The prompt actually brought to mind something that doesn’t feel fair now that I think about it, even though I see it happen often. I've seen it a lot of times when one person throws trash on the road, they risk being fined or even taken to court. But I've not seen big companies dump wastes or harmful materials in public spaces, and get fined.
I'd like to think that at the very least, they do get a warning, maybe a small fine, and then quickly, everything goes quiet. But that doesn't cut it as people’s health, homes, and livelihoods are affected, sometimes very badly. I remember a movie I saw sometime ago, a young guy lost his father to a careless management of a company.
The company kept throwing out their dumps in a wrong spot but the government couldn't even do anything about them because they were the largest company in the country, everything was controlled to the harm of its workers and people around the area. The guy had his revenge and brought solution at last but it wasn't an easy one.
The prompt made think of this question: is littering really treated the same for everyone?
It isn't and honestly, it's a serious matter that should be treated with urgency especially in the part of the world I live in. This is something very common over here and I didn't even realize how wrongly and unfair it had been to individuals than to the big companies. This really isn't a good model to implement but let's weigh the offence.
For the individuals, the law is usually clear. Do something wrong, you face the consequences. This is good because it teaches responsibility. It reminds people that their small actions matter. But for companies, their actions are not small. Improper dumping of wastes can affect entire communities. Water can become unsafe to drink, fishes die, farmers can lose crops and people can fall sick. The impact is wide and long-lasting.
Since the damage from big companies is bigger, the punishment should be stronger too. Sadly, it isn't. Government seem more careful when dealing with them, I believe it's because they bring money, jobs, taxes and investment to the country. They wouldn't want to push these companies away and then there's influence these companies have to escape facing consequences.
It's fine to want to protect the economy but the imbalance is dangerous so I think the government needs to create a better balance between protecting businesses and protecting people. One clear step is to apply the law equally, but not blindly. The simple fines and community service can continue for individuals who fault.
For companies, penalties should be stronger and more meaningful. Maybe heavy fines that match the level of damage, compulsory cleanup actions, and even temporary shutdowns until proper systems are put in place. There should also be transparency to alert the public when a company causes public harm and what is being done.
We will not only have cleaner environments but also a fairer system that people can trust if the government can get this balance right hopefully.
Image used is AI generated.
