July 24th, 2009 @ kadraoui
Sir,
I HAD been sitting in my vehicle at a local petrol station and witnessed the most annoying behaviour. People buying fast food from the 24 hour market, walking outside and throwing the rubbish on the floor, with a bin just a few feet away. I caught the eye of one Indian gentleman and shook my head in disapproval, hoping he would feel guilt or remorse. But he didn’t even understand that he did something wrong. So, again the problem is “education”. I raised the issue in my office amongst four well-educated Indian men. I asked them why do people throw rubbish on the floor and not in the bin. Their response was quite shocking, “because it is only illegal to throw litter from a vehicle”. So, the fact that it is not illegal to throw litter on the floor makes it OK. Is that so? It seems that was the conclusion. They also could not understand why I found it shocking. I did try to explain that if everyone threw litter on the streets, eventually we would all be living in squalor. That also went without any remark or concern. Does anybody have suggestions on how we can educate them all? It looks like an uphill struggle. Our cultures are very different. Maybe it is only me who feels these things are wrong. Maybe I have been educated to think in a fashion that is also incorrect. Maybe we all should live in dirt and squalor.
Mr Clean
Tags: Cultural Divide, Gulf Daily News, Press