Litterbug

Remember that episode of Mad Men where the Draper family has a picnic in the park? After they are finished eating, Don finished his beer and tosses the bottle into the grass. The ever-dutiful Betty shakes off the trash from their meal and off they go, leaving behind their garbage. That sort of complete lack of respect for the world we live in was not uncommon in the sixties. If littering wasn't a huge problem we wouldn't have needed laws and fines to try and stop it.

But that was the sixties. Surely things have changed. I mean, we've been bombarded with advertisements, jingles, slogans and signs, all of which work tediously to drive home the fact that it is our duty to keep the world clean. Keep it clean. Keep it green. Recycle, Reduce, Reuse. Don't make excuses. Make a difference. Give a hoot. Don't pollute. Don't be a litterbug.

We all know it's bad to litter, right? It has to be general knowledge. I want to believe no one tosses sandwich wrappers out their car windows anymore, but this is just wishful thinking. The proof is there, all around us. As some of you may know I've been running/walking/jogging in the morning and at night, in hopes of clearing my head and centring my chi, whatever that means. Today, I ran down to the lake and along the way, I was saddened to see the trash at the side of the road. Booster Juice cups. Take out containers. Pop bottles. Tissues. And an abundance of cigarette butts.

How heartbreaking.  

On the way back from the lake, I found myself wondering what kind of people still litter. Of all the answers I came up with, from teenagers to rednecks, the only one that encompassed everyone was ignorant people. Dummies who clearly don't care about the world they live in. I live in an incredibly rural area and one might assume the people who chose to live in this glorious natural wonderland would appreciate it enough to use a freakin' garbage can. Apparently, not all of them do.

Here's a bold statement, but desperate times call for desperate actions. If you litter, then we will never be friends. There. I said it. Just trying to do my part to keep the world green.