Geotrashing: a novel craze
Warwick students have found an intriguing way to spice up those dull hours in the library during exam season: hiding offensive remarks in textbooks for others to seek out.
“There’s a real etiquette to geotrashing,” says Rich Dugdale, who coined the term and has been heavily involved in the movement. “When you stumble across a good slur, the thing to do is add your own just below it in reply, so that future geotrashers have more to see. It gives you a real feeling of connection.”
First-year psychologists have suggested that perhaps the enticing promise of an occasional bigoted byline noticeably improves concentration. “You sit there on the edge of your seat, just so excited to see if there’s a sexist remark on the next page,” says one excited library-goer. And she isn’t the only one – the library has reported a marked increase in traffic ever since geotrashing took off.
Every new fad is, of course, incomplete without its share of naysayers. The Warwick Anti Society is already looking at radical forensic methods in order to hunt down the culprits. “We don’t know names or motives. All we know is that we cannot stand for any negative comments directed at absolutely anyone,” said a principled spokesperson.
But geotrashing will likely live on for years to come. “No-one can really take any of these jokes seriously,” insists Dugdale. They’re just anonymous remarks left in for others.”
Are you a budding geotrasher? Comment with your favourite smear!