For The Pulp, Jacob Baynham profiles the Bag Man, a bearded, balding man in his 70s who scoops abandoned dog poop on Mount Jumbo’s “L” trail in Missoula, Montana. Most days each week he displays what he’s collected in a colorful pile at the trailhead, sometimes with a passive aggressive note, hoping that hikers and runners will start picking up after their canine companions. He doesn’t even own a dog.
To me, the story of the Bag Man is about more than poop. It’s a story about obsession and the mysteries of human behavior. It’s a story about the rules we write down and the rules that go unspoken. It’s about community, shame and our delicate social bonds. Almost all of us have been on both sides of this. We’ve all felt the chagrin of being called out for breaking a rule, and at some point, we’ve all wanted to call out others for their bad behavior. Most can agree: People should pick up their dog poop. But the story of the Bag Man is about what we should do when they don’t.
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