Editor,
This letter is in response to Wednesday's article in the Daily Lobo called "Chewing away stress of finals" about Wrigley's sponsorship of finals week at UNM. I'm glad Wrigley's is giving away free stuff, but am I out of line to ask why so many careless people discard their used gum by just throwing it anywhere on the ground for me or someone else to step on? I know I am not alone in my disgust that young people today can be so thoughtless that they can somehow justify this hateful practice.
I do mean hateful, too - most of the gum I see on the ground is within five feet of a trash bin. Do your own research and tell me if I'm wrong. Next time you walk past one of the many trash cans on campus, take a look for yourself. Is it really that hard to throw your gum into the trash?
I cannot figure out how and why people fail to dispose of their gum properly, but I may have an idea. Perhaps I am blowing this out of proportion, but to me this signifies a profound lack of appreciation for the UNM campus, the global environment and other people in general. This behavior is rude and antisocial, but considering the amoral, corrupt and uncaring society we live in, this logic kind of makes sense.
According to a recent CNN poll, a full 79 percent of the 2,013 adults surveyed by telephone said a lack of respect and courtesy in American society is a serious problem. I agree, and I find it strange that young people today, most of whom would consider themselves environmentalists who claim to love the planet so much, can be so callous when it comes to something as simple as properly disposing chewed gum.
Do you really care so little about your fellow citizens? All I ask is that next time you feel the urge to toss your used gum on the ground, think of others for a moment and walk the extra three feet out of your way to a trash receptacle and do the right thing - if you can get off your cell phone for one minute.
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Jason Darensburg
UNM student
