Beggars who lie for money

[Douglas]

I was once on the streets of Charlotte with a friend, walking home from the bars, when this guy approached us and spun a yarn about needing a dollar bill for the bus. I don't recall the exact premise, but essentially he said he had $1.00 in change (and he was clearly holding coins) but needed a bill because the bus or whatever would only take bills.

I was not inclined to get involved, but my buddy offered up a single. The guy hurriedly exchanged the coins and started to walk away. Well, he only had about $.70 or something - he'd ripped my buddy off for $.30.

At this point I DEFINITELY would have walked away, but my buddy called after him, not really with hostile intent, but just sort of laughing, saying "WTF?" It seemed like a horribly inefficient way to make $.30 at a time.

 

[munchausen]

I almost never give money to bums. Occasionally I might have a lot of cash in my pocket and be feeling particularly good and flip someone a buck if they look appropriately pathetic.

A couple of years ago I was downtown and found two fives on the street. I decided that this was such good luck that I should give one to the next bum that begged me for money. Turns out it was a guy with no legs. Had to have been some kind of karma.

Honestly, though, I would prefer lies to the guys that do the "I'll be honest, I just want to get drunk." Yeah, me too. **** off.

Or the hippies in Boulder and places like that who have signs that say "traveling without money, please help." I'll help you: get a ******* job.

 

[MHH89]

I love the homeless guys on the nyc trains who pretend to be working for a homeless outreach program and offer food to homeless people on the train and then ask for money.

In reality, they are all crackheads who offer the same bag of chips and are just looking to defraud people for their change.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Speaking with the voice of experience ...

I volunteered at a soup kitchen for a number of years during college and grad school. After my experience there, I have concluded that the vast majority of homeless are homeless by choice.

In most major cities, they don't need money for food. My church (the one running the soup kitchen) took one day of the week, the next church took another day and so on. There is food, and they know where to find it. Seven days a week.

So if they tell you they need money for food, it's a lie. The money goes to other things. Booze, drugs, whatever. It's not going for food.

It would be weird to see a "regular" and have him beg for cash for food. I'd ask them why they thought I would give them money for food when I saw them every week at my church's food kitchen getting free food. Shame and humiliation didn't stop them from trying to score cash for booze, I guess.

Bottom line, if people keep giving them money, they will stay homeless. They don't have the incentive to break out of the cycle.

[The only caveat to the above is the admittedly significant number of mentally ill persons on the street. Of course, those are not as large of the homeless population as some people would have you think. ]

Imagine if you will if nobody gave them any food or money (or governmental benefits). While harsh, this is the most effective way of getting people out of homelessness. "The most effective way of teaching some people to swim is to put them in mortal fear of drowning." Same theory here. Take away their safety net and you will see results.

[Originally posted here]

 

[Douglas]

Pink Attolini tie anecdote in 3... 2... 1...

 

[M. Bardamu]

Originally Posted by Ace Rimmer

Speaking with the voice of experience ...

I volunteered at a soup kitchen for a number of years during college and grad school. After my experience there, I have concluded that the vast majority of homeless are homeless by choice.

In most major cities, they don't need money for food. My church (the one running the soup kitchen) took one day of the week, the next church took another day and so on. There is food, and they know where to find it. Seven days a week.

So if they tell you they need money for food, it's a lie. The money goes to other things. Booze, drugs, whatever. It's not going for food.

It would be weird to see a "regular" and have him beg for cash for food. I'd ask them why they thought I would give them money for food when I saw them every week at my church's food kitchen getting free food. Shame and humiliation didn't stop them from trying to score cash for booze, I guess.

Bottom line, if people keep giving them money, they will stay homeless. They don't have the incentive to break out of the cycle.

[The only caveat to the above is the admittedly significant number of mentally ill persons on the street. Of course, those are not as large of the homeless population as some people would have you think. ]

Imagine if you will if nobody gave them any food or money (or governmental benefits). While harsh, this is the most effective way of getting people out of homelessness. "The most effective way of teaching some people to swim is to put them in mortal fear of drowning." Same theory here. Take away their safety net and you will see results.

[Originally posted here]

1.) Do you consider addiction a mental health issue?

2.) Sink or swim is a false dichotomy. How about progression from the (relatively) benign state of panhandling to property and personal crime?

 

[Trompe le Monde]

Originally Posted by mickey711

I never give money to beggars. They either use it to buy cheap booze, cigarettes or drugs.

same thing i use money for so why judge?

 

[sonick]

Originally Posted by Douglas

Pink Attolini tie anecdote in 3... 2... 1...

More like the Conne-Kabbaz anecdote.

 

[taxgenius]

Originally Posted by MHH89

I love the homeless guys on the nyc trains who pretend to be working for a homeless outreach program and offer food to homeless people on the train and then ask for money.

In reality, they are all crackheads who offer the same bag of chips and are just looking to defraud people for their change.

Seen them often.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Originally Posted by M. Bardamu

1.) Do you consider addiction a mental health issue?

2.) Sink or swim is a false dichotomy. How about progression from the (relatively) benign state of panhandling to property and personal crime?

1. Clinically, yes. However, if self-inflicted, I do not see that person's "entitlement" to aid the same.

2. I disagree, but I think you're reading it the wrong way.

I see the dichotomy for the average person on the street as (a) give change/food; or (b) ignore the panhandler. It is unrealistic to insist that people do more than the former; volunteering time at a homeless shelter and working at a food bank (while I have done both) is not a reasonable option for most people with a job and family.

An interesting analogy can be found in the book "The Millionaire Next Door", where the authors observe that economic affirmative action weakens the recipient.

For the average Joe/Jane I see the choice as (a) enable further homelessness; or (b) decline to do so. As a person who has worked closely with the homeless for a number of years, I will advise without hesitation against the former.

 

[word]

Originally Posted by Intelligent Design

People always approach me for things like this. Poor people, people who want to hand out free coupons to things, people looking for directions, it doesn't matter. I see them twenty meters away and I already know that out of the crowd of people walking on the street, they're going to pick me.

It's only because they saw you notice them.

The worst I ever experience are the ones that camp at busy intersections. It sucks if you're there after lunch hour or something and you are the only car at the red light in the lane next to the median he is at. Gotta wait a few minutes for it to change green while this dude with a stack of papers is sitting there just waiting for you to acknowledge his presence so he can walk up to your window and get fingerprints all over it. Also seen dudes in their 20s-30s with "'nam vet" signs,

 

[sho'nuff]

the guys that scare me (for my wife) are the big and tall black fellas on certain intersections in Los Angeles who come up to your windshield and start wiping away. even if they are clean!

i just say dudes it's already clean? and start laughing and they usually start laughing with me and we say just chill.

but my wife has driven through those places at night and a big burly black guy who starts wiping her windshield she gets freaked out (not because he 's black mind you , but because some guy just jumps on her windshield) and she gets worried so she always throws out hte window a buck or two.

that is not good

 

[AgentQ]

Originally Posted by sho'nuff

the guys that scare me (for my wife) are the big and tall black fellas on certain intersections in Los Angeles who come up to your windshield and start wiping away. even if they are clean!

i just say dudes it's already clean? and start laughing and they usually start laughing with me and we say just chill.

but my wife has driven through those places at night and a big burly black guy who starts wiping her windshield she gets freaked out (not because he 's black mind you , but because some guy just jumps on her windshield) and she gets worried so she always throws out hte window a buck or two.

that is not good

Mix some mace with your windshield wiper fluid.

 

[sho'nuff]

Originally Posted by oroy38

Similar story here. I was out with my dad one day and we were at a stoplight and I saw this guy holding a sign that said "Not gonna lie, I'm just gonna buy booze and smokes."

Gave him a $5 and thanked him for being honest.

That's fine that you give but why reward someone on the sole premise of being honest?

Being honest is a merit in itself that forces one to accept the consequences of his choices made, and a long term benefit of upping your character to make future better choices. That's the beauty of honesty. It shouldn't be an entitlement to a handout.

Just saying.

Although I do appreciate honesty over flat out lying, I won't give him change but would offer a meal (mcd's) if we're nearby if he's hungry instead but that I know is not much better than booze and cigarettes.

 

[KitAkira]

I feel like this thread has been done before, near exactly Is it bad that I feel a sense of accomplishment if I dodge a homeless person? If they start talking to me I'm generally going to end up with a lighter wallet. The ones I see these days don't even try though, they just sit there with a sign and sleep... The best one was a Hatian guy (or a random Black guy with a really good Hatian accent) who wrote me a poem. Decided a poem and good karma was worth the $7 he needed to get into a hostel. Random thought: how is it that so many homeless people can afford to keep pets? Saw a guy with a GSD once, what the **** is a homeless dude doing with a $700 dog? Oh, and there are these rappers who try to sell CDs, complete pains **********. I just pretend I'm a Japanese tourist around them

Originally Posted by M. Bardamu

2.) Sink or swim is a false dichotomy. How about progression from the (relatively) benign state of panhandling to property and personal crime?
It actually amazes me that more homeless people don't resort to crime.... On one hand if they succeed they get food/shelter for a while, on the other they go to jail and get free food/shelter. Seems like a win-win to me