Remember this one?  If you’re around my age or older and American, you probably do.  I was only 11 years old when this commercial came out. It had a profound affect on me. I remember watching this man crying and then, from the back seat of the family station wagon as we drove to various places, I saw it. I’d never actually thought about it before. The Trash. But there was quite a bit of trash in America back then. I didn’t cry at the realization like the man did, but it changed me. That was 1971. And I have to say that while America is no gleaming example of cleanliness, we somehow figured out as a nation that pollution is not doing us or the planet any good.  Whether we can get our government to agree and help protect what’s left is an entirely different discussion. But, I digress.

I’d been very hesitant to write about this, but it’s been bugging me for a while. I figure it’s their country, I’m a guest in it and I shouldn’t disparage the people with whom I coexist and earn my living from. Our recent trip to Japan, however, really made me see things clearly. I had gotten desensitized by seeing so much of it in Korea that the lack of it in Japan surprised me. The return trip, of course, surprised me again, as if I were seeing that same crying Indian commercial. This time, though, I felt a little sad. The Trash. It WAS Everywhere. Our eyes burned from the dirty air in Busan and Ulsan, something we hadn’t even realized we had escaped from. This place needs a little self respect for community. Just some examples that I captured over the months.

The picture above looks better than it is. Despite the presence of a trash bag, quite a few can’t seem to get things all the way into the bag and not just near it.  Even more disturbing, there’s another bag just 20 steps away. Can’t take the trouble to go too far in either direction. But at least they moved somewhat towards the bag.

These filthy late night snackers couldn’t even be bothered to take their trash towards the bag when they got up from the table.

And it’s not an isolated incident. Above is the same table, two days later. The previous trash was just kicked under the table and stepped on. But it’s not just the tables. In fact, it’s everywhere.

Piles of trash accumulate in the streets and sidewalks. It’s common to see someone exit a convenience store and as they unwrap their newly bought snack the wrappers go straight to the ground.  Vendors may sweep their storefront, and even wash it with a hose, but it goes no further than the street. Now, that’s not to say it’s everywhere and that all Koreans are at fault. Not at all. But it’s enough of a problem that I can’t address it one by one (and I’ve done that often enough when I see it.) I watched one kid at the park finish his plastic bottle of juice and then just whip the empty across the park. His father sat  right next to me said nothing, either to the kid or to me when I told the kid to put in the trash bag. It’s an educational thing.

Moreover, the trash is such a paradox for me. From my experience, Koreans are very fastidious folk. Their homes, whether simple or splendid, are always tidy and clean. As for their personal hygiene they are squeaky clean. Why so much attention to self and home and such utter disregard for the shared space between us all?

Koreans haven’t apparently figured out their pollution solutions yet. As it happens, I just yesterday saw a public service anouncement on one of the local TV stations that people should pitch in and clean up. None of the pathos evoked by the 1970s American commercial, but it’s a start. Someone has reconized a problem and has begun addressing it, although the outcome is far from clear. They still seem apathetic about littering.  I’m hoping that a few Koreans actually read this and maybe see for themselves so much can be done by ourselves simply by just not throwing it on the ground in the first place.When that’s done, we’ll worry about the air.

Koreans need a crying Indian of their own that they can identify with.