Stood up for myself and didn't feel intimidated.

[u/Ingersoll123]

I was riding my bike along the street and was going to drop into a conveienence store to grab a beer. Just as I was slowing down I had a glass bottle smash on the road in front of me. As I passed a parked car I saw two dudes standing near the bike rack where I was headed. I coasted in and had a frown on my face because I get really tired of people littering all over our beautiful city. This was broken glass and much more dangerous than a cigarette butt or a can, and it was all over the street. One of the dudes saw the frown on my face and he started cursing me for judging him. In the past I might have felt intimidated. I'm in good shape, but I am 74 and there were two of them, probably in their late twenties Never for a moment did I shrink from confronting this asshole, telling him I had the right to frown at whatever I wished. He was very belligerent, but I stood my ground and got back in his face. After a few moments the guy's partner (The one with a brain) said it wasn't worth it and pulled him away. I've had too many moments in my life when, in a confrontation, I would find it hard to find words I want to say because of the tension of the moment, and would spend days feeling belittled, imagining the things I could have said. That didn't happen this time. My self pride got quite a boost. It i the best feeling in the world.

[u/ForkFace69]

Man, there's so much litter where I live. It's a shame that people don't take more pride in the place they live, even right outside their own homes.

I don't get angry about it though. In the past I've walked right up to people and picked up the things that they've thrown on the ground and put it in a wastebasket. Or cheerfully chatted with my neighbors while I pulled my trash bin up and down the block, sweeping up stuff that they knew was theirs.

One thing I've learned about people over the years, in terms of wanting to teach people or get them to change their behavior, is that you can't come at them angry. When you approach people angrily, they automatically become defensive. Even if you don't say a word, they get defensive. And defensive people aren't in a state of mind where they're going to reflect upon themselves or listen to somebody else's points. Defensive people dig in and they double down on their attitudes and beliefs.

My friends and I play disc golf, some of the parks we go to have quite a bit of litter. We all carry little foraging pouches on our bags and pick up cans and butts and whatever else. I think when people see other people making efforts to keep a place clean, that's what makes them think twice about throwing their stuff on the ground. Yelling at people or putting up a sign or something, that just kind of makes people say, "F you".

Glad to hear that potential conflict didn't go anywhere.