We really dont care about the UK do we?
Discussion
aka the British don't seem to have a lot of pride in their surroundings...
Just finishing off about 3 weeks in North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina & Georgia and the amount of litter (and even graffiti) is noticeable by its absence. I'd actually go further and say that it has been surprising when you actually come across litter compared to the UK where people seem to think that the countryside is a dustbin
As an aside there also seem to be a large amount of police over here - more noticeable than in the UK.
Have we become a land of slobs or has it always been thus?
Just finishing off about 3 weeks in North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina & Georgia and the amount of litter (and even graffiti) is noticeable by its absence. I'd actually go further and say that it has been surprising when you actually come across litter compared to the UK where people seem to think that the countryside is a dustbin
As an aside there also seem to be a large amount of police over here - more noticeable than in the UK.
Have we become a land of slobs or has it always been thus?
The collective area of those states is probably twice the size of the UK with half the number of people.
Even with a guesstimate of 4x population density, most of the litter and graffiti in the UK is in urban areas.
The other 90% of the UK is very different.
If the amount of litter & graffiti is a metric for a higher level of US pride in their country vs. the UK, try visiting New York, LA, SF, Detroit, Houston etc & see how that correlates.
Even with a guesstimate of 4x population density, most of the litter and graffiti in the UK is in urban areas.
The other 90% of the UK is very different.
If the amount of litter & graffiti is a metric for a higher level of US pride in their country vs. the UK, try visiting New York, LA, SF, Detroit, Houston etc & see how that correlates.
Edited by OzzyR1 on Monday 27th May 00:20
OzzyR1 said:
If the amount of litter & graffiti is a metric for a higher level of US pride in their country vs. the UK, try visiting New York, LA, SF, Detroit, Houston etc & see how that correlates.
Oh absolutely, no question I'd far rather live in London than LA/NYC etc. However everywhere I turn in the UK (Lake District, NC500, Yorkshire Dales, Wales, Dorset area etc) I see abandoned plastic bags/cans/fast food detritus... I'll agree that population density does play a part but... some time ago we had an initiative/proposal to fine people who litter and the complaints on SM about this was something to behold
DodgyGeezer said:
As an aside there also seem to be a large amount of police over here - more noticeable than in the UK.
You think this is a good thing?It could be argued that the US has more police around because they have more nutters, imbeciles and general idiots running around with guns and other lethal weapons, bought legally and used with relative impunity.
Zaichik said:
They also generally have higher taxes in the us too -state and federal for lower to middle earners.
In the uk the majority of the tax burden is on higher earners instead of being more evenly spread.
The result in the US is more tax dollars for the things that matter.
Nonsense. USA tax take is much lower than UK.In the uk the majority of the tax burden is on higher earners instead of being more evenly spread.
The result in the US is more tax dollars for the things that matter.
There is a lot about the USA that I like, far outweighs the weird stuff - like that stupid rule that traffic, on both sides of the road, have to stop when a bus is dropping off kids, as if they would run the other way. Protect our children! I guess it works as there are far more children killed with guns than there is crossing the road from a school bus.
DodgyGeezer said:
OzzyR1 said:
If the amount of litter & graffiti is a metric for a higher level of US pride in their country vs. the UK, try visiting New York, LA, SF, Detroit, Houston etc & see how that correlates.
Oh absolutely, no question I'd far rather live in London than LA/NYC etc. However everywhere I turn in the UK (Lake District, NC500, Yorkshire Dales, Wales, Dorset area etc) I see abandoned plastic bags/cans/fast food detritus... I'll agree that population density does play a part but... some time ago we had an initiative/proposal to fine people who litter and the complaints on SM about this was something to behold
A few years ago, I lived near Epping Forest and walked my dog there most days.
Tens of times, possibly into the hundreds, I came across remains of a "picnic" - food wrappers, bottles, cans etc left on the ground.
Was so frequent I took bin liners with me on dog walks and picked stuff up as best I could.
These w*nkers carried all the food and drink there and presumably chose a spot because it was a beautiful setting.
I cannot fathom why they would then just get up and leave all their cr@p, especially as it's less weight when empty than they bought in.
A heavy fine for people caught doing this would be a minimum for me.
When clearing up cling-film and Stella cans, I often thought that it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring back stocks.
Not so people could throw stuff, more that a couple of hours of public humiliation might make people think again before leaving an SSSI looking like a sh*t-tip.
732NM said:
Zaichik said:
On a per capita basis no it isn’t.
It is. Tax rates are much lower in the USA. UK is one the highest taxed nations there is.Not so for lower earners.
In the US mid and lower earners pay more than in the UK
Someone earning 50k usd in California will lose approx 11k in federal and state taxes where in the uk someone on the equiv 39k pounds loses only about 6.5k.
For even lower salaries the difference is greater.
I’m in Japan on holiday just now.
What a contrast to the UK in terms of cleanliness, efficiency and general respect.
Of course that’s coming from an outsider so it undoubtedly has its downsides like any other country. It’s a bit unfair to generalise that one country is better than another.
Each will have it’s good and bad sides.
I used to live opposite a primary school so a lot of drop off/pick up in front of my house. You would see parents telling their kids to drop the sweet wrapper or drinks can just outside the car on the kerb before they drive off.
I hate litter on the roads and pavements where I live. Sometimes passer-by would just stuff their empty cans or wrappers in my front hedge.
My weekly Saturday morning chore would be going around the area around my house and neighbours and picking up all the litter using a picker and bucket. I would fill several buckets and empty it all in the street litter bin just across the road. So there is a bin provided but people won't bother using that.
The neighbours have lots of litter in front of their drive or flown into their front garden but they don't care. Only one other neighbour would clear up the street rubbish when they see it, the rest just don't care.
It's like a lot of people just accept that is normal.
I hate litter on the roads and pavements where I live. Sometimes passer-by would just stuff their empty cans or wrappers in my front hedge.
My weekly Saturday morning chore would be going around the area around my house and neighbours and picking up all the litter using a picker and bucket. I would fill several buckets and empty it all in the street litter bin just across the road. So there is a bin provided but people won't bother using that.
The neighbours have lots of litter in front of their drive or flown into their front garden but they don't care. Only one other neighbour would clear up the street rubbish when they see it, the rest just don't care.
It's like a lot of people just accept that is normal.
Zaichik said:
732NM said:
Zaichik said:
On a per capita basis no it isn’t.
It is. Tax rates are much lower in the USA. UK is one the highest taxed nations there is.Not so for lower earners.
In the US mid and lower earners pay more than in the UK
Someone earning 50k usd in California will lose approx 11k in federal and state taxes where in the uk someone on the equiv 39k pounds loses only about 6.5k.
For even lower salaries the difference is greater.
Drawweight said:
I’m in Japan on holiday just now.
What a contrast to the UK in terms of cleanliness, efficiency and general respect.
Of course that’s coming from an outsider so it undoubtedly has its downsides like any other country. It’s a bit unfair to generalise that one country is better than another.
Each will have it’s good and bad sides.
What is amazing about Japan is that they don’t have many public bins. People are just trained to take their rubbish home with them (and then dispose of it in the appropriate way, cleaning and sorting it first!)What a contrast to the UK in terms of cleanliness, efficiency and general respect.
Of course that’s coming from an outsider so it undoubtedly has its downsides like any other country. It’s a bit unfair to generalise that one country is better than another.
Each will have it’s good and bad sides.
There are of course downsides to a society with such strict social rules.
Skeptisk said:
What is amazing about Japan is that they don’t have many public bins. People are just trained to take their rubbish home with them (and then dispose of it in the appropriate way, cleaning and sorting it first!)
There are of course downsides to a society with such strict social rules.
That's such a contrast to what I've seen in a village in China. The locals told me to just chuck the rubbish on the street because they have full time litter pickers who would be out of jobs if they didn't do that.There are of course downsides to a society with such strict social rules.
So people are just trained to throw their rubbish on the street.
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