweat

cathy01 wrote:

I think over the years words change their meaning.A example of this is gay.It no longer means homosexual.But wrong, not accepted, different.
The would retard , while hurtful to some , for the younger generation means silly, gay , different.
No offence was taken , by me anyway.
Move with the times.

Have people stopped using the word gay for meaning homosexual? The phrase "what planet" comes to mind.

And calling someone a retard means they are gay or different? but is only hurtful to some, and generally a jolly term to use for all?

Okay I may be a bit politically correct, so I will get with the times, and if you are a gay retard yourself, sure no offence these are just petty words.