Panhandlers

[fatcatfan]

Not too long ago I read an article in the newspaper about a student who, as part of a sociological experiment, spent just one hour playing the role of a panhandler. He put on his filthiest looking clothes, didn't take shower, etc, to fit the role. In just one hour he made over $30. (He later gave it to some charity, in case you're wondering)

I've been working in downtown Chattanooga for almost a year now, and in that time I've had several people ask me for money. Sometimes I've helped out, other times I've ignored them. I'm not heartless, but I'm skeptical of anyone who approaches me and asks for help in that way. There's a bus stop right behind the office, so many times I'm asked just for a quarter or so for the bus ride. *shrug*

Do you often encounter this sort of thing where you are? How do you react to it?

[Lilith]

Chicago is horrible for this, since the mayor puts no restrictions on homeless people or harassment in public, basically. So you can barely walk 5 feet in the city without getting panhandled. It will happen everytime you go out. It used to terrify me as a child, seeing my mom get harassed and followed by homeless people all the time who sometimes were rude and crazy. I've learned to basically ignore them because if you give them attention, they will often try and walk all over you or follow you, which is horrible. Because of the situations I've seen this happening in, I've developed a loathing for them. Which I know is unfair because a lot of them are in horrible situations, but it's so ingrained right now I can't help it. It still bothers me terribly when it happens, doesn't help that I struggle with a bad guilt complex and social anxiety. They make me angry at them and myself because of the conflicted feelings of pity, guilt, and frustration. So I hate it.

[JayeM]

About the only "panhandling" I've encountered is people asking for cigarettes. Sometimes I give'em one, sometimes I don't. :shrug:

[Dark Nation]

$30 an hour? I need to change jobs. :p

[fatcatfan]

Precisely. And tax free.

[Machiavelli]

Every damn day. NYC has alot of those. In every bourogh. Each with a different style of doing it. It's like a little hustle. Some get on a bus and walk to the back asking for money or food. Others get on a train and walk from car to car asking for money. Some sit by a train enterance or another busy place and beg. Some are drunk. Then you have those who sell stuff. This one man managed to get cleaned up and sold candy bars. That I can respect and I'd probaly buy something. I mostly ignore the others.

[theplustwo]

If someone's fit enough to walk around all day asking for money, they're competent enough to get a job, even if it's flipping burgers. I usually ignore them.

[Beldaran]

I have no sympathy for, or interest in, panhandlers. There are ways in this world to get back on your feet, and begging is not one of them.

[fatcatfan]

The first one to ask me for cash when I started working down here was a black woman. First she asked for money to ride the bus, then for lunch. It was still a bit early in the morning, say 10:30ish. From her appearance, I guessed she was prostitute, (that is, she looked nothing like Julia Roberts) just getting off work. The fact that she asked if there was anything she could "do" for me, after I'd given her just a couple dollars, pretty much confirmed it. Creepy.

[MacWeirdo42]

Many homeless people are too mentally unstable to hold a job. Then again, there are plenty of scammers out there, too. My opinion is that if we had a better mental health system, or a better way of dealing with the homeless/jobless than we do now, things would change. By the way, Beldaran, I'd have to disagree with you. I don't know how one is supposed to get back on one's feet from being homeless and penniless. In our society, having a home, clean clothes, etc. are pretty much necessary in order to get a job, and a job is required to obtain those things. Vicious cycle and all that.

[Starkist]

There are many shelters and organizations out there that help people who cannot help themselves. It requires a choice though. Many make the choice to be homeless. Here in Seattle we have a "Tent City" camp, subsidized by bleeding-hearts in the City of Seattle, where homeless people can come live, free of charge, and free of rules. Investigation has shown that many there are homeless by choice. They could hold a job if they wanted, but they choose to live on the road, traveling from city to city, suckling the teat of the taxpayer. It's an alternative lifestyle.

[Beldaran]

Here in Seattle we have a "Tent City" camp, subsidized by bleeding-hearts in the City of Seattle, where homeless people can come live, free of charge, and free of rules.

God, I'm glad I moved to Texas. I lived in the Seattle area for almost 16 years, and crap like this just kept getting worse and worse. :rolleyes:

[Brasel]

I don't know how one is supposed to get back on one's feet from being homeless and penniless. In our society, having a home, clean clothes, etc. are pretty much necessary in order to get a job, and a job is required to obtain those things. Vicious cycle and all that.
You have to take into concideration that many of these people did that to themselves. They didn't start out on the street. A lot of these people drank their way homeless etc. I have no sympathy for someone out on the street because they didn't take advantage of the oportunities they had to get a job years ago. Maybe they can't get back on their feet, but they had plenty a chance to stay on them.

I ignore the people that beg me for money when I'm in the states. I've met plenty of people that took the bad situations they were in and did something about it. I know a guy who came from a broken and extremly poor family from the get go and now he's got a family and a house. I've seen retarded people working at fast food restaurants. Everyone in this country has an opportunity to make things better for themselves. I don't give money to anyone who doesn't deserve it.

[MacWeirdo42]

Alcoholism is a disease. Yeesh, you wanna blame someone, blame these people's friends (assuming they had any) for not intervening. Of course, if they never had friends, well I guess then they're just screwed. I just think that we, as a society, don't do enough to prevent the problem in the first place, and then we all go and bitch about the results.

[cyberkitten]

i hate having to try to decide whether i'm being scammed or whether the person really needs help. i read an article in a magazine while i was waiting to see my doctor about a man who had what i thought was a good idea for handling it. when someone approaches and asks him for money for a meal, rather than giving them the money, he offers to buy them lunch at mcdonalds or wendys or whatever's nearby. if they're truly in need of help, they'll accept it in any form it comes in. if they get pissed off and just want the money, they're likely con artists. it's sad to see how many people get angry when you offer to buy them a meal rather than give them cash...i pretty much don't trust anybody, but i don't mind helping someone who truly needs it, so his idea seems to work well for me.
any other creative ways of dealing with people like this?

[Beldaran]

any other creative ways of dealing with people like this?


Kick them in the balls and steal what little money they have left?

[Brasel]

Alcoholism is a disease. Yeesh, you wanna blame someone, blame these people's friends (assuming they had any) for not intervening. Of course, if they never had friends, well I guess then they're just screwed. I just think that we, as a society, don't do enough to prevent the problem in the first place, and then we all go and bitch about the results.
Alcoholism is a disease that someone can get FREE help trying to get over. And you can't ever blame someone else for your own problems. I don't think that we, as a society, should have to do anything to clean up after someone else's problem.

[Beldaran]

MacWeirdo, it's your mentality of everything being everyone else's fault that has destroyed our society's sense of personal accountability. No one is ever blamed for their own problems anymore. It's either your race, someone else's race, someone else's wealth and sucess, some incurable, unfightable disease, something something something. It's always something. No one is ever willing to admit that the bum on the corner is weak person with no sense of values who is only reaping what they've sown.

My grandfather was a hispanic immigrant with no money and no english skills when he came to this country. Did he decide to drink himself silly? No. Did he do drugs? No. After fighting in Vietnam, did he come back and use it as an excuse to become a worthless leech? No. Did he let any of the supposed insurmountable obstocles of race, war, and poverty ruin his life? No. He has a college degree, a nice house in California, a bunch of kids and grandkids, a nice car, and nice outlook on life. ...and not a lot of sympathy for people who sit on the corner and point their finger at happy people and try to slough the guilt of failure onto their shoudlers.

[firebug]

No one is ever willing to admit that the bum on the corner is weak person with no sense of values who is only reaping what they've sown.

Amen. I do believe that there are some people out there who literally cannot take care of themselves, But there are too many whiny little bitches who just won't get up off their asses and help themselves. We live in a world where if you're in any way shape or form successful, you are supposed to feel bad about it and try harder to help other people. Well I'm sorry, I learn a lot better doing something myself than watching someone else do it for me. This includes earning money.

[Archibaldo]

I heard about this guy whowasn't homeless and actually liked living on the street. he sold his house, car and belongings and donated the money to charity. He then lived on the street using the money he got just for food to survive. IMO, whatever floats your boat. :shrug:

[MacWeirdo42]

Look man, all I'm saying is that if it's so easy, then why the hell does the problem even exist? And yes, I'm acknowledging that there are scammers out there who are leeching on society. My point is, there are people out there who aren't, who are in genuine need of help, and if we did what we could to help them, then there'd suddenly be a very small market for scammers (I mean, you can't scam anyone once all the people who truly need help are off the streets). I just really don't see how going around and blaming everyone for their problems is going to solve anything.

EDIT: Oh, and Beldaran, touching story, but your grandfather probably never had issues such as having animated conversations with nonexistent people or similar problems.

[Ganonator]

Well, it's a common misconception that these people are 'homeless'. Most of them have great places to live, good cars, etc. Like FCF states, they make $30+ an hour. It's a scam.

Here's the lesson I learned. Did you ever see the bum on the corner with a dog? Now, that dog needs to be fed, groomed, tagged, and everything else, otherwise the police would sting these people for animal cruelty. However, this process costs a ton of money. I know you might say "but teh mental illness means they need protection!!!11" Horseshit. These people are well-paid, well-fed con artists.

[Beldaran]

And I feel I should qualify... it's not that I don't have a deep empathy and sympathy for honest people who are in trouble. I just think panhandlers aren't them.

[Master Ghaleon]

I gave quarters to people before, but I rarely do that

[MacWeirdo42]

Didn't say that there aren't scamsters out there. But it always seems to me that people assume that all people who claim to be homeless are crooked. Believe me, I do the same thing, every time I see someone asking for spare change, I automatically assume they're just mooching. I kinda hate it, though, because there's always a chance that the next homeless person I see will be truly in need, and I'll just pass them by. Hell, there might be people out there who don't even ask for help, but need it nonetheless. Eh... I dunno.

[ZomfgIts0rzlolo]

I've been in quite a few cities, including NYC quite a bit, and Chicago is EASILY the worst. Seriously, NYC has street vendors, Chicago has rabid beggers. It really is a mixed feeling, I'm sure some of them have had horrible lives that they had almost no choices in, and eventually ended up on the streets (IE Selling yourself into Child Prostitution because you were raped by your dad), and are honestly begging for their lives, but for every one of those there's a milllion scammers. And in Chicago, as my sis said, the mayor would rather gouge his eyes out than actually do something about it. Also, when every other word out of the beggers mouth is god, I just get really ticked. Personal thing I suppose.

[Lilith]

Also, when every other word out of the beggers mouth is god, I just get really ticked. Personal thing I suppose.

When homeless people ramble about God, that's usually a little something we like to call schizophrenia.

[ZomfgIts0rzlolo]

I suppose, but every single begger on the streets of Chicago does NOT have schizophrenia.

[Axel]

Seen them? I used to be a panhandler. Not a pro, like what you've seen, just a schoolyard one. I hung around by the vending machines outside the gym, asking people for change. I swear, I could make $5 in my half-hour lunch period just doing that. I didn't even have to make up stories, I told anyone who asked that I was too cheap to bring my own snack money. They still didn't need their quarter. I got alot of chips and soda like that.

[Rainman]

I refuse to give them money. 1: I have no idea what they will do with it 2: They could just be scamming or something 3: I'm fucking poor. There are a lot of panhandlers around the University of Pittsburgh campus. On the one hand it's probably dumb since a lot of college people are poor, but there are probably many bleeding-hearts that will give money now and then.

I did give money once, but that was because I was very uncomfortable about the guy and we were fairly out of the main traffic. I meant to give him a dollar, but ended up pulling out a five. I gave it to him and quickly walked off. There goes dinner!

[Starkist]

I love the guys who have cardboard signs saying they need money for beer. At least they're honest.

I still don't give them money.

[Darth Marsden]

We don't get panhandlers, we just get people selling the Big Issue. Every big city, there's a ton of them.

Also, in one or two places, we get old women who try to sell you flowers. I got taken in once, and she asked me all these questions in the manner of a fortune teller. 'You like girls, yes?' etc. I thought I'd stumped her when she said 'And I can tell you're keen on sport, aren't you?' because if you know me in real life, you'd KNOW that I'm more a geek then anything else. So I said No. 'Really?' Really. 'No, no, of course not. I knew that.' Still ended up giving her a pound for a shriveled up flower though.

Now when one of them approaches me, I just tell them I don't have the time. Or I don't have the change. Or, if I'm feeling really mean, I'll say 'You got me yesterday'.

[ShadowTiger]

i hate having to try to decide whether i'm being scammed or whether the person really needs help. i read an article in a magazine while i was waiting to see my doctor about a man who had what i thought was a good idea for handling it. when someone approaches and asks him for money for a meal, rather than giving them the money, he offers to buy them lunch at mcdonalds or wendys or whatever's nearby. if they're truly in need of help, they'll accept it in any form it comes in. if they get pissed off and just want the money, they're likely con artists. it's sad to see how many people get angry when you offer to buy them a meal rather than give them cash...i pretty much don't trust anybody, but i don't mind helping someone who truly needs it, so his idea seems to work well for me.
any other creative ways of dealing with people like this?That was very informative. Thank you! O_O ... I get stopped often along Main Street in Queens, near the QC Campus, ... I've seen people who ask for money, shake their hands a little turn their hat sideways a bit, and ask for lunch money. I see people who give them the cash all the time, too. It is very tough to decide. But not all of us have the time to go sit with a person to eat lunch.

[cyberkitten]

oh, i would never crash out and eat with them. just drag them into mcdonalds, let 'em order a sandwich, fries and drink, pay for it for them and leave. doesn't take a whole lot of time, and then you can be sure they're not spending it on drugs or booze. unless of course, their dealer accepts mcdonald's value meals in exchange for alchohol/drugs. :shrug: