Never tried a UFO catcher, then?
You don’t know anything about that woman with the crutch.
She’s fucking begging on the street.
What kind of victim-blaming asshole do you have to be to hold her to higher moral standards than anyone else in society that could prevent her begging on the street in the first place?
What about the guy filming her as a way to generate clicks and subscribers? He’s exploiting panhandling for clicks and subscribers.
It’s not “politically correct”, it’s about not mocking and judging someone who’s in a deeply messed up situation. It’s about not making fun of the way someone’s drowning, when you’re standing on dry land.
Too many people want desperate people to “be more polite” or to “dance more entertainingly” like they’re consumers wanting to be impressed by a company, instead of seeing a human trying to beg for basic needs.
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8 times? Maybe Japan IS the scam.
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A year or two ago I met a woman who was running a similar scam. I didn’t pay her anything but an elderly man who came out of a house nearby did give her money.
The next day I was walking home and walked past her running the same scam in the same place. I told her mark that it was a scam. After that, a car picked her up and dropped her off further down the road.
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Funny thing – I met that guy when I was working as a bricklayer:
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I basically agree with you but with a caveat-- I am always willing to give a person spare change if I think they’re in a dire situation, but people who are faking their condition put me off. It comes down to helping someone in need versus rewarding dishonesty, and the end result is it makes me hesitant to help out more.
Several years ago a guy was standing by a bus stop desperately asking for $1 as the bus was pulling up. I gave him a buck because I figured he was going to miss his bus. Five minutes later I walk into the nearby tobacco shop and he’s in front of me buying scratch tickets. It’s hard not to let that shit grind you down.
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It’s a matter of perspective.
You’re out a dollar. Some of the things poor people use money for are because they’re finding a way to keep their dignity and sense-of-self. Everybody needs (actually needs) little things they spend money on that aren’t purely about food and shelter. Lottery tickets are designed to feed on that need for hope; it’s not an accident.
Even if a person has bad judgment, or doesn’t think they’ll get help without lying about their reasons for needing it, they’re still in a fucked-up situation where people judge them as if they were co-workers with wallets full of coin.
When people get to serious poor-bashing (I’m not talking about you here), I start to wonder if they consider Anne Frank to be a devious sneak because she wasn’t upfront about where she was living.
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I had a friend who said that when he gives to panhandlers, etc. he thinks of it as giving it to Jesus. And once you give it, it’s not yours anymore.
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When I took a work trip to New Orleans a while back (pre-Katrina) I was warned of this one:
“Betcha fifty bucks I can tell you where you got your shoes”
[pulls out $50]
“You got your shoes on your feet!”
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Nice. I may use it.
Come to think of it, once you give anything away to anyone for any reason, it’s not yours any more. That’s what giving away means.
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I wish I could find a YouTube clip of the scene from Guys and Dolls where Big Julie produces his spotless dice:
Big Julie: And to change my luck, I’m going to use my own dice.
Nathan: Your own dice?
Big Julie: I had 'em made especially in Chicago.
Nathan: I do not wish to seem petty, but may I have a look at those dice? … But these dice ain’t got no spots on 'em. They’re blank.
Big Julie: I had the spots removed for luck. But I remember where the spots formerly were.
Nathan: You are going to roll blank dice and remember where the spots were?
Big Julie: Detroit… do you doubt my memory?
Nathan: Big Julie, I have great trust in you.
http://gnomonchronicles.com/wiki/Guys_and_Dolls_(film)_(nonfiction)
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