I’m not talking about the filthy rich. I’m talking about everyday people with everyday jobs and everyday lives. Folks who have explosive exit episodes in corporate bathrooms and don’t even bother to clean up. People who manage to spill coffee grinds on a counter and don’t reach for the paper towels to tidy things up. Those of you (because I don’t do these kinds of things) who drop rubbish that misses the bin and don’t care to correct the error.

Who are you people? I hope you aren’t breeding! Have you never been told to clean up after yourselves? Do you live like this in your own homes? What makes you think that the world is your dumping ground — that the person who has to clean up after you really wants to clean up after you?

Americans, as a rule, are the filthiest people I know. Nothing is sacred when it comes to averting cleanliness, not even stores. On a recent run through the Nordstrom’s Rack at our trendy fashion mall, I found the entire shoe department torn asunder. There were more shoes lying haphazardly on the floor than were on the display towers, as if the whole idea of returning a shoe to its rightful place was as alien as, say, cleaning your room. The bathroom floor of IKEA was plastered with toilet paper dragged from various stalls and in various stages of wetness. Among the paper was the occasional accent of…you guessed it…a toilet seat cover. Ick.

Last week, I cruised by Pier 1 to look for a new coffee table. They had a lovely display featuring walking sticks from Malaysia. I sashayed over to the display to peruse their selection and, to my horror, found the storage bin accented by a half-eaten cheeseburger. Yes, a cheeseburger…in a store with a window placard that reads, “No food or beverage allowed.”

Now before you start poo-pooing this commentary, be advised that this Diva can’t stand the thought of dropping as much as a breadcrumb on the fine linen tablecloth at a posh eatery; though I’m of the mind that cleaning up after me is “someone else’s job,” I know what it is to be considerate of my fellow human beings. It is not appropriate behavior to make a mess without any thought toward cleaning it up. And if you cannot clean it yourself, immediately find someone who can!

I don’t know why our world has to be as filthy as it is. But scrubbing the nation to a sparkling shine begins with a single person being a little bit neater. If you quit crapping all over the place, our community, our city, our state, and our country will begin to look like we deserve the excesses at our disposal.