I hate beggars... junkies anyway

[TravisBickle]

I'm fed up of the influx of beggars into my city. They are like a disease.
I read on the internet that Londoners gave beggars £12m last year and beggars spent £10 on drugs that year too. Wow. So now you know where the money is going. I always thought a policeman I heard saying that was basically unjustified but as I pass some of the stoned unwashed I see what he means.
Couple of weeks ago some asshole asked me for something getting too close and I made to ward him off. He said "Knock you out, mate". If I had thought him a genuine threat I would have stabbed him. You have to be packing something around here, a lot of scum and filth around.
These beggars place themselves in prominent positions in the city and basically what they do is too much like harassment. They often have a stupid comment for everybody who ignores them. I figure a lot of people don't like this. I don't either.
A lot of those guys have bad characters that either puts them on the street or more likely keeps them there. And who said that they had to own dogs either?
I'm not too interested in their problems because they don't behave themselves. They are turning themselves into MY problem and I don't deserve that.

 

[rocmonster]

someday a real rain will come...

 

[Dameon]

Amen Travis.
In Austin here they're called DragRats. The strip they hang out in is known as the drag... thus the name. I see em ordering pizza and sharing with the dog, etc. etc. Austin currently has something like 2% unemployment. Egads. Don't tell me you can't wash yourself up and get SOME sort of job.

 

[IamDavid]

When I visited NY City as I kid I could not believe how many homeless people where there. People would just walk by them or some times right over them without even noticing. I to this day don't understand it. How could anyone be homeless in this day an age. I guess most of them have some kinda mental problems but how could this happen to anyone? How could anyone let this happen around them? If I see someone having a hard time I will always help out in any way I can.

 

[Optimus]

If you worry about giving homeless people booze/drug money, try buying them a cup of coffee or a sandwich...

If they get violent, simply keep away as best you can... call the cops if needed.

But honestly, I can't hate someone so much less fortunate than me. I think they need help, so I try to do so.
Drug addict or not, no one should have to live like that.

 

[BrightRed]

The panhandlers in the NYC subways are annoying too.
I guess beggars are an inevitable part of every wealthy society.
There is nothing we can do.
Just don't give them money.

 

[vi edit]

Here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the unemployment rate is something like .1%, not 1%, but 1/10th of a percent. The other day I saw a guy standing on a fairly busy street corner running up with a sign and waving it in peoples faces as they waited at a stop light. I must have saw three people handing him cash as they drove by.

The best part was that there were 2 fast food and 1 retail stores within eyesight that had "HELP WANTED" signs up.

I was going to offer a "tip" of Get a Job, but thought better of it.

 

[trmiv]

There is always beggars that come onto our campus to beg for money. There is this one guy that is there all the time who is dressed really well. I refuse to give him anything because he looks like he's got something. Granted the guy seems a little slow in the head, but he doesn't look poor. Every time I see him he has on brand new jeans that looked like they were just pressed, nice athlectic shoes that are perfectly clean, some kind of sports team jacket like the Raiders or 9ers, and the matching hat. And these sports team jackets he wears are nice! I'm not talking old stuff that someone gave to good will, I'm talking new stuff, sometimes suede! And this guy goes table to table in the food court asking for a dollar!!

 

[Demon-Xanth]

San Francisco is the bum magnet, year round temperate weather and a bum friendly culture makes for a place where bums will come from out of state.

 

[Viper GTS]

Don't these people feel a little self-conscious begging?

I feel bad enough asking for $1 when all I have is $20's, or when I forget to stop at the ATM on the way to work. And that's when I'm paying them back the next day.



Viper GTS

 

[Dameon]

I guess some people just have no problem with asking for money. Same way some guys have no problem hitting a girl cuz "she deserved it". :| :| :| :| :| :| :| :| :|

 

[TravisBickle]

I think that if these people retained their will and didn't just fall mindlessly into their drug and drop-out culture, they'd make it back into the mainstream. I figure a lot of these people have excuses like "Oh, I was fondled and beaten as a child and ran away when I was 15" etc. That doesn't cut much ice with me. Doesn't stop you talking to people politely, smartening up. No way does an unhappy home mean you have to be an insolent bum all your life. Get a grip.
Our city is meant to be a nice one, and a lot of tourists come here. I think the City Hall should be doing more about it. If you want to go from my work base to the supermarket 10 minutes walk away (this is partly through the high street) you could walk past typically 5 beggars' spots when it gets dark- and it's not as if there are any alleyways on this route, it's all main street.

 

[Mill]

At the local street races we have beggars come out of the woodwork. All of them want some cash or a cigarette. A guy came and asked us for some money and my friend told him to go to McDonald's. He said you can make 5 bucks in a hour instead of a few quarters in a day. The guy got pissed.

 

[perry]

If ya wanna give money to a homeless guy, give him a McD's gift certificate thing. Better he spend the $1 getting some food than buying liquor or drugs. Personally, I don't give handouts on the street, unless the guy has talked to me for a few minutes and made me laugh. There are some funny guys wandering around downtown Atlanta that are worth listening to as you walk to your destination.. I figure $1 is worth the entertainment they gave me.

 

[stonythug]

Of the people who answered here, whose parents were well off when they were kids? How many of you had a car provided for you so that you could drive to work? How many had a place to sleep and shower before you went and applied for a job? How many were sent to school by your parents? How many of you have made a stupid mistake in life and been lucky someone was there to catch you when you fell. Some people don't have these things. You think you're better than these people? You don't know them, you don't know how they got there. Do you know the definition of an unemployment rate? It is the percentage of people who are able and willing to work, but can't find work. As long as the unemployment rate is not zero, then people who are trying to work, can't because they can't find jobs. Sure some people really are lazy and just would rather die than work, but that's not all of them, and from my experiences that's not most of them. Have you ever stopped and talked to them and asked them how they got there? Or do you just walk by being bothered by the fact that there suffering has infringed upon your day? You sound like nothing more than a spoiled brat who knows nothing but his own narrow life. I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think I'm being any less calous then you were in your post. I think it is your attitude is the true disease.

 

[vi edit]

There's no way for me to post this without offending somebody, but I'll fire away anyway...

stonythug, if a person with down syndrome, autism, MD, mental retardation, 1 arm, 1 eye, ect. ect. ect. can hold a steady job, then a guy running up and down an intersection divide shaking a sign at passerbys can damn well work.

I can drive down a 5 mile stretch of road and find 10 places hiring people. Hell, I support 10 arbys and one Krispy Kreme in the area, and everyone of them is looking for help. Same goes for about any fast food joint. Granted, it isn't exactly wonderous work, but the 500 employees that we have working under us seem to manage.

BTW - emotional attacks don't work on me.

 

[stonythug]

So you think that these places would rather hire a homeless person than some stupid teenage kid looking for a part time job? Most likely not. Plus that job isn't going to help them pay for a place to live for quite some time. I guess while they're working at McDonald's they could just live in the dumpster out back. That will make for a nice clean appearance at a job interview and work. I've given a homeless person a ride around town before, to multiple places with a Help Wanted sign, but guess what when they found out who and what he was it became Help UnWanted. I was trying to get him back on the right track, but the fact is that people tend to be biased against him. If it's not the experience, it's when they ask what the last job they had was and how long ago. Or when they ask for permanent address and you have none. You think this is easy? Maybe it looks easy driving your car past these places on the way back to your home where you are lucky enough to live. I'm not saying that there aren't people out there due to their choice. Of course there's lazy people who could work but choose not to. But there's a lot of people who are out there because of one bad choice which they regret, or one piece of badluck that was just enough to get them to lose everything they owned. God it sounds like you think these people were sitting in their nice comfortable homes and then just said, "Geez this is too hard, maybe I'll just go beg for money instead." People aren't ashamed of asking for money because they have to. I hope at some point life you are in the position in life where you have to beg for something so that you can know how it feels. These people are forced everyday to see the crappy life they have to live. They have to watch people drive by in nice cars and clean clothes as they go to fun places or home to their nice beds. If you think that they want to be there, then you're wrong and you don't know anything about them. For most of them it's just too late. Once you drop out of society, it's very difficult to drop back in. You need help, not just a dollar or two, but real help. They need things like a place to stay and clean clothes if they want to get a job. Unfortunately due to the attitude of people like our poster, these people are seen as worthless and lazy and will never get that help.

[EDIT] I might care about the homeless but I sure can't speak no good[/EDIT]

 

I dont think its the fact that people are needy.
Its the fact that they ask you 400 times and are really mean when you dont give them handouts.
I grew up with a roof over my head, but was never handed anything by my parents. Its not directly our fault that thoes people are on the streets. And yes it IS HARD for them to get off the streets.
But in the true tradition of capatalism, I already PAY enough TAXES for welfare for living in new york state. And if anyone thinks that money goes towards food and clothing you MUST be joking me.
Have you ever read reports of HOW MUCH panhandlers make in NYC?
Its has been reported at over 50K a year from panhandling.
FIFTY THOUSAND A YEAR!! Tax free, everything free, FREE.
Business men who make that a year in a office have reported going on the streets to panhandle. WHY? Becasue its FREE MONEY.
People are taking advantage of this. If there is so much to be made, why are they not using it more effectivly?
And someone, please someone give me some STRONG justification why I should give money away to someone who is just going to smoke or snort or shoot it away? Yes there may be the ones that actually buy what they need. But I dont see too much of it happening.
I earn my money, I spend it on what I like.
And when I can lend a helping hand I will. But to take gruff from someone because I wont give them anything is BULL$H!t.
Just my .02 after being asked 23947239472389423984 times.
And I KNOW that the people who ask are crack heads, because we actually have gotten to know the local bums.
So, Ill put my money elsewhere. Not in a craq dealers pockets.

 

[monckywrench]

Except for the folks who were unfairly flushed out of the mental health system ( a substantial number, BTW ) I have no sympathy. Millions of Americans have escaped from abject poverty by good old-fashioned hard work, my parents among them. In a society this prosperous, being a derelict is a choice.People from all over the world risk everything to immigrate to our land of opportunity, while home-grown scumbags litter our streets asking for a handout. The solution for these folks is a pine box.

 

[Pretender]

Over here in New York, it's practically a full-blown industry. The beggars, the good ones at least, with the right act and wardrobe can rake in a few hundred bucks a day. Most of them are sickly looking and don't work the trains asking for money, but those that do I can usually tell are fake.

It gets fvcking annoying, I'm too lazy to say "no, sorry" anymore, and I don't want an arrogant one to persue the matter one day and start a fight. They need to get real jobs and stop freeloading.

 

[unxpurg8d]

I'm on stonythug's side on this issue. Sometimes situations spiral out of control and people become homeless through a set of circumstances that could happen to any of us - divorce from someone who knows how to work the system while the other guy's still dazed and lost from the emotional impact, illness while holding a job with no insurance benefits or poor insurance benefits, a series of bad events like a car having a major repair needed you can't afford with no bus service to your job and no other way to get there then other unexpected bills piling on - who knows? It's nice that you all feel so capable of handling everything life may throw at you, but without family there to help you when you stumble where would you be? I also know that it's almost impossible to get a job without a contact phone number even if you're not homeless. And how likely is an employer to hire someone with no address? No clean clothes? Ever try to figure out how to get your clothes clean if A) you only have one set or B) you don't have money for a laundrymat? I propose that those of you who think being homeless is a choice for so many think about where you'd be without the things GIVEN to you by your family - like love, support, and a helping hand financially.

You may not want to give money to these people, but a little compassion and understanding doesn't cost you a damn thing. Your "kick 'em while they're down" attitude and total disregard for the possibility that some of these people really are homeless through no fault of their own and just can't dig their way out of the mire is SO humane. Merry Christmas to y'all, too.



By the way, through choice, I was a homeless runaway for five months. I always knew I had a place to go, but I learned what people went through that didn't have that luxury. Maybe some of you should go learn what life is like for other people before condemning them - YOU might be one paycheck from that cardboard box under the railroad bridge some day.

 

[veryape]

Well,I see it like this. These peoiple cannot enjoy being homeless or begging people for money And i'm sure they get just as many snide remarks spit at them from ignorant people.

As an ex-junky myself,I can tell you that the majority of junkies make more money than most people in a day,it just all goes on heroin. You just can't beg enough money to be a really good junky. Most junkies hold jobs and many are even doctors because they get addicted to morphine due to easy access. I sure as hell couldn't have held my habit without a job,and definetely no by begging. So leave what you don't know about out of the conversation.

These people have had something go drastically wrong in their lives and society has somehow let them down in most cases . Whether it be that they grew up in state custody and never had real one on one parenting or love,or whether they are mentally or physically impaired,you have no right to judge them at all. You just don't have enough information about them to cast aspersions on them.

 

[Raspewtin]

Beggars annoy me as well. Whatever the reason they're there, they serve as signposts reminding me how fortunate I am, signposts I'd rather not see. However after 10 or 15 mins after passing them by, I can convince myself that all my good fortune is all my own work, and those people are just lazy losers, who had the same opportunities probably (maybe more), but pissed them away. Yeah, that's it.

 

[veryape]

Like I said,you have no idea what opportunities these people had. You don't even know if they grew up in a house or in state custody or maybe much worse conditions. I will go out on a limb and say that you have had more opportunities than most homeless people.

If thats what it takes for you to make yourself feel better about yourself then thats fine with me. I'd love to see some of you people lose everything you own,familywise and physical possesions,put you out in the street alone with absolutely nothing and see if you beg for those first days or weeks. You would die if you let your pride get to you. Its easy to justify your anger towards these people when you tell yourself they have the same opportunities as you when you have no idea if thats the case and likely is not.

 

[vi edit]

My cold hearted and biased opinion stems from my midwestern work ethic. I've been paying federal income tax since I was 14. While in college it wasn't unheard of for me to work 60 hour weeks, on top of 20 hours of classes a week. Everything that I own has been paid for through my own hard work and sweat.

I'll be the first to admit that somebody who doesn't work, and begs for money gets an automatic thumbs down in my book without even knowing their background.

It's the way I've been raised. Work now, bitch later.