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This week, I was reading David Sedaris' latest book, "Exploring Diabetes with Owls", which I thoroughly enjoyed and you can see how he has softened with a bit of age and luxury, but he is still pretty entertaining. (I didn't care for his last book with the animal fables. To put it plainly, it grossed me out, but hey sometimes an author is on, sometimes they are off.) Anyways, in reading this book, I have come to find out that he now lives in England full time (in London, and in a cottage in West Sussex) and my dark thought upon finding out the news was, "oooh now I can stalk him." I kid. Mostly. It was interesting to see his reaction to the English countryside was much like mine. From the disbelief at its storybook-like beauty, to the fact that litter is a massive problem. He talks about it in the essay, "Rubbish". You can hear the essay here on Radio 4.
It is one aspect of British life that I can't quite wrap my head around. Like Sedaris said, that one expects litter in the city, but it just seems down right sacrilegious to do that in the sticks. I come from a place where people will shame you in public if you litter. Yes there is some litter because Seattle isn't some sort of utopia but visitors have often commented upon how damn tidy the place is. I recalled the time that Mr. Jenner's friends from university came to visit and they were in awe over the lack of litter and the fact that none of the elevators smelled like piss.
Sedaris also talks about people tossing garbage out of the windows of their cars. I remember the first time I saw that and it left me with the kind of shock I experienced watching an episode of "Mad Men" where a bunch of garbage was left on the side of the road after a picnic. Oh sure casual racism, problem drinking, and general whoring it up I don't bat an eye at, but you LEFT your trash everywhere???? I may need to lie on my fainting couch.
Yet no one admits to dumping shit everywhere. Come on England, own up to it. I have SEEN people do this.
Maybe it is a lack of rubbish bins. (I have a theory about that being related to the years of fear from bombings and the most practical approach during those years was to just get rid of garbage bins.) Let's buy England some rubbish bins. Maybe you need someone like Lady Bird Johnson encouraging people to beautify the country. Or would the Seattle approach work? Being passive-aggressive and a little bit apologetic. "I am sorry that you are a bit of a tit, but maybe you shouldn't dump your crisp packets on the side of that path, only you might murder some animals... I dunno... unless that is something you want to do. Whatever.... "
It is one aspect of British life that I can't quite wrap my head around. Like Sedaris said, that one expects litter in the city, but it just seems down right sacrilegious to do that in the sticks. I come from a place where people will shame you in public if you litter. Yes there is some litter because Seattle isn't some sort of utopia but visitors have often commented upon how damn tidy the place is. I recalled the time that Mr. Jenner's friends from university came to visit and they were in awe over the lack of litter and the fact that none of the elevators smelled like piss.
Sedaris also talks about people tossing garbage out of the windows of their cars. I remember the first time I saw that and it left me with the kind of shock I experienced watching an episode of "Mad Men" where a bunch of garbage was left on the side of the road after a picnic. Oh sure casual racism, problem drinking, and general whoring it up I don't bat an eye at, but you LEFT your trash everywhere???? I may need to lie on my fainting couch.
Yet no one admits to dumping shit everywhere. Come on England, own up to it. I have SEEN people do this.
Maybe it is a lack of rubbish bins. (I have a theory about that being related to the years of fear from bombings and the most practical approach during those years was to just get rid of garbage bins.) Let's buy England some rubbish bins. Maybe you need someone like Lady Bird Johnson encouraging people to beautify the country. Or would the Seattle approach work? Being passive-aggressive and a little bit apologetic. "I am sorry that you are a bit of a tit, but maybe you shouldn't dump your crisp packets on the side of that path, only you might murder some animals... I dunno... unless that is something you want to do. Whatever.... "
