By Mr Right
(Daily Caller) Nothing bugs me more than people who litter and fail to clean up after themselves in public places.
Messy people who make the environment worse for everyone else — whether at a stadium, the movies, or on a flight — by leaving trash in their wake need a major attitude adjustment. It has become so commonplace in America — especially in crowded urban areas or at events with many people — that we forget that clean public spaces are even a possibility.
Japanese fans brought plastic bags that they could inflate and use to cheer on their team during the game. Afterward, they deflated the bags and used them to pick up their trash before leaving the stadium. That is what I call smart and practical.
After the scenes we’ve witnessed on Sunday, I have little doubt Japan is our greatest ally. I also have little doubt that Japanese culture is, in some respects, cooking on an entirely different level than the West.
Can you imagine NFL fans doing this after a game? Some would clean up or otherwise wouldn’t have made a mess in the first place. But no, I have never seen any larger group of American fans do this. It’s not really a part of culture; it’s not ingrained in us as much as it is in the Japanese. For the most part, we do not have a “return it the way you found it” attitude. It’s more “Turn it into a landfill, then walk away.”
So God bless the Japanese for being such wonderful (and inspiring) guests.
