I don’t really get the term “trash collector”. I guess it’s an attempt to class up the term “garbage man” kind of the same way we often now refer to a “janitor” as a “custodian”. I guess because we don’t want to hurt people’s feelings? But guess what? A trash collector IS a garbage man. It’s not mean, it’s just more accurate. He’s a man who picks up garbage. Calling him a “collector” is just confusing and misleading. A collection is something to be coveted. A bill collector collects bills, or more accurately the money which is owed to pay bills. That’s something valuable. A stamp collector is interested in collecting stamps for their potential value and more often their historical significance, something of intrinsic value to them. But a “trash collector”? What is this guy doing, taking all the garbage home with him and organizing it with the other garbage?
“Ok, the diapers go here by the used coffee filters, and the dirty underwear goes over there next to the banana peels! Good now everything’s in order! What a great collection!”
I can’t imagine this monologue actually taking place. And if it does, I’m certain we’ve got a seriously mentally ill person on our hands and maybe we shouldn’t be trusting them with our garbage in the first place.
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