civic duty

[juldea]

This morning on the train into work (yeah, I'm working today, totally voluntarily) I witnessed a young woman, somewhere in her mid-20s, using tissues to apply lotion to her hands and then casually dropping them onto the floor of the train between her feet. In the four years I've lived here in Boston, I've often seen people commit similar acts of idiotic negligence, and this time I decided I wouldn't let it stand.

I walked over to her, crouched down, reached between her feet to pick up the tissues, and said, "I'll find a trash can for you," in the sweetest condescending voice I could. She looked away from me and didn't say a word. She didn't face the rest of the car the remaining two stops until we both got off at Park Street - me in front of her, exaggerating the motion of throwing the tissues in the quite conveniently located trash can in front of us.

Yeah, I'm feeling superior, but it was also for a cause that, dammit, I believe means something. I'll let myself take the high ground on this one.

Comments

[creemynougat.livejournal.com]

Remind of this next time I see you. You are owed one (1) "high five."

[scirocco.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU. I've done that with someone who left a half-full cup of coffee on the ground. I picked it up, alked over to them and said, "Excuse me, I think you forgot this." :)

[oddharmonic.livejournal.com]

Why would she need tissues to apply lotion? I am confused.

Good for you on calling her out on littering.

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

Duh, she doesn't want to get it on her hands.

[oddharmonic.livejournal.com]

I went to your journal to gauge the sarcasm of that comment and I've been reading Damn Interesting ever since. Thanks.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

I was also confused by that, but it's definitely what she was doing. She would squeeze out some lotion onto the tissue and then use it to apply to her other hand, on the front and back of her fingers. I was perplexed.

[flyingindie.livejournal.com]

People do that to "save lotion," so their palms don't absorb any of it and "waste" it. But it seems like the tissue would absorb more than the palm of your hand. I dunno. People are fucktards.

[goldbug.livejournal.com]

These people need to talk to me, because I have too much lotion.

[flyingindie.livejournal.com]

Meeee toooo.

[oddharmonic.livejournal.com]

Thank you for explaining that. I'm still trying to grok beauty norms.

And I'll join the flock of people with too much lotion. Every time I think I've got the backlog pared down, along comes more and in even more varied scents. It thrills my mini-me, but she can have the household claim on girly products.

[zenandtheart.livejournal.com]

Nice one! People don't do it much in Australia (that I've noticed) but in England I couldn't believe how readily people dropped rubbish. I never said anything.. now I wish I had!

[zrealm.livejournal.com]

See - doing this on the NYC subway would just be dangerous :)