What's your take on the Homeless?

bigbet1234 · Dec 6, 2005

Mine has changed since living in the city. I can't walk 3-4 blocks with out being approached by one. Gets highly annoying at times. I use to give them loose change, or a buck or so. But the more I see them, hell, they don't look to homeless to me. The only reason they continue to ask for money is because dumbasses like me give it to them to begin with.

Now, for someone with a mental disorder I feel differently. It's not to hard to tell the fruity ones from the ones just out to make a buck to go get some beer or something.

So, for now, I am done giving. There are shelters in the downtown area where they can get assistance if they need it. Everytime I was going to give them money I will start giving it to a charity of my choice.

BB

viking611 · Dec 6, 2005

some make 50,000 a year.

jeckll · Dec 6, 2005

It's a much better idea to give to charities that help the homeless than merely to give to beggars on the street. As you said, it's tough (impossible) for a passer-by to know whether someone is really in need or is a scam-artist.

I feel as though it's our duty as citizens to help those in need, but in lieu of trying to determine who is truly in need I let those who work at charities, food banks and shelters and who have expertise do that.

I have no problem giving but as long as I know it's going to the right places, and when I donate my money or time to the aformentioned institutions, I know that's happening.

ensign_lee · Dec 6, 2005

Depends on where you live.

When I went to school in Wisconsin (Madison), the homeless people just seemed to be old hippies that had grown up. They were still fairly nice, smiled at you, didn't jeer at you if you didn't give them money. Whenever I was winning, it was never really that big of a deal to give $1 here, $2 there. I must have given out like $100-$200 throughout the course of the two semesters I was there.

Now that I go to school in Texas (Austin), all the bums and homeless people here are MEAN and AGGRESSIVE! One of my friends got accosted by one for $20. He was like "I'm not gonna give you $20." I mean, it's twenty freaking dollars! And the bum was like "you're a jackass" and started saying it really loud. The next day, my friend went out there again and the same bum was like "this guy's a jackass, everyone!" That's absolutely ridiculous.

And then I was walking with a few friends of mine (girls) to go and get some dinner. When we didn't give them any money, they yelled after us "yeah. Come and see us when mommy's credit card runs out." Why in the hell would that make me want to give you money??? And then this other homeless guy, when we were walking out of the restaurant asked for one of my friend's leftovers. When she didn't respond, he freaking ran up to us (a distance of about 30 yards) and was like "hey. are you really going to eat those? really?" That was a little too aggressive for my tastes.

For the record, I have given $0 to the homeless people in Austin, compared to about $200 to the homeless people in Madison. And the one's down in madison look like they just do drugs all of the time anyway. So to all the bums in Austin, :finger:.

Dante · Dec 6, 2005

viking611 said:
some make 50,000 a year.

I heard closer to 100,000 they did a 60 mins on this or something long ago...they run scams and it hurts the real homeless people

SkinsRaj28 · Dec 6, 2005

I'm surrounded by the homeless as well...and it gets very annoying. I know that sounds bad, but hey, it does.

Giving $ to shelters would probably be the best idea. I know that the $ does go to a good cause, as every Sunday here they have a huge meal thing for all the homeless people in a park. And obviously they can go to shelters any day of the week if they want to. Giving 'em spare change is just going to feed their drug/alcohol habit.

But yes, they get annoying, and I don't give them anything. Well, except for the one guy that was offering me X...

Railbird · Dec 6, 2005

streets are a way of life for some. I know a few functioning one with jobs who prefer do be on the streets.

Railbird · Dec 6, 2005

my crewleader for ticket sales, guy lives in a tent by the Santa Ana river, makes 60K a year in construction and is running for city council, all his freinds are homeless, they have picnics and play frisbee every day, I would take their lives over many stressed out yuppys lifes.

RobFunk · Dec 6, 2005

Here is my wry take on the homeless:

This is why I'm a Democrat. You pay a little bit extra to keep these guys off the streets so that you dont have to look at them. It's well worth it to me.

Seriously, dont you hate bums trying to peddle, beg and swindle you for a little scratch when you go to the city? You need to use the subway or the bus or maybe just walk somewhere, and they are lurking around everywhere like some bad guys in Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom. Mumbling and doing their chants. Lurking god knows where. Behind the shadows. On the corners. At the entrances. You get the point.

I remember one night in Baltimore waiting for a bus. I saw this frail sickly looking man, probably about 40 years old. Pull a chicken out of the trash or the dumpster or something. It had already been cooked and ate off of. He proceded to walk around with this thing that maybe had enough meat left on it to feed a cat or two asking everyone for a dollar. So he could have a soda to go with it.

I have to live with the image of this man who could'nt have weighed more than 130 lbs. Wearing a greasy t-shirt walking around with his chicken prize on a oily paper plate. Asking everyone for a dollar. For a soda.

Phigment · Dec 6, 2005

Railbird said:
my crewleader for ticket sales, guy lives in a tent by the Santa Ana river, makes 60K a year in construction and is running for city council, all his freinds are homeless, they have picnics and play frisbee every day, I would take their lives over many stressed out yuppys lifes.

Are you really "homeless" if you have other options but actually prefer to live as such? In my mind homeless means down and out with no other option.

Christian · Dec 6, 2005

i have a unique view on the homeless....

i require some sort of skill or talent by these people to get me to give up some change...

or at least an effort....

that's why i love the european homeless much more than the american homeless...

in europe, you'll often still see some sort of an attempt at a "street performer" act instead of just the typical, sitting on cardboard with a paper McDonalds cup in their lap...

for me, if you display a talent or a skill (juggling, a musical instrument, singing, dancing, hell, ANYTHING...even something stupid) i'll give you a buck or two....and have no problem doing it!

but if you just sit there....you ain't getting shit!

i know there's fine line between actual "street performers" who really do have other jobs, homes and normal lives and homeless who perform acts or skills to impress people into giving up money...

but i don't care....if you do something..........ANYTHING........other than just sit there, then i'll give you some change.

i remember one guy who was just walking around and jumping up and down and screaming and waving his arms and crying and spinning and all kinds of weird shit...

more than likely he was just crazy and was having a seizure...

but at the time, i liked to think it was some sort of interpretive dance he had created, so i gave him a buck.....

hey, better than giving it to someone just sitting on their ass, right?

TescoVee · Dec 6, 2005

most have served this country yet the Bush administration keeps cutting their benefits

Although accurate numbers are impossible to come by ... no one keeps national records on homeless veterans ... the VA estimates that nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. And more than half a million experience homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively, one out of every three homeless males who is sleeping in a doorway, alley, or box in our cities and rural communities has put on a uniform and served our country ... now they need America to remember them

Phigment · Dec 6, 2005

I never give money to the homeless out of personal conviction but one night last winter there was a homeless guy in Penn Station that approached me as I was trying to decipher a train schedule for a line I don't normally ride. He knew the ALL the train schedules and track assignments by heart and helped me get on the last train of the night. He never asked for money but I gave him $5 for his help.

RobFunk · Dec 6, 2005

Interesting take Christian.

That is the puzzling thing about PROSTITUTES to me. They all want money, and they give up the service you would like MOST.

But these girls, they never ask for money.

They ask if you want SEX. THEN they ask for the money. Makes no damn sense. Just ask for the money first. Then work your way down. No money, ok how about some SEX? Alright then, how about a windshield spit job?

If they could just implement some type of bum training. I think most major citys could prosper from that. And all us infrequent commuters would be a lot happier concerning the matter.

Christian · Dec 6, 2005

Phigment said:
I never give money to the homeless out of personal conviction but one night last winter there was a homeless guy in Penn Station that approached me as I was trying to decipher a train schedule for a line I don't normally ride. He knew the ALL the train schedules and track assignments by heart and helped me get on the last train of the night. He never asked for money but I gave him $5 for his help.

i had something similar happen with an african dude who was bumming around amsterdam central train station....

i couldn't figure out one of the automatic ticket purchase machines (all instructions were written in dutch, no english...plus the particular machine i was using was broken but there was no sign on it stating so)

he showed me how to figure out what everything meant in dutch...

the guy must have spent like 3 full minutes showing me (on a working machine) all the different ways to view schedules, purchase tickets, etc.

that was definitely worth 5 euro for him! he earned it! if i had asked one of the actual dutch citizens for help, they would have just snickered "you should learn to read dutch"

jeckll · Dec 6, 2005

what a crass attitude...these people are not for your personal enjoyment. either give them money, or don't, but don't force them to dance like monkeys in order to "earn" your quarter

jackass

Christian said:
i have a unique view on the homeless....

i require some sort of skill or talent by these people to get me to give up some change...

or at least an effort....

that's why i love the european homeless much more than the american homeless...

in europe, you'll often still see some sort of an attempt at a "street performer" act instead of just the typical, sitting on cardboard with a paper McDonalds cup in their lap...

for me, if you display a talent or a skill (juggling, a musical instrument, singing, dancing, hell, ANYTHING...even something stupid) i'll give you a buck or two....and have no problem doing it!

but if you just sit there....you ain't getting shit!

i know there's fine line between actual "street performers" who really do have other jobs, homes and normal lives and homeless who perform acts or skills to impress people into giving up money...

but i don't care....if you do something..........ANYTHING........other than just sit there, then i'll give you some change.

i remember one guy who was just walking around and jumping up and down and screaming and waving his arms and crying and spinning and all kinds of weird shit...

more than likely he was just crazy and was having a seizure...

but at the time, i liked to think it was some sort of interpretive dance he had created, so i gave him a buck.....

hey, better than giving it to someone just sitting on their ass, right?

Christian · Dec 6, 2005

cklennon said:
what a crass attitude...these people are not for your personal enjoyment. either give them money, or don't, but don't force them to dance like monkeys in order to "earn" your quarter

jackass

wtf are you talking about? it's not for my amusement! it's for them to fucking work for money! you don't get shit in this life if you don't work for it.

i work damn hard for my money, always have, always will. why should i give money to someone sitting on their ass? if they're outside doing something, anything, that's different!

when i saw the street performers doing the tango in buenos aries, it was incredible...i've seen awesome gypsy jugglers in bulgaria, etc. etc. (while the tango dancers probably weren't homeless) i had no problem giving them money. they offered society a skill or talent...

what does sitting on a piece of cardboard, sleeping, with a papercup on your lap do for society? NOTHING!

if you don't work, you don't get paid...simple as that! i don't see the problem.

earl · Dec 6, 2005

i feel sorry for homeless animals more than i do for homeless people. be responsible for your actions. make better choices. i worked my ass off to have food and shelter.

wolfie_cr · Dec 6, 2005

the crude reality is that many homeless do NOT want to change their ways and they are happy getting by with whatever they can find on the streets

like Earl mentioned I feel worse for a poor dog that just got beaten/thrown out of somewhere as they can't speak /ask for water/understand what happens around them

it has happened to me plenty of times..............tried to help someone and offered them a job...........cut that tree in my property ......here is an axe......cut the grass................................do this or the other ......they look at me like I am crazy....

Also had a couple of tools that they simply took away with them and did NOT do the job

I am still to be betrayed by a dog/animal that I have offered food or shelter

wolfie_cr · Dec 6, 2005

question for bigbet, what city do you live in right now?

I have to say that the WEIRDEST kind of beggar were the ones in Vancouver , Canada , they were all sitting on a corner, with their head down and their open hand waiting to receive something , VERY weird