# Homeless/beggars asking for money

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-beggars-asking-for-money/518961>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 25, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-beggars-asking-for-money/518961 "2009-11-25T21:55:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-beggars-asking-for-money/518961/21 "2009-11-26T03:37:50Z")

</div>

From time to time, you’ll see some farang (Westerner) buskers doing their thing in the street. The Thais look at them like they’re from Mars. It’s a completely alien concept here, and the buskers are only making fools of themselves in the eyes of the locals.

Then there are the farang scam beggars. One lady who said she was from South Africa would approach people in the airport, saying she was robbed of her ticket and money and needed some cash. She had a variety of ready excuses for why she could not tell the police or her embassy. Did this for quite a while and was occasionally spotted approaching people inside the city. And the Frenchman who would go up to other farangs on Sukhumvit Road, say he had just been pickpocketed and ask for a bit of cash for a taxi to the embassy. I knew one guy he approached a second time six weeks after the first time, because he didn’t recognize him. He may or may not be the farang hitting up backpackers at the train station and on Khao San Road with a similar story; he’s actually been seen eating dinner in a nice establishment with a cute local babe. The local beggar mafia is bad enough without these guys adding to it.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-beggars-asking-for-money/518961/22 "2009-11-26T03:39:50Z")

</div>

> [@control-z](#):
>
> You’re part of the problem, you’re an enabler. You’ve shown the guy that if he asks enough people he’ll get money for wine. The cycle continues.
> 
> I don’t think the problems the homeless have are going to be solved by random donations from people on the street.

I think you’re missing the point a bit here **^z**. I don’t think anyone believes 2 bucks or 5 bucks or 20 bucks is going to solve the problems of the homeless. It’s a sad truth that the vast majority of these people are not going to make it back to a point where they will live long, productive lives. Lord knows it’s difficult enough for the ones that want to. The 5 bucks is just for a little anesthetic on the way down.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-beggars-asking-for-money/518961.md?page=1)