Manners battle

[firstfrost]

This morning, I was standing on the T, when a guy talking to his girlfriend decided to drop his newspaper (one of the little free Boston Metros, not a complicated heavy one) on the floor. After a few minutes of being vaguely irritated at him, I picked it up and handed it to him. "I think you dropped this, sir?" He gave me a dirty look, and took it. Then a few minutes later, he dropped it again. I picked it up for him again.

"Sir, you seem to be having some trouble with your paper."
"I dropped it, I'm sorry."
"I know. Here you go. There are trash cans in all the stations outside the train."
"Well, I'll throw it out there, then."
"Good."
"But until then, I'll leave it on the floor."

At this point, his girlfriend took the paper. I'm honestly not sure where I would have gone from there. Most people who I hand their trash to have the decency to be a little embarassed and throw it away later. And most people have the instinct to take something that's been handed to them, but he had clearly overcome his instinct by the second time.

I wonder if he talked her into dropping it on the floor again once I had gotten off the train.

Comments

Good work!

[bakedweasels.livejournal.com]

Wish I could +1 this.

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

Oy. Some people don't know when they're being politely told that they are doing something that contributes to a messy or potentially dangerous situation (when newspapers get wet they become ungodly slippery).

Thank you for trying. Even though it doesn't directly impact me, I still appreciate it.

[shumashi.livejournal.com]

I wonder if he talked her into dropping it on the floor again once I had gotten off the train.

Were I the author of this story, this would be a revelation to the girlfriend that she is with a selfish git. She tells him off at the next stop, a scene which is noticed by a much nicer boy, who then asks her out for fair trade coffee which is served in reusable cups.

But seriously, props to you for calling out a litterer.

[mathhobbit.livejournal.com]

Go you! I've always wanted to do this to smokers, but I'd have to pick up used cigarette buts to do so.

[dcltdw]

... There are people like this in the world?

On my planet?!?

[probabilistic.livejournal.com]

This man should visit Singapore.

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

You have way more patience than I. I always have the impulse to yell after them "Don't drop your trash on the ground, asshole!", and then stifle it and don't say anything at all. I think your approach is commendable.

[merastra.livejournal.com]

Srsly? Where do such blatantly inconsiderate people like that come from?

I wouldn't have had the presence of mind or guts to do what you did, much less with that kind of politeness. Go you!

[kelkyag]

Go you, and fie on him.

[ringrose.livejournal.com]

If I were feeling confrontational, I'd ask "Who cleans up after you at home?"

Three thoughts

[baronet.livejournal.com]

1: Thank you.

2: I like ringrose's suggestion for what to say if the girl friend hadn't stepped in. It highlights the selfishness of his behavior without name calling.

3: While you wonder if he talked her into dropping it on the floor, I wonder what argument he could have used. "Why don't you just drop that on the floor that way you don't have to cross all the way over to that trash can?" works much better inside your own head than it does out loud. Laziness is so much less noble in the second person than it is in the first person.

[marcusmarcusrc.livejournal.com]

So, when I was a kid my parents apparently had to stop me from going up to strangers and telling them to pick up their trash... sometimes, said strangers being big, intimidating, and covered with tattoos...