alex maiolo wrote:

syntaxfree07 wrote:A younger man (23-25) tried to hit me up for cash last time I was in Asheville.

Only one?
Must have been a slow day...

This is exactly what I mean by the jam band kids edging in on the truly needy's turf.
The hippie kids that land in Asheville's Pack Place are usually educated and just out for an adventure.
They can "get a job" and pay taxes like the rest of us. Taxes that could go towards helping out people who truly have no options.

I've walked right past three of them to give a dollar to a 50 year old guy with half his teeth.

-A

Steve made a good point about "vagrants" as individual human-beings. It's not something that anyone should have a policy on. Every homeless person's situation is different. Every homeless person is having a tough time. It's not up to me to discern whether or not a person is truly needy (unless they're twenty years old and have purple hair).

One of those Asheville kids was bothering us last year (we were going to see Wilco) and I sucker-punched him. Weird day. It was the second fight I had been in that day (If you count it-- He didn't hit me back and I walked off). I ended up going to the concert with a sprained wrist and bruised shoulder.

What's with the cups? If I'm giving a stranger money- I ALWAYS put it in his hand. I don't care how dirty it is. I'm not putting my cash in a McDonald's cup. I'll even put my money down on the counter when I buy something.

steve wrote:If you see a bum, and he looks like he could use a few bucks, give him a few bucks. You're not going to solve the myriad problems and satisfy the disparate needs of the homeless population with a monolithic program of any sort, so help the ones you cross paths with as individuals. Give him a couple of bucks.

You're right, and I don't intend to argue the point. But go to any medium-to-large sized American city and you see a significant number of homeless people, a hell of a lot more than you ever saw in the 1960's or 70's. After the massive social service cuts that occurred during the Reagan admnistration, tens of thousands of people who would otherwise be under some sort of psychiatric or custodial care were now left to fend for themselves, and today they're living on the streets, getting by off whatever they can bum from folks walking by. The point I didn't make very well was I'd far rather see my tax dollars used to repair the social safety net and give these people some means of support (and treatment if needed) as was once the case rather than funding some stupid-ass war or providing subsidies for corporations who don't like to pay taxes. I don't mind giving some wino a buck here or there, and I do it, but I think it's fucked up that guys like me should be his sole means of support in the wealthiest nation on Earth.

Oh, and I've never said "get a job" to a panhandler. However, I wanted to say it to the 20-year-old looking kid who asked me for five bucks so he could buy weed a few weeks back. A toothless 60-year-old wino with voices in his head is one thing; some kid who doesn't have the wherewithall to pick up a shift at Subway so he can buy reefer is something else again.

Mark Lansing wrote:. However, I wanted to say it to the 20-year-old looking kid who asked me for five bucks so he could buy weed a few weeks back. A toothless 60-year-old wino with voices in his head is one thing; some kid who doesn't have the wherewithall to pick up a shift at Subway so he can buy reefer is something else again.

When I lived in Bellingham, there was a corner downtown (across from Cellophane Square) where a number of street urchins hung out all day, begging for spare change. One of those idiots admitted to the local paper that they used the money to buy lift tickets at Mt. Baker. Never game them a cent again, but only because I knew with certainty that they were scammers.

Typically, I'm not consistent. Some days I feel more generous than others.

Many here seem to be really pissed off by young people panhandling.

The root causes of homelessness -- addiction, mental illness, illiteracy, abuse, abandonment -- affect people of any age.

Any of these factors could prevent an otherwise able-looking young person from getting a job. Even a menial one. Even day labor.

It also seems odd that so many expect universal humility and gratitude. If I were in these desperate circumstances, having "get a job" yelled at me all day long, I doubt I would be able to work up a heartfelt "thank you" very often.

lars wrote:
It also seems odd that so many expect universal humility and gratitude. If I were in these desperate circumstances, having "get a job" yelled at me all day long, I doubt I would be able to work up a heartfelt "thank you" very often.

Maybe it's a "Canadian thing," but 9 of 10 times I don't give someone money, responding "sorry I can't" or whatever, the response is a sincere "thanks anyways." Really. Panhandlers around here are polite when you don't give them money.

Andrew L. wrote:

lars wrote:
It also seems odd that so many expect universal humility and gratitude. If I were in these desperate circumstances, having "get a job" yelled at me all day long, I doubt I would be able to work up a heartfelt "thank you" very often.

Maybe it's a "Canadian thing," but 9 of 10 times I don't give someone money, responding "sorry I can't" or whatever, the response is a sincere "thanks anyways." Really. Panhandlers around here are polite when you don't give them money.

You've probably only seen ten, though.

Correct me if I'm wrong- I think it's a much bigger problem in the U.S.

syntaxfree07 wrote:

Andrew L. wrote:

lars wrote:

It also seems odd that so many expect universal humility and gratitude. If I were in these desperate circumstances, having "get a job" yelled at me all day long, I doubt I would be able to work up a heartfelt "thank you" very often.

Maybe it's a "Canadian thing," but 9 of 10 times I don't give someone money, responding "sorry I can't" or whatever, the response is a sincere "thanks anyways." Really. Panhandlers around here are polite when you don't give them money.

You've probably only seen ten, though.

Correct me if I'm wrong- I think it's a much bigger problem in the U.S.

Correct you I will - There are many homeless people in Canada. Maybe not as many as the United States, but the numbers do compare Im sure. I cant walk to school without strolling by at least five, and school is right down the street from me. This city (Montreal) is literally filled with homeless people.

They always say "thank you" or "good day, sir" even if you dont give them money. They usually help you out if you need directions, and are very rarely mean spirited. Ive only had someone physically hassle me once.

EDIT: According to wikipedia, Canada has some of the highest per-capita rates of homelessness per any developed country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_Canada

I hate to think that U.S. citizens are just generally assholes.

So I will assume there are better programs for aiding the homeless in Canada. This would explain the higher morale. Even if that is wrong... The idea is that a Canadian won't disagree with that statement.

I wouldn't say that people in the U.S. are assholes in a 'general' sense. There are many assholes living in this country, however, there is a good percentage of decent human beings.

I'm not against giving money to homeless guys/girls. If I have an extra buck or some change in my pocket, I'm not going to miss it if its gone, and I'd be giving it to someone who actually needs it.

However, I won't give to anyone who is obviously running a scam. The "stranded" deal is almost never valid. I also won't buy bus cards from guys in Chi because I got fucked once when a guy gave me a card that had almost nothing on it. If you're not legitamately in a bad situation and don't really need my money, I won't give it to you.

I like giving people food or something to drink when they take it. I had a half full pepsi in my hand on the Red Line... it was kind of late, this guy says "hey, I'm homeless and looking to get something in my stomach... if you're not gonna finish it, could you give me that rest of that pepsi?" and I said "yeah, sure" and handed it to him. I see this guy every so often on the train, and its the real deal.

I also give money to guys in the subway playing instruments if I honestly enjoy the music, or they're good musicians. If they can make my ride on the Blue Line enjoyable with some good music, they deserve something... even if they aren't all homeless.

WoundedFoot wrote:I wouldn't say that people in the U.S. are assholes in a 'general' sense. There are many assholes living in this country, however, there is a good percentage of decent human beings.

i see.