The Weirdness of the Dirty Tissue Problem
Posted3 months agoActive3 months ago
fields.medium.comOtherstory
calmneutral
Debate
0/100
Social NormsPsychologyHuman Behavior
Key topics
Social Norms
Psychology
Human Behavior
The article discusses the 'dirty tissue problem', a phenomenon where people are uncomfortable with used tissues being left in public or shared spaces, and the author reflects on the underlying social and psychological factors.
Snapshot generated from the HN discussion
Discussion Activity
Light discussionFirst comment
8h
Peak period
1
8-9h
Avg / period
1
Key moments
- 01Story posted
Sep 30, 2025 at 10:58 AM EDT
3 months ago
Step 01 - 02First comment
Sep 30, 2025 at 7:18 PM EDT
8h after posting
Step 02 - 03Peak activity
1 comments in 8-9h
Hottest window of the conversation
Step 03 - 04Latest activity
Sep 30, 2025 at 7:18 PM EDT
3 months ago
Step 04
Generating AI Summary...
Analyzing up to 500 comments to identify key contributors and discussion patterns
ID: 45426305Type: storyLast synced: 11/17/2025, 12:07:07 PM
Want the full context?
Jump to the original sources
Read the primary article or dive into the live Hacker News thread when you're ready.
I pick up at least one piece of trash/litter every time I'm out and about (I no longer drive) but I draw the line at tissues/wipes. So far so good.
However, tissues and wipes are something of an exception because their job is to clean up "mess" and as the author points out we don't know what that mess might be.
Other forms of trash/litter are far less ambiguous eg. Soda/drink can or unstained paper bag, and I pick those up without a second thought.
So that metaphor is itself ambiguous and I'm left confused about the author's intent.