I'll say "not crap" with the understanding that nobody should feel that they have an obligation to give change.

Oh wait- now I get it.

The person isn't really homeless or destitute, but is just pretending to be!

She has cooked up an elaborate scam wherein she stands outside all day and asks strangers for money! They can either give her money, or choose not to!

It's creative, it's lucrative, and it chips away at the very foundation of our economy, all in one fell swoop.

I'm appalled at the deviousness of it, but I can't help but be envious too. This is brilliant! This woman is screwing the system, and making suckers out of all the poor fucking "liberals" who play by the rules and want to feel good about themselves!

Perhaps this woman is the daughter of the famous welfare queen that threatened our way of life during Ronald Reagan's tenure in office! I bet she learned her scams from a true pro, at any rate!

You had it just right, B.C: People are stupid.

This is what's great about being punk and indie: it gives you the ability to see what's real and what's false.

Listening to the truly authentic, non-pandering bands, and watching all the shows that satirize all the shit that really deserves it, you end up with the kind of enlightenment that lets you see right through the scams that are perpetuated on all the straights out there.

Let them be the suckers!

Sebastian J. wrote:it's in our nature to be mean.

No.

It's not.

alex maiolo wrote:

FMajcinek wrote:But thanks for bringing it up. Actually, I had queso fundido con chorizo, not a quesedilla but, yeah, I tried to give you $60 for less than $60 worth of food and booze. I did this because I noticed that, after the dozen of us who'd been at dinner had anted up, there wasn't enough cash to cover the check. This meant that either you, Itchy (who was putting the whole thing on her credit card), or the server was going to get screwed. So I kicked in more than my share to spare us the pettiness of shaking down everybody for another 5 bucks, or, worse, seeing my friends' good time turn sour because a few people neglected to include tax and gratuity when they figured out how much they owed. I did this not out of a desire to impress you with money, but a desire to share the burden.

Hey man, anytime you need company for dinner in Chapel Hill, you ring me up, you hear?

I'm usually the guy who rounds out the short bill and I can tell you that you'd get a hearty pat on the back from me for even offering to pitch in above your damage.

This is a great quality. Salut, etc.

-A

Once you and your friends all have jobs you no longer should pitch in *your* portion of the bill. You figure out the total with tip and divide it by the number of people who are eating. That way no one gets screwed.

If someone ordered something really expensive or lots of extra drinks then they should offer to pay a little more. If they don't offer, then just let it go. They are most likely your friend and the point of the meal wasn't just to eat, it was to spend time with your friends. You could have eaten at home for a lot cheaper if that was the only point of the meal.

I totally understand not giving money to panhandlers.

I do it if it is convenient and I have the money right in my pocket. I don't give a shit what they spend it on, and I'd just as soon they not thank me, as it's not a particularly good spot for one to be in, begging for money.

I tip everyone I might be remotely expected to tip. Sometimes it's a bit much, but I do it anyway. Being a bad tipper is kind of weak.

Shorting your fuckin' friends on a dinner bill, however, is inexcusably lame. I have friends who do this, and I like them less and think less of them for it.

j_harvey wrote:Once you and your friends all have jobs you no longer should pitch in *your* portion of the bill. You figure out the total with tip and divide it by the number of people who are eating. That way no one gets screwed.

If someone ordered something really expensive or lots of extra drinks then they should offer to pay a little more. If they don't offer, then just let it go. They are most likely your friend and the point of the meal wasn't just to eat, it was to spend time with your friends. You could have eaten at home for a lot cheaper if that was the only point of the meal.

The even split is the only civilized way to handle a dinner check.

If you can't handle the even split, be a real bitch about it and get separate checks.

I'm always of two minds about this issue ... I know plenty of people will just blow the money on booze or dope, but others genuinely need it, and it's impossible to know who "deserves" it and who doesn't.

Also, I have several friends who work with the homeless, and they all say giving them money doesn't help them -- one of the reasons they have no home is they have no skills in handling money, and giving them change (or a few bucks) doesn't do much to help. Also, most major cities have enough resources for the homeless and needy that someone can get a meal if they really need one, so most of that money will, you guessed it, go for booze or drugs, and again you're feeding a problem that won't get better. (I lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan for a few years; they have more and better resources for the homeless than most any city in the state, but they also have more homeless people than any other place I've ever lived, by far.)

I recall the time some guy sitting on the pavement said to me, "Hey, can you give me some money?" I reached in my pocket, pulled out about a buck in change, and put it in his cup. As I walked away, he yelled at me "Hey, motherfucker! What is this shit? You give me five bucks, asshole!" It's hard to be as sympathetic after that, even if it is just one guy.

I also remember spending a week in Chicago visiting a friend, and on the corner near his apartment there was a guy selling the homeless activist newspaper ever single day. As Fred said, and I had to agree, "Man, if he can spend five hours every say standing at the same corner asking for money for his newspaper, why can't he get a job? Hell, that's 90% of having a job, being able to show up every day."

I dunno ... good on people who give panhandlers money, but I can't blame a lot of folks for not doing it. I don't know if there's a good answer either way.

tmidgett wrote:If you can't handle the even split, be a real bitch about it and get separate checks.

Except in cases where I believe that a situation is completely unfair, I'm generally in support of even splitting. However, I'm long past thinking that people are lame-os for wanting separate checks. There's nothing in the book that requires anyone to get shortchanged by cheap or thoughtless people, even if these people are one's purported friends.

And there is certainly nothing that requires anyone to pay more based on simple convenience. Hey, Pythagoras, figuring out a check ain't exactly Goldbach's conjecture, you know.

If I am comfortable enough to expect my friends to pay for part of my meal (or vice versa), then I am comfortable enough to take a few seconds to figure out the dinner check with them.

P.S. There's no rule against picking up tabs. Or the credit card lottery.

j_harvey wrote:[T]he point of the meal wasn't just to eat, it was to spend time with your friends. You could have eaten at home for a lot cheaper if that was the only point of the meal.

I generally do not expect to pay for my friends' company.

Ha ha!

I'm starting to think less of my former not-giving-money-to-bums self, and everyone else who doesn't give money to bums.

I never used to give money. Then I saw a comic talk about this act and his joke really hit home with me, causing me to give money when I had it readily available (not having to open my wallet in front of the guy).

Here's what the comic said:

"Man, you guys got a lot of bums in this town beggin' for money. I never give money to bums. Why should I? He's just going to go spend it on booze and drugs.
Then I started thinking... That's what I'm going to spend it on."

Evenly splitting a tab.

CRAP

j_harvey wrote:

alex maiolo wrote:Hey man, anytime you need company for dinner in Chapel Hill, you ring me up, you hear?

I'm usually the guy who rounds out the short bill and I can tell you that you'd get a hearty pat on the back from me for even offering to pitch in above your damage.

This is a great quality. Salut, etc.

-A

Once you and your friends all have jobs you no longer should pitch in *your* portion of the bill. You figure out the total with tip and divide it by the number of people who are eating. That way no one gets screwed.

If someone ordered something really expensive or lots of extra drinks then they should offer to pay a little more. If they don't offer, then just let it go. They are most likely your friend and the point of the meal wasn't just to eat, it was to spend time with your friends. You could have eaten at home for a lot cheaper if that was the only point of the meal.

Agreed. When I say "your [one's] damage" I mean your 1/6th, 1/10th, 1/4th, etc.
Problem is, people forget about tax, handsome tip, whatever.
I doubt it's on purpose, but I hate to quibble so I usually just toss in the extra $5 or $10. When someone does it with me, or instead of me, I instantly hold that person in higher regard. It's just a cool thing to do if you can afford it.

-A