Homeless people / panhandlers

[IronUnkind]

[ QUOTE ]
I take out my camel lights and present homeless guy with *2* cigarettes (second cigarette is key). Homeless guy stares down trying to figure out if I'm offering him 2, or if one is for me, or what. He realizes they are both for him, he realizes that *I* do not see him as a mere object;

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm betting that "My dignity has been restored" is a less frequent reaction than, "Sweet, two smokes!"

[wmonfor]

I had a guy do the sketch scam to me before, but it was a little different. I was waiting for a bus at the Greyhound station in downtown Chicago (the one near Union Station, I think it's at Clinton and Harrison). He asks if he can sketch me, so I say sure why not. He draws the picture, and it looks nothing like me. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I said it was an OK drawing.

Then he asks me for 10 bucks! I said "No way, that doesn't look like me, and I also only have 2 dollars in my wallet." Thia was true; I was flat broke. He kept lowering the price, trying to get me to pay him, until I pulled out my wallet and showed him that I really only had 2 dollars. Then he left me alone.

[bigbootch]

One thing that bothered me while reading through this thread is the following admittedly nitpicky point: everyone seems to assume that a bum claiming to want something that's not in his best interest (alcohol, pot, hooker, whatever) means that he is being honest.

This point is nitpicky because in the vast majority of cases (probably greater than 95%), the bum probably IS being honest.

At the same time, though, it's disturbing to me because it is assumes that bums are degenerates who certainly wouldn't do anything good for themselves. The only way we believe them is if they say they are doing something bad. If they say they are doing something good, then they must not be honest. That kind of thinking. As I said, this probably is a good assumption to make. But the whole lack of benefit of doubt still bothered me a bit.

-bigbootch

[jackflashdrive]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I take out my camel lights and present homeless guy with *2* cigarettes (second cigarette is key). Homeless guy stares down trying to figure out if I'm offering him 2, or if one is for me, or what. He realizes they are both for him, he realizes that *I* do not see him as a mere object;

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm betting that "My dignity has been restored" is a less frequent reaction than, "Sweet, two smokes!"

[/ QUOTE ]

Completely correct. My goal is not to restore their dignity (which I can't do). Their thought is more along the lines of "Sweet, two smokes! Why two if I only asked for one and he only offered one? He's doing it because he recognizes we're both smokers and he's being nice to me on that basis (he sees me as a smoker-like-him, not a homeless-guy-different-from-him)" In most HG's heads these thoughts probably come a bit murkier (more an implicit feel than a thought), but all the elements are there.

[imitation]

registrar I need to know how you ended up begging on dehli sounds like a good story.

In China theres a lot of beggars, but only really in the wealthier cities, which makes me pissed off because theres plenty of dirt poor farmers who break there backs or slave away in factories.

There is one particularly badly burnt guy (his face is like just scar tissue with some eye holes and a mouth), who said he is sent out every day by some triads who take his money in exchange for some where to live food etc. Another thing is the beggars are really organised in that they all seem to rotate there locations around the city or suburb I guess to generate more money rather than people seeing the same beggars every day.

They also have little children who sell roses outside of nightclubs and will latch onto your leg if you give them half a second until you give them some cash.

I don't give at all here because I think it encourages it. I would probably give in Australia though, I always gave to the guy who wiped my windscreen. Generally I think Australians homeless have mental illness or are drug addicts so I feel ok about giving to them.

[cbloom]

[ QUOTE ]

At the same time, though, it's disturbing to me because it is assumes that bums are degenerates who certainly wouldn't do anything good for themselves. The only way we believe them is if they say they are doing something bad. If they say they are doing something good, then they must not be honest. That kind of thinking. As I said, this probably is a good assumption to make. But the whole lack of benefit of doubt still bothered me a bit.


[/ QUOTE ]

The long-term homeless are almost certainly not doing anything productive with the money. Anyone who seems to be living on the streets is probably just surviving. I don't have any problem with them using the money on alcohol - I mean if you were living like them and couldn't improve your situation because of mental problems, wouldn't you want to hit the sauce!?

The guys I actually feel worst for are the ones who look pretty clean and don't pester you too much or anything but have signs like

"injured, 4 kids, no donations please give job"

surely some of those guys are scams but some of them are real down on their luck cases that are right at the transition point of either getting it back together or really losing it and turning into long-term homeless.

[jackflashdrive]

To all those who give to 'honest' panhandlers:

The 'honesty' angle has been on for 2 decades now. Holding up a sign that says "Why lie? Need beer." is more honest than "Out of gas, please help" but the former doesn't strike as me as more noble, praiseworthy, or worthy of a donation. *It is an angle.* They are simply putting whatever words on the sign will get the most money, without much caring what those words are (and Christ do frat guys pull out their wallets fast when they see a homeless guy advertising that he needs money for pussy).

Maybe the first "money for beer" sign in history was "honest" in the usual sense of the term. The signs you see today are simply effective.

BTW bootch I enjoyed your post a lot.

-J

[r0eKY]

i was at a red light and there was a panhandler on the corner with a sign that said

"why lie it's for beer"

so i threw him a buck and drove off.

beat: dont think he saw me throw the $1, o well his loss

[miajag]

[ QUOTE ]
This was an interesting story in Toronto several years back - a panhandler who pretended to shake badly to get people to feel sorry for her - then at the end of the day she would go home to her fancy apartment and big screen TV:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margita_Bangov%C3%A1

[/ QUOTE ]

Hilarious story.

I usually just ignore panhandlers, but if I happen to be carrying a food item I don't particularly want or need (very rare) I'll offer that.

[El Diablo]

reg,

"I was reduced to begging on the streets of Dehli for about a week once. It's a revelation how much you can make as a foreigner in India but it really feels bad doing it."

Please elaborate!