No, it's a cultural thing. For sure it came from poverty. But it persists in places where that's no longer an excuse. For example my neighborhood in Vietnam has

No, it's a cultural thing. For sure it came from poverty. But it persists in places where that's no longer an excuse. For example my neighborhood in Vietnam has kerbside trash/recycling collection four days a week. Even if you couldn't pay you could easily put your bags with someone else's. Hell I'd pay for the entire street gladly. And yet several of my neighbors still pile up their trash and burn it. I've ended up shouting at them a few times - unfortunately being polite does nothing in this culture, while getting angry, as a foreigner, is extremely effective no matter how much I dislike doing it. I know people would say "adapt to the place you're in". But I draw the line in a few places. Burning trash and mistreatment of dogs are what push me past that line and turn me into a shouting maniac. > Tons of hospitals in India are spanking clean Private hospitals. Lots of commercial places are kept spanking clean. It's weird though, it rarely extends to the neighborhood. I'll never stop finding it weird to see a stylish hotel with manicured grounds next door to a literal dumping ground that they don't seem bothered by.