8,841 but who’s counting?

This is one of those studies, that you really need to stick with.  From Milenio (my translation):

As part of an on-going effort to eradicate bad habits, the Citizens Council for Public Security and the Prosecution of Justice in the Federal District (Consejo Ciudadano de Seguridad Pública y Procuración de Justicia del Distrito Federal) removed eight thousand, eight hundred and forty-one wads of chewing gum from walls and sidewalks on calle Madero.

According to the Council, over the course of the forty day project, citizen-agents reduced the average number of gum-wads on calle Madero from 100 to 24 per square meter, contributing to better sanitation and image for the important pedestrian street.

During the project’s duration, agents directly contacted 901 gum-chewers, 66 percent of whom left their wad in receptacles when “invited” to do so, 27 percent who threw their gum into other garbage piles and seven percent who requested more information.  One person expressed shame over his conduct, 39 ignored the agents, two were verbally abusive and one pulled out his wad of gum and stuck it to a wall without saying a word.

The Citizens Council study found that on certain high-traffic days, more gum wads end up on the street.  On 15 September (a “bridge day” to a holiday),  Day of the Dead, and during the Revolution Centennial celebrations, observers noted 500, 100 and 5,000 wads of gum disposed of improperly.

One nice thing about Mexico. What we can’t blame on the gringos, we can usually blame on General Santa Ana. As far as chewing gum, it’s a two-fer:

In exile, Santa Ana did more for the Mexican economy than he ever did as president. Typical for him, it was a result of his personal vanity, and he was unable to understand its importance. For a time, he lived on Staten Island, New York, where he rented a room from a candy-maker. North Americans had poor dental hygiene and paid no attention to how their teeth looked. Mexicans, including Santa Ana, worried about their teeth, which they kept clean by chewing chicle, a rubbery plant sap. The candy-maker thought the ex-general’s chicle tasted awful but wasn’t bad if it was mixed with mint and dipped in sugar. He sold Santa Ana’s candy-coated tooth-cleanser as Chiclets. Mr. Adams, the landlord, became rich and famous as the inventor of chewing gum and created an entirely new agricultural export for Mexican farmers. Santa Ana never received the credit nor any profit from the idea.