I was taking the A train down Manhattan this weekend. In between stops, this homeless man enters the car and starts in on his pitch for money. Being callous disheartened New York bastards, everyone riding the train just sinks further behind their magazines and ignores him.
He staggers to the center of the car, dramatically falls to his knees, and starts screaming. “My apartment building burnt down three months ago, and my family and I have been living on the streets ever since. One of my children is sick—she needs medicine immediately. I have nothing to help her…no food, no money, just the clothes on my back.”
At this point, Homeless Guy is interrupted at the very height of his desperate wailings. By his cell phone ringing. He tried to go on…I’ll give him credit for that at least…he tried to ignore it and keep up the pity. But by the 4th ring, it was too much and everyone was cracking up.
Sorry to inject a bit of brutal fact into your rant, but I know at least two people who were homeless with a cellphone (or pager) for good reason: not having a home phone number, they needed to be able to receive calls from possible employers and that was the only way. Might look bad, but they weren’t doing it to impress you.
But please, don’t let me stop you from telling us about fraudulent poor people.
Matt, give it a rest. The guy here was an obvious fraud–did you even read his begging spiel? I grow tired of your “poor people are noble, disenfranchised souls blah blah blah” lecture every time a begging thread pops up.
I hate to break it to you, but some people in this world–and that even includes beggars–are not honest. Shocking, I know. Hang on, it gets even worse–beggars are often con artists and you can’t always take their word at face value. Sorry, I know that must be difficult to believe, all poor people being noble and pure and all, but I have it on the best authority that such is the case.
Now, if you genuinely wish to help the persecuted and the helpless, I believe there are some truly desperate African widows and businessmen who need your aid on a financial transaction…
Hm. Checking my post trying to find where I said that this guy was not a fraud. Not seeing it. Nor where I stated I believe that all beggars are honest. Sorry.
It just so happens that knowing a substantial number of people who’ve been on the street at various points in their existence, I just like to be able to point out that a substantial number of beggars are honest in a humiliating and desperate situation. Even some of the ones with cellphones.
So I like to bring it up when everyone’s enjoying a bit of contentment over unmasking one of these horrible, horrible frauds. Because I’ve found that that tends to spill over onto those who are “genuine.” It’s just something that is important to me. Sorry for the inconvenience.
No, just more of them (neoliberal economic policies that destroy jobs AND cut social programs are so much fun).
It also comes of being friends with former ones - you know them, and they know others who are also honest. I guess I just see a different side of it from the one you do.
As I said in my second post, Guin, I didn’t say this guy was honest, just that there are honest reasons for street people to have telephones. (Of course, stating this fact from my experience makes me “biased” in the Gobearverse.)
It’s not so much your stating that there are honest reasons why a street person might have a cell phone, but the self-righteous tone that ticked me off. Your first post was meant to shame people who were laughing at the funny incicdent related in the OP.
And yeah, I know a former street person–me. I hitchhiked from Terre Haute, IN to Casper, WY the summer of 1984. Went hungry, slept outside, never begged. I also was briefly homeless in 1985 after traveling to LA for a job that fell through. Still didn’t beg.
Frankly, I don’t buy you as very street. You are incredibly naive about human nature, for one thing. When you are really poor, and living rough, you hustle or you get hustled. That’s just how it is., and it doesn’t matter how many homeless people you know who have cell-phones for honest reasons. People on the street lie, cheat, and “get over” as much as possible–and taking anything you hear at face value is the act of a gullible fool.
If a guy on the street is spinning an elaborate story to get money, he’s hustling. Your stupid point about some honest homeless cell phone users is wholly irrelevant here–you just needed to get your self-righteous, “look how high-minded I am because I CARE” points on the big scoreboard.
I’m not sure there was a generalization implicit in the story–it could be taken as simply a funny anecdote. I’m sure many of us could cite knowing or working for homeless folks, and while some percentage may be honest and struggling to make it, that wouldn’t take away from a humorous or ironic story.
Gobear, I love you like a sister, but fuck off. No, really.
You may be acquainted with my best friend Hamish. My affection for my friend and my compassion for his history, not to mention the same for my ex Eric, is responsible for my taking the position on the homeless that I do, if you must know.
I find it incredibly reprehensible and insulting that you impute motives of self-advancement for bringing up an argument that is deeply important to me. It is a smear on my integrity and honour, and I will not stand for it.
Crap, I hate it when you’re right. I’m sorry for attributing unworthy motives to your post. It was completely wrong and inexcusable. I absolutely and unconditionally withdraw my comments on that point.
I guess I wouldn’t even consider calling someone a hustler that much of a slam. Given the circumstances, folks have to do what they can to survive. Even if “donors” get taken it’s for immaterial (to them) amounts of money in most cases. I wouldn’t blame someone for using what skills they have to, but that doesn’t mean paint everyone (or even the majority of people) as innocent.
In such situations, there is no black/white in this. Some homeless/beggers are indeed hustlers, but I say that if they can manage to survive doing that, then more power to them.
It seems quite simple. If the man quickly reached for the phone- perhaps it’s an offer of employment, or news of the sick child’s condition- then likely he was legit. I know of several organizations that take donated, obsolete cellphones and give them to homeless and battered women.
However, if the man tried to ignore it and continute with his shpeil, then in all liklihood he was a con.