I could imagine the internal narrative might be driven by innate/instinctive cultural selflessness/community-mindedness but it might also be a rational narrative…
“We live right here or we trade right here and we don’t want this junction covered in debris (esp glass) for any extended period as it will affect us negatively. A few minutes pitching in to sort this rather than wait for some remote ‘authorities’ to sort it, seems the obvious thing to do.”
The more likely western internal narrative might be “what’s in it for me” and an inability to recognise the direct and indirect benefits of community-minded pitching in. Is that cultural? Maybe, if 40 years or more of neo-liberal, self-serving, individualistic, Randian bullshit is what has directed our culture to this mindset.
