Homeless People

No vote from me. Even my own left hand doesn't need to know what my right hand is doing - or not doing.

I'm a student... but if I had money to spare, I'd put it into a retirement fund :(

I certainly agree with that statement. 

One woman got $5 out of me. She told me this story of how she was trying to get back to New Jersey and that she just needed money for a room for the night, as her bus departed the next day.

I saw this same woman not a month later, and she tried to feed me the exact same story. 

I rarely give to homeless people for a couple of reasons.
1) I make very little and can barely afford to pay my own rent.
2) I don't think the panhandlers on the street are usually the ones who need/deserve the help the most. I would rather give to a responsible charitable organization that will actually do some real good. If I give five bucks to a guy on the street and he uses it to buy drugs are alcohol, that's his busines but not something I want to contribute to.

Epignosis wrote: One woman got $5 out of me. She told me this story of how she was trying to get back to New Jersey and that she just needed money for a room for the night, as her bus departed the next day. I saw this same woman not a month later, and she tried to feed me the exact same story.

These people don't have two pennies to rub together, yet they're fat.  God Bless America.

I mean like why don't they just like go out and by a home you know?

I carry around a stack of large cardboard boxes to hand out.


Edited by Slartibartfast - March 01 2011 at 22:05

No, but that's for complicated reasons: in the Paris subway, when I go to work, there's always, ALWAYS at least one people a day begging in the wagon. Then, you meet other beggars in the hallways.
Outside, you still can meet other beggars.

My problem is: who should I give money to?
 - The little kids, maybe exploited by their parents/families (some of them are even trained to the art of pickpockets)?
 - The buskers (moreover, in Paris, we have "official metrobuskers"!!!) ?
 - The young twenty-something people who should/could be helped by their families or friends (what happened in their life?)
 - the crazies, drunkards, drug-addicts...?

If I start giving money at a subway station, I should give everyday, at everyone.... And if I don't have spare change anymore, what do I do? I won't give 10 euros!..... Or should I?

Sometimes, I develop some horrible way of thinking: I can understand why some immigrants are under the poverty line and can't live in decent conditions. But, when seeing young French people (I should even say French-French people, not a hint of arabian, african or asian origin) begging, I start saying: "What have you done - or NOT done to live in poverty and misery? Have you run away because of some stupid caprice? Come on, you STINK the middle-class!"
But that's not... very intelligent: I don't know what happened to them. Too much debts to pay? Kicked out of home because they were homosexual, politically opposed to their families....? Abused by the family?
I don't know and I'd better give, no matter the situation.

I should give - but to who?

Slartibartfast wrote: Epignosis wrote: Slartibartfast wrote: I mean like why don't they just like go out and by a home you know? I carry around a stack of large cardboard boxes to hand out. You could offer free subscriptions to Better Crates and Cartons. Oh yeah.  Let's have some fun at the expense of the beggars.