'Civic Sense Of Elite' Questioned As Gurgaon Man Calls Out Mercedes Owner For Littering

A Gurgaon resident's firsthand account of confronting a luxury car owner for littering has gone viral, shedding light on the growing concern over civic sense among the affluent.

In a detailed Reddit post, the man narrated how he witnessed a woman in her late 40s discard a used paper plate and napkin from her Mercedes E-Class onto Golf Course Road. The incident occurred while he was parked outside a showroom nearby. Shocked by the casual disregard for cleanliness, he politely approached the woman and requested her not to litter.

However, her response left him stunned. "So?? I don't see a dustbin around, and I can't litter my car. You may not know, but it costs a lot to get a car dry-cleaned," she allegedly replied before instructing her driver to ask him to leave.

The man, disheartened, refrained from escalating the matter but shared his experience online, stating, "Being wealthy doesn't make you elite. True class is in respecting your surroundings."

The post has sparked widespread discussion on social media about the importance of civic responsibility, especially among the educated and affluent. The incident adds to the ongoing conversation about littering, urban cleanliness, and the disconnect between status and civic sense in India's metropolitan cities.

Civic Sense of the "Elite"
byu/TurbulentRikhi1990 ingurgaon

"Education and civic sense are two completely different things. One can buy their way into top universities, but one cannot buy civic sense," commented a user.

"I work out of one of the most expensive corporate properties in the country. Every day a few hundred people would come down to the smoking zone. Despite there being about 10 dustbins laid out, most people tend to throw the cigarette on the floor," wrote another user.

"Age is not a guarantee of maturity, education is not a guarantee of civility, and wealth is not a guarantee of character," commented a third user.