Good point.
I’ll bear that in mind.
I’m going to call Nachmanides his nick name, Rambam, because I thought it was Manonides. But I digress.
I’ll rely on Rambam’s “If you give to ten, and nine lied, you have done a good thing”.
Specificity can be quite compelling. In Chicago, a guy asked me for nine dollars so he could get to Beloit, Wisconsin. I gave it to him.
I lived in San Diego when this incident was reported, and I remember being dubious about the story even then.
If there’s one thing less reliable than the honesty of a panhandler, it’s the quality of local news investigative reporting. There’s all sorts of possibilities arising out of that story, including that the address they went to is not the correct one. They never managed to track down the woman to the address they had, and the story itself makes clear that a different person responded to the reporter’s request for comment.
More generally, why is it so hard for some people to believe that someone can have both a place to live and a car, and also be down on their luck due to something like a lost job, or a massive medical bill, or something else? Everyone who wants to make any sort of living in San Diego county pretty much needs a car. Someone with a car and a rented apartment might still have little or no savings, and might struggle greatly if they lose their job. And they’re still on the hook for rent payments if they have a lease; some landlords are bulldogs about lease terms and rent payments, even if you’ve lost a job or otherwise fallen on hard times. If the only way they can afford to pay their rent is to beg for money, that’s a terrible situation, but it doesn’t mean that it’s some sort of scam, or that they don’t need help.
More generally, why should it be necessary for someone to provide ironclad evidence of total destitution before they get help? If society (whether individually, or collectively through charities and/or government assistance) were a little more willing to help people when they first experience some hardship, rather than requiring photographic proof that they’re living under a bridge before handing over a few coins, then maybe we could prevent a few more people from ending up living under bridges.
If you (generic you) don’t want to give to panhandlers, I’ve got no problem with that. I give on some occasions but not others, and the frequency of my giving has declined considerably over the years, partly (but not only) because I often have no cash on my person. If you don’t give, I’ve got no beef with you. I just find these attempts to dig up “evidence” and anecdotes of panhandler perfidy to be a little bemusing, and a bit “trying too hard.”
I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for those in poverty. I’m not a mind-reader, and I don’t ask about their problems unless they mention it first. I usually don’t go out of my way to do it, but sometimes I do… If I have no money, I might ask if they need something. I’ve given food and clothes away.
One time, despite having barely any money, I was inspired by someone. There was a middle-aged woman sitting on a busy street, and I saw some guy give her some, and I thought why not make a bee-line and give her about 75 cents I had in change. She said, “Well, this might be enough for a cup of coffee” and then I asked her if I could buy her a cup of coffee. We talked for a few hours.
So 90% of your money going to scammers is better than donating it to charity which, although has overhead, probably channels more than 10% of the donation to people actually in need?
I’m pretty sure the message is the world is a better place for helping 1 in 10 than 0 in 10.
Apparently it is much easier to say it is better to donate to charities than to give to individuals than it is to actually do so.
All the time. Even if it is a ‘scam’, begging is a low-paying, low-status scam with little upside to the practitioner. If your life has taken a turn so that standing in 98-degree weather with your hand out is a viable option, having me make up some fake back story as to justify my selfishness in not giving you $.50 is doing neither one of us any good. So I just give the money.
Does that take into account the cost to you, the giver? Are you wholly unworthy of the fruits of your labor, to stand against the 9 who scam in this hypothetical?
There was a guy soliciting donations in a local shopping center parking lot the other day, regaling Kroger customers with “My Way” played on the accordion.
A poignant scene.
The honest beggar gets all of my donation instead of 10%.
Have seen other similar responses but I once saw two guys and a dog working a offramp in Daytona with a sign that said: Why lie? Need cigarettes and beer. Watched for awhile and they did fairly good. Most seemed to smile/laugh and give something.
On a somewhat related note. From MY OWN experience … Long story , long story but I got stranded in Houston , promised job was a scam and more tales of woe, but had $1.77 in my pocket and had to get home to Kentucky. Pawned everything I owned by this point. Was thrown out of the truckstop I was parking my van at at night and was desperate, I can’t lie about that. Figured I’d seen all these people doing the sign thing and thought I would try that. Put the $1.77 (yes, every penny) in the gas tank and started driving east. About 40 miles down the road I was out of fuel so pulled onto an offramp with a truckstop. Made a sign saying " Going home, need fuel and food" and “Veteran” because I am and “Thank you”. No god bless or anything ese, just those exact words as I’ll never forget the shame I felt when I first walked to that stopsign from my beat up old van. Stayed there about 6 maybe 7 hours. Got $70ish dollars from everyone from truck drivers to locals. Had to stop a few more times on the way back and will be forever grateful to the kind people who helped out a down on his luck stranger. People gave money, filled my tank, bought food. I was humbled and am still appreciative of the kindness shown me. Btw, 90% of the people who gave me anything were the ones who looked like they were struggling too.