I feel like I see cops wearing them a lot these days–don’t want skin on skin contact with the hippies protesting the Convention, I suppose. Anyway, I doubt police activity is the sole cause of the proliferation, but they’re just one more profession using them. I use them a lot myself for messy household tasks, but I of course throw mine away when done.
… I must correct a comment or two: If your mental picture of Chicago is that of medics treating gunshot wounds everywhere and cops pulling people over everywhere… you’ve got the wrong picture. Yes, lots of problems in the City overall, but not in all areas, and not in the areas where I’ve seen most of the gloves. That’s another discussion, of course, and I won’t pretend to be an expert, and I don’t mean to enjoin. Just sayin’.
My latest Theorized Contributing Factor is US Postal Service workers. They seem to wear gloves fairly commonly no their routes, they park their trucks in lots of neighborhood places, and perhaps they drop their gloves there after they’re done? I also thought about dog walkers, but honestly, I see lots of people walking dogs around here and have never seen anyone use gloves to clean up dog business.
I can’t help it - will add more thoughts as I think 'em.
And what about the scrunchy epidemic (those colored elastic hair thingies)? They’re everywhere. My cat loves them and I’m thinking of making a scrunchy launcher for cat owners. Profit!
It’s a conspiracy. The gloves are ganging up with the discaded shoes. Next they’ll be in cahoots with hats and those scrunchy-things Chefguy mentioned. After that, who knows what items of wear will join the conspriacy: socks? leg warmers? cummerbunds? They’re out to get us, I tells you!
Today, the streets, tomorrow the world! Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Have you found any near gas stations? A couple of the stations that I frequent have a dispenser of them by the paper towels and window washing squeegee.
Bakeries use them pretty heavily, off the top of my head.
Yes, bakeries, gas stations, auto repair shops, hospitals, restaurants - all of those things make perfect sense, and I have seen them there too. The thing that puzzles me is why they’d be in regular neighborhoods, blocks from any businesses, in seemingly random places. I think it’s probably a dog’s breakfast of mixed reasons that all add up to something that looks like a single trend? Keep the ideas coming…!
As far as conspiracy goes, you may be right. But by the time we know for sure, I fear it may be too late to do anything about it. It won’t be televised at any rate… the scrunchies may start picking up discarded dental floss picks (which also seem to be multiplying on the sidewalks) to use like little pirate cutlasses to nip at your ankles.
I too am from Chicago, born and raised. I honestly don’t think it is confirmation bias, I see discarded nitrile and latex gloves (usually light blue color) a lot as well. I usually see them in more rough neighborhoods though, but I cannot confirm whether it’s that the gentrified neighborhoods are cleaner because nobody drops them, or street sweeping schedules are better. I usually see a lot of them the more west I go on Grand or Fullerton, North avenue as well as in Uptown (Roger’s Park). But also see them all over the place on Elston. My theory is that there are a lot of car washes, repair and body shops in these areas, and sometimes people wrap drugs in foil and/or the gloves (easy to tie the fingers) to throw off scent/keep it dry if they are carrying. I notice them a little bit around Red/Brown Line stations too (drug/bomb sniffing dogs downtown). I am not sure either, but personally am pretty convinced that these are the reasons.
Hope this helps, but I usually do see this is rougher neighborhoods where drugs most likely are more common. People may drop the gloves after opening the drugs, especially if it’s marijuana because they may just get off with confiscation or a ticket for the weed (looks like a personal amount) than get a charge for distribution for it looking as if they are selling it.
Before the jokes, I know a lot about this stuff because I was a teenager once and I have had many friends, in all different walks. Also helped earn a lot of extra credit being a Criminal Justice Major =)
I could see where the shooting, using gloves to stop fingerprints as well as cops searching people and medics treating wounds would make sense if you give the media credit. Chicago is not like it is portrayed in Movies and the News, if you are not a criminal/gang member you are more likely to be hurt from having a heart attack from anger at the sheer volume of skinny-jean clan pseudo-lumberjack hipsters frollicking about EVERYWHERE. The violence is usually localized to certain neighborhoods that make up a small percentage of the city and AFAIK are nearly all gang related to some degree. Sure there is bleed-over into different neighborhoods, but it isn’t like its unsafe to walk down the street or something. It’s a pretty safe city, given you avoid a few areas, but even then, if you are not in a gang, you’d still be pretty safe, despite the feeling of unease.
I don’t know. I live in Rogers Park, work in Roscoe Village and Uptown and when not in those three can most frequently be found in the neighborhoods of Edgewater, Andersonville, Lakeview and Ravenswood. I’ve not noticed what you’ve noticed.
I live in Roscoe Village, I only notice them on occasion and it is a very safe neighborhood, but I have definitely in Rogers Park, most of the stretch on Grand/Fullerton (particularly up west by Riis Park/Brickyard), areas and Elston near Montrose. These areas on the North Side are NOT by definition known for absence of some heavy crime. (http://gis.chicagopolice.org/CLEARMap/startPage.htm). Therefore if I see the gloves in high crime neighborhoods, my first thought is drugs. I too am open to further talk about this because I really want to know the reason why I see them so often and it happens to be in some iffy areas. I would hope it isn’t drugs but I don’t see any other reason except to tight off their arms (heroin) or put drugs in to deter scent/moisture. I hope it’s just because of the mechanics and car washes in the areas.
So - three years later, the trend has continued and I see even more. I’m nearly certain a local mailman is one culprit, as I’ve seen a small colony of discarded gloves near where he parks his truck. now it’s masks, of course. But that’ not a mystery.
And now, discarded masks are all over the streets as well (as one would expect), - I expect the number of gloves in the streets is going to go way up, no?
Also, to be be clear, I’m not complaining - just observing a tiny little trend in my world.
Not streets as such, but I’m noticing food store parking lots littered with discarded rubber gloves. I hold slobs in very low regard as it is, but to drop inside-out gloves when and wherever is the height of selfish shitheadery.