QtM,
Thanks for the reference. I think it’d make a wonderful sig line, but would have the side-effect of stopping many of the recent threads in their tracks. 
oh, that’s a good one, serack.
and here i was relying on having worked at some of the places where they litter and telling them the fact that i had to clean up trash like that in addition to my regular job.
but, people don’t listen to facts.
As long as we’re making blanket statements based on the behavior of a few schmucks, I’d like to say that this thread is proof that every single non-smoker is a sanctimonious hypocritical eco-poseur who conveniently ignore their own disgusting habits and evironmentally unfriendly activities only to pounce on a currently popular target.
I hate them so.
And this is coming from a guy who, when really stressed out, smokes as much as one pack a month.
Oh, I am sure it is “wishful thinking”, but that doesn’t make it an impossible solution, or an unreasonable one. Quite the contrary, in fact.
Why? I mean, are you trying to say that smokers are too lazy or too inconsiderate? I am hoping you are not - but if you are, note that you are saying that, and not me! 
But the thing is, smokers are obligated to take responsibility for their butts. You are not going to disagree with that, are you? And an Altoids tin is a “do-able” solution. If they choose not to use this option, it is their choice. But I sure as hell don’t want to hear any whining about “I couldn’t find an ashtray, so what could I do?” Because that is utter nonsense.
Wait a minute. You’ve got room for the cigs, but not any room for the thing that will help you be responsible for the cigs? How does this make sense? Unless you are telling me that you have never, ever thrown a butt on the ground, in which case, never mind.
Oh, well, scratch that above. Since you do admit that you occasionally flick butts…sorry, no excuse. No way. Deal with your litter. The rest of us do.
I mean, I’m glad that you use a trashcan “most” of the time, but still. There is NO excuse for butt flicking, ever.
Wait a second, I’m still reeling about this wheelchair thing. You’re telling me that the can get up anytime they want?
Which brings up a pet peeve of mine: People who use wheelchairs at amusement parks because they’re fucking lazy slobs and can’t be bothered to walk around like the rest of humanity. I’m not talking about the fat people who swill Diet Coke like it’s the elixer of thin (works about as well as the elixer of life) and eat those damn turkey legs. I hate them because they’re fat. I’m talking about the people who just decide to take a wheelchair. They piss me off.
Now let’s talk about those handicapped spaces. I don’t think they should have them, because I’m not handicapped and only handicapped people should pay for them. Also, whenever I go to anywhere the handicapped spaces are always open while the rest of the parking lot is full all the way out to BFE but I could totally take that free spot, if not for the $50 fine or whatever it is nowadays…
Sorry it’s a little off topic, but we were sort of talking about wheelchairs. Oh yeah, I hate people who litter. Fucking bastards. Let’s cut off their left nut or something. And if they smoke (since of course I hate people who smoke as well) we can cut off their right nut. If we implement this plan fully, the problem will take care of itself.
Oh yeah, and if she’s a woman and she’s ugly, we should just let her be, because only littering smokers would want to have sex with an ugly person, and they’re no longer an issue. If she’s hot, well then we just brand her face and pop out an eyeball or something, so she falls into the first category, hence reducing the situation to a previously solved problem.
Ahh… that felt good…
Now this feels like the pit.
Tenebras
“I believe in saving the world for our children, but not for our children’s children, because I don’t think that children should be having sex.” – Jack Handy
What pisses me off even more than when someone flicks their butt out the window is when you see idiots emptying their car ashtray right there at the red light! Or when I walk around downtown and I see a car parked with a pile of ashes and cigerette butts. The only reason I don’t throw the cigarettes in/on their car (they’re long cold, so no risk of fires) is that I’m not completely sure that they did it. Could be the person parked there before them emptied the ashtray there. This is dumb beyond belief. If they bothered putting the ashes and the butts in the ashtray, why not take a couple of steps to a trashcan? Fuck that pisses me off.
Hmmm, k.os, seems like I mentioned that a little while back on page one of this thread. What pisses me off is people that can’t be bothered to read an entire long thread, yet feel qualified to comment on it.
Whoa, featherlou relax! I’m sharing my viewpoint, like everyone else. I read the thread. Saw plenty of ‘me too’ answers and some very interesting posts. I don’t see why you’re jumping on me like that.
To respond specifically to your post,
Where in my answer do I comment on the thread in any way? I shared my viewpoint. If you feel pissed off that I did, I’m sorry, but I don’t see what I did wrong.
There are also plenty of people who told gatopescado He shouldn’t have thrown that lit butt in that guy’s lap.
Would you have wanted me to say: I agree with featherlou? Then could I have shared my thoughts?
I fail to see what pisses you off.
One time I had gas leaking from my car yet had to drive it 40 miles to get it home. I was terrified that someone would throw a butt out and set my car on fire.
Wow, that’s so weird! The other day, I was walking down the side of the road smoking, and I was terrified someone with a badly-maintained automobile would drive by leaving a trail of highly-flammable, environmentally-hazardous gasoline behind them!
Small frickin’ world!
And yes, my eyebrows will grow back in due time, thanks for your concern. 
For starters, I’m not trying to make blanket statements about any group of people. SOME smokers are too lazy and inconsiderate, yes. And that is me saying it, if you don’t want to. I don’t disagree that they should take care of their butts. I’m just saying it’s probably not going to happen any time soon.
It’s really very simple. Once I have cell phone, wallet, cigs and keys, my pockets are full. Putting anything else of any substantial size in them is cumbersome and unwieldy. How does that not make sense?
And remember, this seems to be an issue you feel passionate about, while I don’t care all that much. So I’m not going to go out of my way with overstuffed pockets everyday for something that will make you happy. I mean, like I said, I try to find a trash can almost all of the time – but, yes, I do flick once in a while. And while that doesn’t make it right, I certainly don’t lose any sleep over it either. If that makes me an awful person, then I guess I’m OK with that.
I’m all in favor of putting ashcans outside buildings. What really torques my banana is when I see someone standing next to one of them who still flicks their cigarette off into the middle distance rather than dropping it into the can that is RIGHT THERE. Mind you, the same applies to people who prefer to drop litter where they stand rather than walk three feet to a trashcan.
When I rule the galaxy, they will all have their hands tied behind their backs and be forced to lick the road clean with their tongues. And have their first names officially changed to “Smeghead”. And anything else I can think of.
Bullshit.
We’re not making blanket statements, we’re talking about
what fuckwads people who throw their cigarette butts on
the ground are, because they throw their cigarette butts on
the ground.
Read the fucking OP. I don’t care if people smoke. By
making yourself a victim by association in your first
sentence, you clearly want me to care, but I just don’t.
I get that the rest of your statement is supposed to be
ironic, but it’s paralleling a bullshit claim.
Apparently ‘easy e’ isn’t one of the gerbils in your ass^H^H^Hpocket you’re referring to as ‘we’, because this:
…is pretty much the textbook definition of a blanket statement.
But I imagine Alphagene was talking about quotes such as these, and not your OP:
It doesn’t. If you really wanted to be responsible, you’d find the room. You’d get an itty-bitty empty tin, or make some other adjustments.
I have to make adjustments to cater to my life. Not to add some TMI here, but every woman knows that every month, she’s gotta be “prepared”, with some feminine products, no matter where she goes. These products can be bulky. They sometimes involve stuffing my pockets, or bringing a purse, or something like that. Obviously I am highly motivated to take care of this particular female issue. It is in my best interest to be prepared, and bring whatever I need to bring with me, even if it is bulky or inconvenient. Same goes with parents with kids in diapers. They need to bring the necessary gear to change the kids, and they need to discard of the dirty diapers in the proper recepticles. Do you think it would be OK for people to just toss shitty diapers on the floor? Why shouldn’t they? Dragging all that diaper stuff around everywhere gets to be such a drag, after all.
I don’t see any reason why it isn’t your obligation to do the same, even if it is somewhat inconvenient to you. The only difference is that apparently you have no shame about occasionally discarding your garbage on city streets. Which is pretty disgusting. And, after all, you chose this habit. You ought to be responsible for it - all of the time, not just “most” of the time.
Sure - why should you? You are footloose and fancy free! You thoughtlessly toss your tacky garbage behind you, leaving it for someone else to clean up! Is this an attitude you want all of us to adopt? :rolleyes:
I’m sure you’d feel differently if people started to leave their crappy diapers in your path. I’m sure you don’t appreciate it when you see lots of other people’s litter somewhere. But that’s different, isn’t it? :rolleyes:
Well, what more can be said? You really don’t give a damn. You just don’t think it’s your problem, even though you are the one leaving behind garbage for someone else to clean up.
No, I won’t say that this makes you an “awful” person. Thoughtless, apathetic, careless, and lazy would be more like it. Your attitude (if shared by the majority of other smokers) does not put smokers in a good light.
For starters, that isn’t TMI. But, I’m sorry, this analogy just doesn’t work for me. Obviously, you are going to find room to take a tampon or a liner with you, or you are going to walk around with embarrassingly stained clothes. And no parent is going to let their baby run around with a diaper full of shit and piss. It is important to you to do this – if you don’t, you (or your child in the case of diapers) are at a health risk and you are walking around with stained clothes and smelling like excrement. (Yes, I just opened the door for comments about how bad cigs smell – sock it to me! This should be good…) The negatives from my failing to carry a tin are not even in the same universe of consequence.
There’s lots of things I “ought” to do. I “ought” not to speed when I drive on the interstates. This puts others at additional risk if in an accident. I “ought” to tell the cashier if she undercharges me for something and I am aware that s/he did it. That is cheating the store. It is one step away from stealing.
Does this mean I actually do live my life like a goddam saint? No, it doesn’t. I’m sure I’ll still speed sometimes when I am late. Just like I’m sure I’ll still flick a butt occasionally if there is no trash or ashtray anywhere in sight.
Hope every little transgression in your life is in good standing and you never do anything that you “ought” not to do.
If it’s a gum wrapper or a cig butt, like I said above, I don’t care all that much. Not enough to get worked up about, anyway. If people were throwing away old kitchen appliances in my front yard, I probably would care. A small piece of paper on my sidewalk? Nope, don’t care. So, litter all the miniscule stuff that you want to. But, I’m sure you being the upright citizen that you are, you are aghast that I would even suggest something repulsive. Sorry if reading that hurt your eyes. My apologies. Really.
Yes, it sure is. If I am going to get shit on my shoes, it is different. But if your litter is:
a.) small enough that it doesn’t jump out at me as an eyesore
b.) not something that I am going to trip over or get all over myself or my shoes
c.) is not going to attract wild animals or insects
Then litter all you want to. It certainly isn’t my perfect scenario, but I’m not going to sweat whether or not I may have just passed or stepped on a butt or a wrapper from a lollipop.
Oh, if only we could all be so perfect.
I don’t know if it does or if it doesn’t. I am speaking for myself here, not “smokers”. And I am not overly concerned with what light you see me in.
Of course, when a great many other smokers feel the same way, we get this. Maybe you’re OK with that, but I’m sure as hell not.
While waiting for a bus one day at the Vienna Metro station in Vienna, VA, my wife took a bunch of shots of all the butts littering the ground. I’ll see if I can get her to put them up someplace where I can link to them.
I need to apologize to Yosemitebabe. I shouldn’t be this involved in an argument in which I know I am in the wrong. I am not as much of a militant litterbug as my last post would indicate. As I said, I do dispose of my butts the overwhelming majority of the time.
I do think there should be more public trashcans and ashtrays. But in all honesty, butts on the ground and small rubbish doesn’t bother me. So, it doesn’t seem like a huge deal to if I do it occasionally. But I do understand the cumulative effect it has (BTW, Phil, save yourself the work of posting those pics, I know very well what a congregation of cig butts looks like.) And I should be considering how other people think about small litter even if it doesn’t bother me.
So, I am going to step down from this argument. Maybe I’ll order one of those pocket trays from RJR.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go throw this old car battery in the river while I still have some daylight.
I appreciate the apology, mouthbreather. No prob.
I am not attempting to lambast you here, (no really!) but I do want to clarify some of my previous statements.
When a person brings all the gear they need to take care of their period, or their baby’s diaper, they are motivated to do so. They feel obligated to do so, and any inconvenience is worth it to them. And so they do it, and they (usually) don’t complain. It just comes with the territory. The alternative would be too unattractive to contemplate. And that’s exactly the way it should be with smoking, and disposing of butts, as well. Just because it seems “easier” to not bother bringing something (like a tin) to properly dispose of your butts, doesn’t mean that a person shouldn’t do it. They should think of the consequences (like we see on cigarettelitter.org) and they should just have a general aversion towards littering, period. It should be something everyone automatically just does - like washing your hands after going to the bathroom. (I know, I know, not everyone does this - and it’s disgusting, isn’t it?)
It’s got to be an absolute NEVER, when it comes to littering. Once we start thinking that a “little bit is no big deal”, and we multiply that by millions and millions of people, it never ends. I think that’s the same reason that National Parks (well, the ones I’ve been to) forbid visitors from taking ANYTHING out of the park. Not even a pine needle. Because if everyone thinks it’s OK to take “just a little something”, (like a pine cone, or maybe a redwood tree! ) the National Parks will be stripped bare in no time. So there has to be a really definitive, strict, NOTHING rule when it comes to these kind of things.
Certainly I am not perfect, but I think that learning NOT to litter is a pretty brainless thing to do. You just don’t do it. I doubt there are any “pro-littering” organizations out there. There really isn’t another side to this issue. It’s just incredibly simple. And it amazes me that we even are having a debate about it. It isn’t like there is a moral grey area with this issue, at least not one that I can see.