Friday, March 25, 2011

apparently turning into a running tattletale series about other drivers

So I was driving back from my local Asian Grocery Mart (Super H Mart!  I love you and your multiple Pocky species!) when I was stopped at a red light behind this SUV.  Suddenly the door opened, a hand stuck out, and dumped a half full plastic cup of some beverage out of the car onto the pavement.  Not just the liquid part, mind you, the whole cup.  Then they closed the door, and when the light turned green, they just drove away.




Part of me was incensed, because if Ranger Rick and his Forest Rangers taught me anything, it's that LITTERING IS BAD.  But it's the complete disregard for the social contract that really drove me crazy.  It's like in that episode of "The Simpsons," when someone asked Homer why he threw trash on the ground instead of looking for a garbage can.  ("Because it's easier.  Duh.")  Which is funny because it's true, but this was broad daylight in the middle of a giant street, wasn't this person even a little embarrassed to just jettison trash out their vehicle?  What was this, outer space, and they're just blowing detritus out of their airlock hatch?

Like George McFly, I'm essentially a coward when it comes to confrontation, but I was two impulse units away from beeping my horn in disapproval.  The only thing that stopped me is that I've watched enough local news to have a healthy suspicion that, particularly in the South, outrageously rude drivers actually carry firearms in their vehicles with alarming frequency.  So in the interest of not getting shot, I didn't do anything more disapproving that taking a picture with my cell phone and posting a scoldy commentary on my marginally trafficked blog.

Uh, that'll teach them a lesson!  Or something!

7 comments:

  1. Helixcardinal8:57 PM

    But now we have a license plate and car make/model.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous9:36 PM

    It may have been.....wees. As in child goes weewees in a cup because they "can't stop" or wait, or whatever. I have actually see this whole event take place at the lights before.Such a treat for fellow drivers. (And she emptied her coffee cup out the window first before passing it back to said bladder busting child. Suppose we should be thankful for her not giving him burns on his bits, I suppose. Classy.Classy. Classy. (Hope none of the mystery beverage hit your car BTW!) And I totally agree, littering = bad. Nothing starts a holiday weekend off better than with a whole bucket and its remaining contents of chicken bones, (and assorted drinks! hey, why not discard those too!) flying out at you and all the traffic on the highway from the car in front. Lets play Dodge That Trash!
    Singapore have got it sorted with jail time and instant hefty fines for littering!
    And you never know, perhaps one of your readers is skulking in shame being outed on your blog....(-;

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  3. Anonymous10:06 PM

    I have witnessed this at least two times before (in California) and it drives me nuts. And one of those people actually dumped their trash *twice* during the time I was behind them. You really couldn't keep that in your car for another hour before throwing it away? Ugh.

    -Vicky

    ps. great post on match day btw! I'm actually a MS4 and matched into my top choice anesthesia program last week, yay.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous11:13 PM

    They should have just rolled down the window and tossed it while in motion. That way it could have flow back and knocked the camera out of your hands. Put both hands on the steering wheel, woman!

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  5. Oh, that would drive me nuts. We have a university department and a high school near our house and every weekday there are students parked all along both sides of the street. Every weekday evening there is a trail of litter all along the street, consisting mostly of cups, bottles and crumpled McDonalds bags. I can't imagine what's going through their heads...here's a nice clean street in a nice neighborhood, I think I'll use it as my personal garbage dump.

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  6. When I see someone litter I always recall the commercial where the Native American has the tear running down his cheek.

    If people have no problem tossing their trash anywhere in public it makes me wonder how nasty their home must be...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous12:10 PM

    This post reminds me of someone in my parking structure. They always leave their can of soda (usually half full) in the parking spot. And there is a trash can right in front of the elevator which you have to take to get out of the parking structure. Why??

    ReplyDelete