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Do you give money to people on the street? - Page 3

post #31 of 165
2/9/09 at 12:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by robin View Post
Sometimes yes.

Plus beggars in downtown Seattle aren't homeless. Some of them even have iphones they use to coordinate with each other.

So that gives you a reason to treat them like shit?
Why isn't ignoring them or simply saying you don't have anything for them enough?
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post #32 of 165
2/9/09 at 12:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwilkinson View Post
So that gives you a reason to treat them like shit?
I don't see how telling them off is treating them like shit.
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post #33 of 165
2/9/09 at 12:08am
There is a guy by my work, that waits out on the corner, waiting to ask people for money/food who get stuck at the red light. He has a sign that says something like wife and kids living in a tent. I remember this one day I spotted that son of a bitch talking on his cell phone. Why would a homeless person need a cell phone? Who is he going to call?
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post #34 of 165
2/9/09 at 12:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ryoneo View Post
Yea, and then you see them get up and walk straight to the bar.

Soo it's OK for me and you to drink, but it's wrong for a bum to drink?
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post #35 of 165
2/9/09 at 12:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by robin View Post
I don't see how telling them off is treating them like shit.

You don't see how telling someone to "fuck off" is treating them like shit?
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post #36 of 165
2/9/09 at 12:38am
I just tell them I'm broke.
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post #37 of 165
2/9/09 at 1:18am
It depends on the situation.

I was riding Greyhound and gave a guy like 10 bucks to buy whiskey and a big cup with, he and I talked for about 4 hours until he fell asleep. I felt like the conversation was worth the 10 bucks.

I gave some guy a handful of change in Seattle because I thought his sign was funny.

I usually don't think twice if they are blind or disabled.

I am more likely to give money to someone with a kid in tow.

I try not to think about what they might spend the money on, it not only would bother me to know 90% of the time, but I figure its on their conscience if they lied.
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post #38 of 165
2/9/09 at 1:19am
I'll usually toss my pocket change when I feel guilty...which is usually when I've made a major purchase....I'm waking out of a store with a $300 pair of shoes or a $1k suit and this dude is living on the streets, in the cold. Lifes a bitch I guess.
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post #39 of 165
2/9/09 at 1:58am
Nope. Once in a while i'll start to feel a little bit bad for the guys and one of them will get in my face. Some of the regulars in Montreal are truly revolting to me.
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post #40 of 165
2/9/09 at 2:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by suited View Post
Soo it's OK for me and you to drink, but it's wrong for a bum to drink?
It's not wrong. After the money is handed over, it is his/hers, and they can do whatever they want with it. Although, I would just wish they would use the money I gave them getting some food and not a drink. And it is okay for you and me to drink due to the fact we can afford it and not living like bums...Well, I hope we are not.
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post #41 of 165
2/9/09 at 2:24am
Best to donate through a legitimate channel like a charity or church/missions organization.
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post #42 of 165
2/9/09 at 2:35am
I cannot give money to beggars as there are crime syndicates here that put people on the street to beg for money. Sounds fantastic but true.
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post #43 of 165
2/9/09 at 2:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sho'nuff View Post
Best to donate through a legitimate channel like a charity or church/missions organization.

^ not really if the money is pocketed by for-profit fundraisers instead of needy people the charities supposedly benefit.

http://www.charitynavigator.org/inde...tail&listid=28
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post #44 of 165
2/9/09 at 2:36am
I give money to legit street musicians, buy StreetWise, and occasionally give out McD's or Dunkin cards if I have them. Also, my mom is a journalist and wrote a series on homelessness in America a few years ago. Based on her reporting, it sounds like a lot of shelters in Chicago are seriously fucked-up places, so I can't really the homeless for not wanting to go to them.
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post #45 of 165
2/9/09 at 6:36am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by robin View Post
Sometimes yes.

Plus beggars in downtown Seattle aren't homeless. Some of them even have iphones they use to coordinate with each other.

How does having an iPhone prove you are not homeless? Besides, homeless is not an absolute term. Officially there are no homeless people in Norway (at least not in Oslo), since everyone can get a roof over their head if they follow the required procedure. However, many feel the shelters and other public services are so bureaucratic and humiliating that they chose to sleep on the streets instead. Besides, having a roof over your head does not automatically mean you are not in need of money and/or food.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IrishDan View Post
There is a guy by my work, that waits out on the corner, waiting to ask people for money/food who get stuck at the red light. He has a sign that says something like wife and kids living in a tent. I remember this one day I spotted that son of a bitch talking on his cell phone. Why would a homeless person need a cell phone? Who is he going to call?

His homeless friends on their cell phones? It's not like he can call them on a land line... Or maybe his family? Or a social worker? I'm not sure how things are other places, but here calling mobile to mobile is a lot cheaper than calling a mobile from a payphone. With some calling plans you can even call your friends' and family's numbers for free. Mobile phones have been a part of people's everyday life for quite some time now, why shouldn't a homeless person also have one?
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