Is there a culture of entitlement in Ireland?

[Eamonnca1]

Our estate does this at least twice a year. We make a day of it, get the kids involved etc. I'd say it happens everywhere. I'm surprised you had to ask Eamonn, and maybe you're only asking because, even though it's gotten a lot worse over the Celtic Tiger years, the sense of Community Spirit in rural Ireland is still very strong, whereas it's almost non-existant in urban America.

It's just not something I ever saw round our way up north. I found people were so used to seeing litter that they just got immune to it, and it's the kind of thing that becomes very noticeable anytime I go home.  Chewing gum on the footpath was another gripe of mine, I swear I used to see about ten blobs per square foot in the town, usually concentrated around bus stops, CTNs and chip shops. Just a lack of civic pride all round.

Then again this is Lurgan I'm talking about.  Could be a localised thing. I was wondering if it was more widespread, I'm happy to hear that it's not.

[brokencrossbar1]

Maybe I was a bit harsh on you Eammon but it did come across to me as a bot condescending. I would say your experience might be more common to urban areas which would have greater litter problems and less community togetherness. You go to most small to medium sized places around the north and you will find they are very tidy.

[Eamonnca1]

The thing is, even out in the country I'd see a fair bit of litter in the hedges, vandalism etc. I remember a lovely picnic area on the shore of the lough that used to have wooden benches and seats, all of it was torn up by vandals.  They replaced them with big solid rocks that are roughly the shape of tables and seats, it's the only way the stuff wouldn't get wrecked. The only payphone within ten miles was constantly getting bombarded late at night, and this despite it being right outside a man's house.  The attitude seemed to be that if it was vulnerable, cost a bit of money to install, and didn't belong to anybody in particular then it was fair game for being wrecked.

Again, maybe a localised thing but there it is.

[Rois]

I remember a lovely picnic area on the shore of the lough that used to have wooden benches and seats, all of it was torn up by vandals.  They replaced them with big solid rocks that are roughly the shape of tables and seats, it's the only way the stuff wouldn't get wrecked. The only payphone within ten miles was constantly getting bombarded late at night, and this despite it being right outside a man's house.  The attitude seemed to be that if it was vulnerable, cost a bit of money to install, and didn't belong to anybody in particular then it was fair game for being wrecked.

But is vandalism not a completely different thing from a laissez-faire attitude?  Vandalism is a deliberate act to destroy something by someone with a criminal agenda, I thought your opening post was more about a community spirit and an attitude of "well the binmen/street cleaners will clear up after me". 

As far as I know, Dungiven have issued the rallying cry for this weekend to get the troops out to clean up the town in advance of holding a fleadh.  And in Tyrone at the minute every club in the county has organised or is organising its members to get out and do a 5k walk/10k run for the Michaela Foundation (driven by a very admirable man).  Such a sense of togetherness in the parishes and towns across the county, it warms the heart. 

[Mario]

As Rois said, there will be a big clean up in Dungiven this weekend ahead of the fleadh. Its already started with many of the older buildings in the main street getting a pair job. There is definitely still a strong sense of community in Ireland compared to the Uk for example.

Sometimes you look at the suburbs in American cities though and they look perfect, not one lawn out of shape or one piece of litter to be found on the streets.

[Declan]

There is definitely still a strong sense of community in Ireland

On that note I'll plug our Harvest festival which is running in September - Any golfers etc who are attending the Solheim Cup should stay around and enjoy

http://www.dunfest.com/

[Billys Boots]

Happens on my road once a year.

Snap, twice a year, Spring and Autumn.

[thejuice]

Not much of it in England especially in streets around where I live. It's not helped by the system of rubbish collection which is to pile the black bin bags on the kerb on a Friday morning.

[firestarter]

Our culture of entitlement has been created by an overly generous welfare state.

[maddog]

bigger problem is when the local cats all have a quick poke through them for food and the rubbish spills out  everywhere.

Its the crows round here do more trailing of rubbish than the cats. A couple of miles in either direction of me id be under Solihull or Worcester council which is wheelie bin territory. But Birmingham council is still a roll of bin bags a couple of times a year. Its the lazy bastards that put them out the night before when they are still clearly in the house the next morning before the bin wagon comes that are half to blame. That and the crows the rats the cats and the foxes.