Why do black people consider the street to be their personal trash can? I've seen black people spit on the subway and throw fried chicken bones on the subway much more than other races. I mean, you never see Asians do that. Any thoughts? Is it because black people feel like the city isn't really theirs?
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Name : Rebecca30091, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 28, City : Northampton, State : MA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, That's not really true. Every race has someone who litters. And are we not supposed to spit anymore? Would you rather me spit in your hand than on the subway?
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Name : Camille, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 21, City : Warren, State : OH Country : United States, Occupation : Nurse, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I've often wondered the same about white people. I'm the opposite of a litter bug and can never understand why white people feel the world is their personal ash tray. Any ideas?
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Name : Whitney, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 25, City : Tunica, State : MS Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, I suspect you are mistaking an action based on socio-economic status for an action based on race or culture. I have friends and family from most classes (well, not wealthy). I notice this behavior almost exclusively in blacks from lower classes. Interestingly, I've noticed this behavior in various whites from middle and wealthy classes. Not all of them, of course. It's as if they think 'the world is made for them.' As far blacks who do litter (most of whom, in my experience, are extremely poor), have you ever really spent some time with people who are really poor? In their home? In their neighborhood? The environment is such that they become used to trash. I recall a woman I was dating who lived in a building run by a slumlord. Really bad area. The streets and elevator smelled of urine. You would see needles on the street. And that was just the beginning. I was actually afraid to go visit her. And I was correct to be nervous -- I wasn't from there, so the guys on the street didn't know me. But I went, anyway. Well, the building was roach-infested. She was a very clean person, but the roaches came out in the light. Nothing she could do about it in that building. And she had gotten used to it. She once commented to me, ' Uh, you aren't used to being around bugs too much, are you?' She was embarrassed. Now, she didn't litter (at least not around me) but it is easy to begin to think of it as no big thing if you lived in that stuff every day. Then you wouldn't hesitate to drop trash on the street, because it's just like the street three steps from your front door.
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Name : Wayne24386, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 43, City : Parsippany, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : marketing, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Everyone litters, and the only reason you probably notice black people the most doing it is that you already have thoughts of us being dirty, anyway. A lot of people see only what they conveniently want to see.
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Name : Shu27989, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 19, City : Rosslyn, State : VA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, Spitting is a filthy, disgusting habit that only ignorant, nasty people engage in...Black, white or otherwise. Here's a solution to your spitting problem. Try using a napkin or a paper towel.
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Name : RhondaOutlaw, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 41, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Account Representative, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Gee, I guess those white folks step outside to smoke and who toss their cigarette butts on the ground, in lieu of using the astray, are a figment of my imagination. The white folks I see tossing garbage out of their car windows...guess I imagined that, too.
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Name : RhondaOutlaw, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 41, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Account Representative, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
JWParticipant
I have seen all races litter but I would assume that those of lower socio-economic status would litter more since their disposition would put sanitation relatively low compared to other classes. This is a long shot, but Blacks when compared to other races are generally lower on the socio-economic scale. Thus they would be more prone to litter. Just a thought. On the same token, when I visited Hong Kong prior to the SARS outbreak people spit all the time. I was sitting in a restaurant and the guy across from me hawked a loogie on the floor, in the restaurant! So alot of it is cultural, what values were instilled in them when they were children. So I believe that Blacks do tend to litter more because of their GENERAL socio-economic disposition but it is not because they are Black, it is because of their upbringing.
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Name : JW, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Age : 16, City : Seattle, State : WA Country : United States, Occupation : High School Student, Social class : Middle class, Of course everyone needs to spit. . . we also need to blow our noses, and deal with many other bodily functions/excretions. Some of these are acceptable to do in public, while others, clearly, are not. And among the things generally considered acceptable in public are more rules of politeness. I sincerely wonder why anyone (and I have seen members of all races do this) would spit in a public transport. One could counter this with something like: 'but I needed to, and since I was trapped, where else was I going to do it?' Carry tissues. Would you honestly spit in your own car? What if I blew my nose in my hand and wiped it on a strangers shoe? It would be gross! This has nothing to do with race, more with pride, dignity, and respect for other people around you. How can anyone show such disrespect for themselves, and people who have done nothing offensive? I admit to some confusion about the premise of your argument. . . perhaps you can explain things more completely?
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Name : Kat, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 28, City : Davis, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Student/Musician, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, I went to visit a friend in an mostly white trailer park and the streets were filled with litter. I saw a white man cleaning out his car and putting the contents down the sewer. It has to do with how your are taught, and how you live. Not your race.
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Name : Ryana, City : Chantilly, State : VA Country : United States, i think that Rosslyn hit the nail on head. It's so easy to make generalizations based on what we expect to see. Even if every single black person you ever saw littered right there in front of you it would not serve as evidence of a racial habit, because there's no way that you could have been exposed to enough people to justify such a sweeping generalization. And it's probably true that representatives of many other races have littered in front of you as well but it went un-noticed because you weren't looking for it. If you start with a conclusion already in mind it's easy to find a couple of examples to back it up, but try taking it all in first, you'll end up somewhere quite different.
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Name : Coolcat32016, City : Toronna, State : NA Country : Canada, If you really need to spit something out, go to the bathroom and use a tissue or something.
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Name : Eva, City : Westminister, State : MD Country : United States, 
EdParticipant
If you think Asians don't litter, you need to visit Taiwan! I once saw a guy hold one nostril closed, then blow the 'contents' of the other nostril out on the sidewalk. Disgusting. You're from the Northeast, and in the US, the Asians in the Northeast tend to be upper middle class (unles you're in NY's Chinatown), and won't be as likely to litter. But when you start getting into the lower income areas, the trash builds up. Trash is just a part of low income people.
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Name : Ed, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Christian, Age : 26, City : Milpitas, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, You actually spit in public? And you're a nurse?
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Name : Millie, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Ever hear of Kleenex? The sudden, and apparently unstoppable, urge to spit seems to be a guy thing. I've known men of all races and classes to spit in public, but have never once seen a woman do it. I have not personally ever felt the need or the urge to spit except for when I was home sick with pneumonia. Again, I think that if someone knows he has a persistent need to expel mucus, he should carry a hankie.
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Name : Jane, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 41, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : pastry chef, Education level : 4 Years of College, 
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