ok guys, i think we’ve agreed that there are a lot of people who are scammers out there. there are a lot of them who just want money to get drugs or alcohol. and as much as if i were in that position, i might say work damnit! it’s not that easy. some people aren’t strong enough to do it by themselves. they’re a product of a horrible education which maybe didn’t teach them the responsibility and ethics to get out of a rough situation, to work for their living. not to mention those who can’t do anything because they’re mentally unsound.
i’ve heard stories about huge scammers who work airports and elsewhere and pull in big bucks by dressing in suits and telling people they just had their briefcase stolen and all. those are the ones we can get all flaming on.
but i don’t think we can just sit back and say that a drug or alcohol problem is all THEIR problem. yes, they got themselves in the situation, but no, they might not be able to get out of it. that’s why we need programs and such to try to get them off the street. just saying the we’re only going to care about ourselves is not going to solve anything.
that said, i usually don’t give money at all, given that i’m on minimum wage and trying to break even myself.
and gobear, obviously you were brought up right, to work for what you have and to want to try to prove yourself. not everyone is so lucky, and they need to be taught that, if possible, later in life.
I don’t give to panhandlers anymore.
I used to, until I spent a little time homeless and destitute myself.
(Worked an under-the-counter job at which I lived on the premises that got shut-down overnight…)
I never felt compelled to beg from strangers- Even when I’d go without eating for days.
People used to tell me that I was being a sucker when I’d pony up for panners, and I figured they were just hardasses with no compassion.
Position revised.
Warning: Anecdotal Evidence!
My husband (who, btw, has been homeless at more than one point in his life) never gives to panhandlers. Before I met him, his now-ex-wife had been bugging him about this, calling him heartless. He needed the living room painted, so he found ten different people with signs claiming that they would work for food. He offered them a place to sleep, something to eat, and some money just to paint his living room. Not one accepted.
Of course that doesn’t mean that all panhandlers are fakes. Neither does any other story prove that all are truly desperate. But there are organizations set up for the explicit purpose of helping people who have fallen on hard times and are in need. Those who really want to help themselves, there are missions/charities available to you. And those that really want to help, these organizations need you.
Giving cash to someone when you have no way of knowing if they are really in need or what they will use the money for is foolish, and believing that it is noble is even moreso.
Sivalensis, all lower case text is more difficult to read than properly capitalized text, and looks well… childish. Please capitalize, because everytime you don’t God kills a kitten. Please… think of the kittens.
There is more irony in this observation than I can bear.
With respect to homeless people, the vast, vast majority of the subset of the homeless who panhandle on the streets of American cities are panhandling due to drug and alcohol addictions combined with mental health issues. This may not be fair or pleasant to consider, but Gobear is correct with respect to his take on the makeup of the panhandling population (as distinct from the larger population of those who are homeless.)
Having said this, where do you go from there? Giving money to addicts is (IMO) counter-productive, but what do you do with people who refuse to or cannot help themselves. Where do the limits of mercy butt up against the wall of common sense? It’s an individual issue.
astro, more irony than you can bear? Then please do avert thine eyes! I would not want my naive/stupid little words to hurt you!
I suppose the irony to you would be that academics are naive. Perhaps we are. After all, I certainly have never been sick without health insurance, had a job at a fast food place, or known any single mothers or drug/alcohol addicts. Of course not. All of us with educations have been sitting in school (paid for by our rich daddies, of course) and really have no exposure to the “real world”. I certainly never had a roommates brother live in my dorm room because his parents kicked him out at 16, or a kid who slept in my office because his student loan would come through for two more weeks.
Look, I give money to people, no string attached. I makes me feel good. A gift is a gift. It isn’t my thing to follow them around to make sure they actually buy lunch. Am I stupid? No I know that they’re probably going to go get a pack of cigarettes, and a 40. But I don’t really care. If it eases the pain of sleeping on a steam tunnel grate, then that is what the money is for.
I honestly don’t think that if we all ignore them that the homeless, and the addicts will go away. Call me naive.
Nevermind, you already have.