As I was driving to work this morning (25/09/2007) listening to the radio, Redientse (Redi) Direko on 702 had a “When I was in Cuba” speech. I rolled my eyes, smiled and said out loud “Tell us, gal! Tell us! I am on your side.”
She spoke about -
- Littering
- Urban grime and cities that are just full of filth especially in south Africa.
- The reasons being furnished for the dirt.
And she did a comparison of Cuba, the state of affairs there and her opinion on how communism has not worked for the people. Redi, some peeps there would disagree. I have seen a couple of doccies with Cubans praising their way of life.
As I listened, I agreed with her on how filthy our cities are. People just throw anything everywhere without thinking twice. As I recall in my Bantu education primary school Littering was covered by the syllabus. We were told on the impact of littering and what it does to our globe. We went on “cleaning the river. Cleaning the city.” campaigns.
So my opinion on filth caused by people is “Ignorance is no excuse of the law”. Litterbugs consciously know what they are doing is wrong because “What will they do?” or “I am creating jobs” are the reasons they utter to themselves when they litter. Well, no-one will do anything to them but they are affecting the beauty of our land. And contributing to global warming with that piece of tissue they planted on the ground.
I have driven past people sitting next to a bin, and the next thing you see a grown man of about 45 throwing an empty chips packet or soda can right next to the bin. I almost always stop but think “Am I gonna get beat up or embarrassed by an old fool for his litter?”
Anyways, when I was in Prague – the city was spotless! It was sssoooo clean. I believe people make a conscious effort to put away their litter in bins. They don’t throw things just on the ground without thinking twice. I kept thinking about Africa. Most times when people come back from a holiday/trip from an African country – they talk about the litter, the filth, the dirt and the smell. I feel ashamed of those countries because I just want to know how the people feel when they have tourists or visitors in their country and that is all that is remembered about your country. A good friend of mine brought back a clip of the country she was in – IT was filthy! She swore that tourists vomit and faint due to the disgusting scenes. That is not what I want my country to be remembered for.
So, Redi says she challenges the mindset that filthy cities are caused by illiteracy, overcrowding and poverty. Cubans are not necessarily rich and have overcrowded cities with absolutely no litter! I fully support her on this one.
So, peeps, litterbugs must find another excuse or reason for the filth. Even educated people litter. So what is their problem? Do you also litter without a single thought on what you are doing? Please tell me why you do so I can understand.
7 Comments
Only TVSA members can reply to this thread. Click here to login or register.