Blame ‘me first’ mentality for bad hygiene

btw:
ON SPITTING AND LITTERING

JILL ALPHONSO

THERE'S no better time to address social responsibility than now.

It's a big topic for the year, what with the economic crisis brought on by the neglect of bankers the world over, and with countries calling for more environmental awareness and action for everyone's sake.

And, now, the Influenza A (H1N1) epidemic is becoming a real and present danger.

But despite calls from our Government for people to be more diligent, to stay home if necessary and to take proper precautions when it comes to hygiene, I'm just not seeing it on the streets.

Just yesterday, I witnessed a young guy outside a coffee shop spitting into a drain just a few feet away from diners.

And call it bad fortune, but on more than one occasion over the past few days, I've seen people coughing in public areas without covering their mouths.

One man in another eatery I was in let fly with a God-almighty sneeze, with nary a tissue in sight. You can imagine where the by-products of that sneeze landed. Nowhere near me, thank goodness.

These are not new problems. Ask anyone and they'll tell you that incidents like these date back to Singapore's "Stone Age". Any "uncle" will gladly sneeze in your face any day, free of charge – you don't even have to ask.

Every week, I find dirty, balled-up tissues in cabs, stuffed into various nooks and crannies, forcing me to whip out a wet wipe to perform a ritual cleansing after accidentally encountering one of these discarded little "treasures".

And often have I seen people spit – after a good, long throat-clearing session – straight into trash cans, with all the expertise of a seasoned blow-dart professional.

Even without a potential flu outbreak, these acts would, more likely than not, cause others to fall ill. And let's face the facts: these days, it's getting clearer that, in the near future, such bad habits could potentially cost lives.

The root of the problem lies in the simple fact that Singaporeans remain tragically unaware of the impact they have on others.

I won't go so far as to say that we are a selfish lot in all areas, but there is a "me first" mentality that can, frankly, impair our judgment.

Ah, you might say, some people might not know any better.

I'm sorry, but I don't find that an acceptable excuse with World Health Organization warnings on pandemics flying about.

Plus, we've already experienced the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak in 2003, which infected 328 people in Singapore and killed 33.

You'd have thought we'd have learnt a thing or two from that little scare.

If there is anything to take away from that outbreak, it is that we all can play a part.

Back then, containment meant that people worked from home or simply had to stay home from work. Some were also quarantined in hospitals.

To my knowledge, many took such actions gladly. There was a call for stronger hygiene measures from everyone as well, which – according to reports – many followed.

Social responsibility means that everyone is accountable. That means you and me.

This goes for every issue, from playing one's part in being aware of measures to contain the flu pandemic, to recycling and saving energy for the betterment of the planet.

Let's start acting as if these things matter because they do – whether we like it or not.

In the long run, if every one of us adopts a more socially responsible attitude, we'd be able to build a better society – hopefully sans spitting.

myp@sph.com.sg

From myPaper, My News, Home – Tuesday, 05-May-2009