Responding to Beggars

http://www.stallman.org/articles/responding-to-beggars.html

by solipsist • 14 years ago

119 134 14 years ago

I think I'm going to apply this to my day-to-day life. I bet I'll give out less money overall, but more money to those that need it.

pacaro• 14 years ago

I've done this in the past. When I used to travel by train (and live in England) I spent a lot of time waiting at London train stations. If my train wasn't imminent and I was approached I would offer to buy the beggar a meal at any of the concessions in the station.

In contrast to Stallman's experience, I was never rebuffed - occasionally asked to go outside the station to get vegetarian food (seemed reasonable to me) and once asked if I could also buy food for someones girlfriend as well (chutzpah pays!). Some of these people where interesting, some less so, just the same as any random sample of the human race.

I don't find myself in those situations in my current living/working situation, but I like to keep my mind open to these possibilities

aptwebapps• 14 years ago

If they're walking up to you on the platform and you're offering them free food of their choice (within reason), why not? Whereas if they're in a good, high-traffic, spot, they might not want to give it up for the free food.

I had a guy run up to me just as I was getting on the bus to ask if I could spare fare for him too. I dug it out and handed it over and he turned around and walked off. I thought that was pretty funny, especially as the fare was a quarter.

georgieporgie2• 14 years ago

In SF, I witnessed the classic: guy offers sandwich to 'hungry' homeless guy. Homeless guy responds, "what kind is it?" Apparently, beggars can be choosers.

taligent• 14 years ago

Did you ever think he might have had a life threatening allergy to certain foods ? It's pretty common.

raintrees• 14 years ago

When asked for money for food a few months back, I offered to buy the guy a burrito. I asked what ingredients he wanted, he suggested no beans to make it easier on his fellow humans...

georgieporgie2• 14 years ago

Did you ever think that I was there and might have taken note of such a thing? There's a difference between "I don't eat meat" and "I don't like corned beef." Do you ever give people the benefit of the doubt, or do you always exploit omissions in order to paint the other in a negative light?

transmit101• 14 years ago

Perhaps he is a vegetarian. Being homeless doesn't require you to sacrifice your principles.

crumblan• 14 years ago

It's a psychological reaction to having very little control over anything around you to exert more control in any area you can. It's not ironically funny, it's ironically sad.

kgrin2• 14 years ago

I was on my college debate team; the Nationals final round in 2003 was about this hypothetical ("Give a homeless person a dollar?") I was pleasantly surprised to recently find that it was taped and available online: http://www.parlidebate.com/recordings.php?id=36

I can't fairly condense the salient points, so I'll just encourage you to watch the video - it's long, but well worth it. I can honestly say it changed how I evaluate these sorts of situations (aside from being a very fine round of debate, but that's more of an acquired taste).

(Just to be clear: I was not one of the debaters, just happened to be lucky enough to be in the audience).

kkwok• 14 years ago

Thanks for the video. Interesting round to watch--makes me miss my debate days.

Which direction did it shift your views?

kgrin2• 14 years ago

In the direction of giving - either money, or if time allows, something like what Stallman is doing/advocating. The main thing that shifted my views was the notion that even if the money is "wasted" (or might be more effective dollar-for-dollar elsewhere), there's a lot to be said for the human connection - and that even if the recipient is operating under false pretenses (which does happen sometimes), that human connection is worth it.

robocat4• 14 years ago

I like to leave money (coins or notes) where someone who needs it may find it - under a bridge, down low where a child might find it, etc. Sure to brighten anyone's day :-)

"Donating" money directly is difficult to do with respect and pride for giver and givee... I try to get it right because I feel i could end up poor, old, and drunk on the street. Some beggars strike me as being somewhat entrepreneurial :-).

Try to treat each situation as unique.

Occasionally I will give a beggar money for no reason, occasionally pity, occasionally random, occasionally respect. I accept sometimes I am a chump, but I would rather err on being a chump than be a selfish thoughtless jerk.

When a traveller in poorer countries I become much more generous - the price of a beer at home, or a birthday card, can make a big difference for many. Any person who can fly to a 3rd world country can afford to be very generous. 1st world travellers with excuses for being tight piss me off.

The difficulty is giving without demeaning the receiver ... respect.

bhickey• 14 years ago

All but one of the beggars who approached me in Kathmandu were children. If children can productively beg there is no incentive to educate them. Just send them out on the streets.

It isn't a matter of being greedy. It's avoiding counterproductive behavior.

abhaga• 14 years ago

This. In India and probably in many other countries, a lot of beggars operate under some gangs and most of their income goes to them. Especially true for beggars one sees at the traffic signals. So if you pay them, it is added incentive for the gangs to put more people out on the street.

My take on this is that everyone has a different way of being most effective in helping others. To really improve their situation, a homeless person needs someone who can invest a lot more time and effort. So if you want to help them, give to charities that work with them. In our individual capacity, we are more effective in helping someone who already has a platform. Consider financing the entire education of a child. That is more effective use of the money than distributing it piecemeal to several homeless people.

robocat4• 14 years ago

Sure - avoiding counter-productive behaviour is a good goal. However it is difficult to avoid condescendingly 'knowing' what is best for a child if it aligns with selfish motives, and one knows nothing about the situation...

The question is how to help kids though... I have tried gifting useful stuff to local schools, once I helped teach English to a class. Leaving coins where children might find them seems good to me. Hiding small toys down low is fun too - and is suitable anywhere in the world!

I feel churlish if I do not share my 1st world worth when enjoying the hospitality of other countries... but it takes some ingenuity to come up with ways to do so that are good for all involved...

mehulkar• 14 years ago

This has been a huge problem for me. I recently moved to San Francisco after many years of living in the Midwest. I was born and lived the first 10 years of my life in Delhi where poverty was no big deal. It was accepted and not questioned. After living in the States and doing all the chores that someone else would normally do for me in India (dishes, laundry, etc.), it became difficult for me to see people as anything but people and I began to notice poverty.

After 3 months in San Francisco, I'm noticing the pendulum swinging again in the other direction. I don't see anyone paying attention to the homeless, and I know a few pennies here or there aren't going to solve the problem, so I am once again starting to become cold and removed.

I cannot stand saying no to people on the streets, but I have not found a way to get them off the streets either. I promise myself that right now is not the time, and one day I will make a difference.

It feels naive and stupid to think this way. I am 22.

awakeasleep• 14 years ago

At least you're being honest with yourself. I still struggle with how to respond to these situations, and I'm almost 30.

That said, I like Stallman's response. Gather more information, and act on your values. It's more human, imo.

coryl• 14 years ago

There are ways to help the homeless without giving out money. For example, volunteering at a soup kitchen, shelter, etc.

dspillett• 14 years ago

And those things make far more difference in the long run. I never give to beggars aside from occasionally buying a "big issue". By my understanding (which I'll admit is almost entirely based on second-/third-/more-hand information and a chunk of cynicism) you can make far far more difference overall by donating to relevant charities and other such groups if you want to help financially, or (as you say) donating your time and effort to those groups by other means.

[] the cynicism part comes from things like the woman who for three years now has been trying to get together the bus fair to Hull, or some years ago seeing someone who earlier had been sat on a corner begging get into a car that appeared to be his and drive away

barry-cotter3• 14 years ago

In the USA? No, there aren't. They're mentally ill or serious drug abusers. Also, your money can go a hell of a lot further and help a hell of a lot more people even in in the US. But you can save a life for about 800 dollars in the developing world.

http://www.givewell.org/

http://lesswrong.com/lw/37f/efficient_charity/

http://lesswrong.com/lw/6z/purchase_fuzzies_and_utilons_sepa...

fogol2• 14 years ago

I appreciate your candor and honesty. Ther are beggars and beggars. I suspect those in India wer truly poor and the solution was to go numb onthem. The ones mentioned inEurope are begging for sport. It is actually organized crime type of thing. The can and should be policed.

sparknlaunch122• 14 years ago

Is a beggar an analogy for a startup looking for funding?

ExpiredLink• 14 years ago

and you are an angel.

sparknlaunch122• 14 years ago

Not yet. I only asked the question in context of this article being posted to Hacker News. I thought maybe the author was describing an approach to more than just qualifying requests for money from beggars.

andywood• 14 years ago

I've always made this decision based strictly on whether I am feeling generous enough in the moment to give money to a stranger who asked for it. I personally find bothering oneself about what they are going to do with it to be extremely condescending, and I sometimes suspect it might be a cop-out for simply wanting to hold on to your money. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with wanting to hold on to your own money.

sage_joch• 14 years ago

From the article it's pretty clear that Stallman just didn't like the feeling of being deceived. I don't think condescension has anything to do with it. As an aside: there were two instances in the last year in which I gave a stranger in need of help $20. I analyzed the interactions in the aftermath, and I'm convinced that the first person really did need help and the second person scammed me (I can't say for sure, but when adding up all the little details, things start to ring true or false). When I realized that I had been scammed, I felt pretty raw about it. It wasn't about the money, but the fact that someone would prey on my willingness to help like that.

algorias• 14 years ago

What I do now when I'm approached like this is asking them to return the money to me in some way (e.g. send it back in an envelope or sth). That way you get feedback and the whole thing turns into a fun little game of seeing how good a judge of character you are. Results for me have been abysmal so far though, but at least I've learned a lot about human nature in the process :p

AndrewDucker2• 14 years ago

My general feeling is that anyone who is scamming people on the streets in order to get by has real problems.

pemulis2• 14 years ago

For the most part, I only give money to homeless people who put out a cup or a hat and don't try to sell me on a story. I've been lied to so many times that I assume every story is a lie. I don't try to buy specific items like food or train tickets, either. I don't want to dictate what they ought to spend the money on. If they want to spend it on food or clothes, great. If they would prefer to spend it on drugs or lotto tickets, I'm not going to reverse a lifetime of bad habits by forcing them to get a sandwich. The money is theirs once I give it to them.

cturner2• 14 years ago

Why would you do that? Is it because you're told to by a priest to be charitable or because your sense of guilt push you into making the world a worse place. Or sympathy?

Look at the long view. It only takes a few people to keep doing that, and they'll keep existing at that level instead of finding a better way to get by. You're enabling them.

jeffool• 14 years ago

I don't want to put words in permulis' mouth, but, I think a reasonable assumption is he's concerned of the option you don't list: They won't get by. They'll die.

I think that's why a lot of people do it.

pemulis2• 14 years ago

The three main causes of homelessness in America are sudden economic misfortune, mental illness, and addiction.

People in the first category are actively looking for a way to get back on their feet. Giving them money is better than giving them a meal, a ticket, or a bit of clothing. They know what they need most, and will spend their money accordingly. Insisting that they choose from my list of pre-approved spending options does more harm than good, from a utility standpoint. From an emotional standpoint, it's condescending and demeaning.

In the second case, the person has few employment options and a weak support network, otherwise they would not be out on the street. They won't use the money I give them as well as people in the first category, but who am I to say what they want or need? I'm not trying to solve a social problem. I'm trying to ease the suffering of an individual.

It's difficult to distinguish people in the third group from the people in the second group, since mental illness and addiction often work in tandem. I don't bother to try. Anyway, the addict's hierarchy of needs is roughly: Food > Drugs > Shelter. If I buy them a sandwich, they can spend the remainder of their money on drugs. If they're a serious addict, a lack of charity won't stand between them and the drugs they need. If they can't scrounge up enough money through legitimate means, petty crime is the next step. Overcoming addiction is a complicated process that comes from within. You can't starve the addict into going clean. If I give a homeless person a dollar and that money goes towards drugs, that's a shame, but at least it eases their suffering for a moment.

Again, giving money to a homeless person isn't a long-term solution to social problems. It's a small gesture from one individual to another. They have a cut, so I give them a band-aid. Homelessness is a difficult and complicated problem. Withholding charity won't suddenly result in homeless people straightening up and flying right. The reality is that many of them, at least in the short term, are unemployable. Withholding charity just increases their suffering.

ricardobeat• 14 years ago

The situation is not much different here in Brazil. It's almost impossible to tell when a beggar is telling the truth or not - they have perfected their story-telling out of necessity.

Once I was walking up to a friend's apartment. Just a few meters from his door, a guy with a desperate face approached and asked me to borrow some money for gas/something, so that he could get to his wife who was in the hospital (red flag). I refused, and then he proceeded to tell me the exact address he was going to, handed me his license and car keys to check. I felt ashamed for being such a cold person, and gave him ten bucks. Just as he was turning around the corner, my friend who was leaving his apt saw him and said -"did you give that guy money? He is always around" :(

Never gave out money since. I try to make up for it by being very straight about taxes and civilization in general.

Jun82• 14 years ago

I think that in certain situations the moral question of doing or not performing an act is either a weak function of the entities we interact or is not a function of them at all. I think this is one of those cases: I would give a small amount of money (e.g. a quarter) to anyone who has to ask for it for whatever reason. I find Stallman's attitude to be condescending to extreme, i.e. "you lied to me", how can you judge that person?

A similar ethical question: Should we eat animals? Some people object to this citing the misery, pain, etc. that the animals have to endure. But suppose we create a certain pig/chicken/sheep clone that is incapable of thinking (or, as in http://www.amazon.com/The-Pig-That-Wants-Eaten/dp/0452287448, actually wants to be eaten): Would your attitude on this matter change? I think it should not.

The way I treat entities with less power than me (homeless people, animals) wholly depends on me and not inputs from them.

derekuser• 14 years ago

How can you judge them to be needy?

Jun82• 14 years ago

That was my whole point: I don't.

twfarland• 14 years ago

I never give money to beggars after having seen how they operate in Berlin. The standard ones are extremely pushy, and in areas like Ku'damm, there are organised gangs of women who bring their children with them. I've seen them converge and hand over money to a central man at the same spot day after day. He doesn't look poor.

wilfra• 14 years ago

In Thailand this situation is quite terrible. The Mafia collects people with missing limbs and other disfigurations, basically the people who will elicit the greatest sympathy, and forces them to sit on the same corners begging day after day, month after month and year after year - and turn all of the money they collect over to them. If they steal any, they die. In return they are provided with the bare minimum subsistence living one could imagine.

This situation is so bad that the country had to pass a law giving the death penalty to anybody dismembering children for the purposes of turning them into beggars - because people were doing that on a large scale.

Muzza13• 14 years ago

The situation is similar in Sweden, but I have thankfully not heard of anyone disfiguring someone else for these purposes. Yet.

One of the glorious benefits of being a member of the EU is that we now have to put up with organized gangs of beggars coming in from Romania, Bulgaria etc harassing us on our streets. (The leftists have proposed that we add these people to our welfare rolls and give them their own apartments - an entitlement not available even to Swedish citizens, mind you. Of course, the only reasonable response is to institute a sufficiently vague law against vagrancy and then deport them.)

Create4• 14 years ago

Exporting organised crime will not solve your problems. Especially regarding the EU.

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15932840,00.html

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15921927,00.html

http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120503-42321.html

http://www.thelocal.se/31650/20110126/

http://www.economist.com/node/6919139

...etc.

gioele2• 14 years ago

Have you a problem with Bulgarian people or Bulgarian criminals?

If you have a problem with Bulgarian people in general, then, well, that is called xenophobia or more simply racism.

If you have a problem with Bulgarian criminals, then complain to your police force. How come you able to spot such criminals so easily while they cannot? Did you make precise and detailed reports to the police about cases you witnessed, experienced personally or know from local hearsay?

Talking about apartments, do you agree on the principle that access to public housing should be given to those most in need? Do you also agree on the principle that the needs for every lawful person should be addressed regardless of their country of origin? If you do, what is the problem them? If you do not, why?

Question for the US readers: do scenes like those depicted in Steinbeck's novel The grapes of wrath still happen? Are people from rural zones like Oklahoma's countryside treated as filthy dangerous foreigners in California? Because that is what we are seeing and experiencing right now in the EU.

twelvechairs3• 14 years ago

Downvoting because its ridiculous to compare the situation in Sweden with that of Thailand (the difference is immense), because it engages in leftist bashing (I'm sure there must be very few 'leftists' if any who really say "lets build new apartments for foreign criminals whilst Swedes get nothing", although this is exactly what you imply they say), and because you claim to answer a complex and nuanced issue with a single sweeping generalisation.

Panoramix• 14 years ago

The situation is not similar in Sweden. In fact, from the entire planet, Sweden is one of most dissimilar places.

fogol2• 14 years ago

I fail to see how the gypsy beggars are the problem and not your legislation or enforcement. If hostile begging is an issue, legislate it out of the streets. Pass a law that would criminalise it once you've been caught three times.

Instead of complaining, you better appeal to your fellow citizens and solve it

dkersten3• 14 years ago

We have the same problems in Ireland. There was a documentary recently where they followed some of these people back to their homes in Romania to find that they owned mansions back home - the same people were begging and collecting social welfare here (some were collecting social welfare for children who either weren't even their own or weren't in the country).

neilk• 14 years ago

It's similar in India, although Indians from the more respectable classes find it just as shocking as a westerner would, and find it hard to believe this happens in their country.

ta12121• 14 years ago

It's funny, in Dungeons and Dragons, "beggar" is the lowest ranking person in a thieves' guild.

nerdfiles• 14 years ago

Ask them to break a $20.

What happens if they naturally learn to collect money, and we record these activities through our hearsay? If we expect them to be able to break a $20?

gbog• 14 years ago

I never give, I pay, for example I'll pay to the one who play nice music. I don't pay to soften culpability either, I handle this myself. My preferred way to fix the poverty issue is to participate in this kind of economy: I prefer giving a good salary to a nanny coming from countryside than giving random bucks to those who earned a pithy price in the streets.

AndrewDucker2• 14 years ago

I give money to Shelter, a British charity which helps homeless people. I figure they're the experts, and can put the money to the best use.

lisper• 14 years ago

My experience trying to get a homeless person off the street:

http://graceofgodmovie.com/

Available on iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/but-for-the-grace-of-god/id...

If you watch it and like it please write a review.

shawndumas• 14 years ago

Been there done that. I have actually helped a man get off of alcohol and street, securing him a job and a place to live; only to have him go back to the streets: Twice.

jurre2• 14 years ago

I have tried this approach for a while and not once did a beggar accept the proposal. A couple of times when I didn't have cash on me I got cursed at and since then I stopped giving to them. I should also mention that I'm from the Netherlands and no one here needs to be homeless, it's always because of drug addiction.

prawn• 14 years ago

Or mental illness?

jurre2• 14 years ago

I don't think so, those are taken care of by our government afaik.

DanBC• 14 years ago

I don't know about Netherlands, but in UK there's a complex mix of substance misuse and mental illness amongst the homeless population. It's difficult to know which causes what.

In theory "homelessness" is a solved problem in the UK. In practice, there are people who sleep on the streets and there are people who are effectively homeless but who have short term accommodation and there are plenty of beggars.

SagelyGuru• 14 years ago

I wonder if modern enterpreneurs are recruiting their marketing staff from the ranks of these street scammers. Many scammers are masters of the art of salesmanship: telling people what they want to hear in order to get them to part with their money.

I find it hard to distinguish between their methods, the only substantial difference being much larger turnover for the 'respectable' marketing and advertising experts.

cturner2• 14 years ago

I don't think there's much you can do to help someone on the street in a way that gets them off the street. That's not to say that nothing can be done, just that the initiative has to come from the person on the street to get out of that pattern.

I can't remember where I got it from, but I carry a pack of cigarettes around. When I get asked for change, I remember to offer the person a cigarette instead. If you're on the street then lung cancer is the least of your problems, and it's a way of showing support to the person but in a way that doesn't contribute to their pattern.

Our culture has some strong messages about charity and a taboo about questioning it. People tend to give to things that are branded as charity in order to comply with this message. The result can often be an office full of people in a nice location, pulling down wages, and doing very little meaningful work towards the cause. It is itself a variation on the deceptive begging pattern, feeding on popular ideas about charity.

I think the best approach for helping people is to look out for things directly in your sphere where you can see how your action will lead to a goood result, and then act at that level.

twinturbo• 14 years ago

I love how this page has no styling information. Just times new roman on a white background. User agent stylesheet ftw.

paulsutter• 14 years ago

For me it isn't a question of being duped or scammed. It's a question of whether the gift is really going to help them. It turns out this is a very difficult question. When you give money to a beggar, you are saying "great job! here's a bonus to encourage you to keep begging!". At the same time, these are usually people who are in need. I also know that substance abuse is close to certain. I don't have a good answer. Most of the time I give nothing. Occasionally I'll hand a guy a 20, without regard for his story or whether I'm being scammed. It's a gift given freely.

What I know for sure is that I can be polite to them. Recognize them as humans, not treat them as lepers. If they engage me in conversation ask their name, where they are from. But usually ignore them on the ask. Because I can't rationalize that it would help.

But it's not an easy question.

jawns• 14 years ago

I know how important Richard Stallman is to the tech community, and I appreciate his tech-oriented stuff ... but I'm kinda getting bored with seeing his LiveJournal posts on the HN homepage.

photon1372• 14 years ago

Well, there are a lot of others nowhere near as influential as RMS whose "LiveJornal"-esque posts about "entrepreneurship" - a la: How I made $2 million from $2 - regularly make the HN homepage. I could live with the former (and for once, RMS is making sense).

jakobe• 14 years ago

When someone asks me for money, I just give them money. I dont care what they do with it. I think people complaining about being deceived are just looking for excuses for being greedy. The end result is the same, no matter if the beggar is honest or not: i'm more happy because I feel generous, the beggar's more happy because he got money. The first time I relised that the story I got told was a lie I was upset, but I realised that it doesn't matter.

radu_floricica2• 14 years ago

And this is why I hate begging so much. It's a transaction - the beggar gets the money, you get the feeling good. But try to take this to its logical conclusion in a free market situation and you'll understand why the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

I've seen a little girl being taught to beg once. She was as beautiful and clean as a young girl can be, and she was with a slightly older boy in a subway. He was leading her by the hand and showing her the ropes... what to say, how to say it, how to act... Most people there thought that it was so very charming and paid well for the feeling. All I did was to try hard as I could not to hit something or somebody, because I was watching a soul being mutilated.

twelvechairs3• 14 years ago

Thats great of you :) I agree completely. I don't think we should believe that we have the right to judge others just because they are poorer than ourselves. Too many people do.

Even if they use my money to drink themselves into oblivion, thats their choice and I'm happy that I can provide them with the means to do whatever they want with their lives.

That said, I do prefer to give to certain types of people. It can be hard to really tell how needy someone is, but generally I don't give to children (this encourages parents to not send them to school), those who occupy prime locations (main street, outside a supermerket etc. - as I've seen these being worked by groups who muscle others out of their patch - and besides they make plenty of money from others there), and those who hassle every passing stranger.

corry• 14 years ago

I guess some people's problem is that we "care what [the beggars] do with it" when we give money.

i.e. I don't want to give someone money that they'll use to further destroy their life with drugs/alcohol/whatever. I don't want to be complicit in that action. If that's too 'morally' or 'judgemental' for some people, so be it.

Now, I'm more than happy to buy them some food, transportation, etc. Or even better, spend some time with them (when possible) and treat them like a real person for a few minutes.

LargeWu• 14 years ago

Well, when there is a high probability they will use the money to buy drugs - substance abuse is one of the primary reasons for homelessness in the US - then it does in fact matter what they do with it. Giving money to beggars is virtually synonymous with supporting the corner dealer in many cases.

v0cab7• 14 years ago

It might just be someone doing it as a 'job', to supplement their trust fund, or their government benefits, for instance. Or they might be using the money to buy meth and support meth dealers.

shocks• 14 years ago

In the UK we have The Big Issue. It's a magazine only sold by homeless people, for £2.50 per magazine. The sellers buy each magazine for £1.25. The sellers are trained, sign a code of conduct and wear badges so you can recognise them easily.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Issue

I like this approach because I know that they have some degree of control. For example, they can't spend all the money on booze/drugs because otherwise they can't purchase more stock. It's a start.

That said, I like Stallman's method. I might try that sometime.

dorian-graph• 14 years ago

They do this too in Australia and out of those who I see regularly in the CBD I don't mind them as they're usually friendly and honest.

The idea of getting them work, as small as selling magazines is, is a great idea.

I personally follow a similar approach to Stallman here in Australia and I agree that it definitely is hard when you go to another country. I spent two years in the Philippines where poverty is common and at first I had no real idea what to do as we were constantly being asked for money, every day.

Another idea I stand by is not too judge too quickly the homeless or so in saying "Oh, they'd just go spend it on drugs or alcohol."

makmanalp• 14 years ago

In the Boston / Cambridge area where Stallman is talking about, we have "Spare Change":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spare_Change_News

There just are more homeless people that gather there than can viably all sell the newspaper.

no_more_death• 14 years ago

I keep a couple of gift cards in my wallet and hand them out if someone's in trouble. I tell them there's money on it but not how much. Obviously, someone could still sell the gift card, but the buyer will have to take him at his word.

captaincrunch• 14 years ago

Tickets, food and anything else is always almost refundable, so in most cases, it would have been cheaper to have given them a quarter, even a dollar.

mark_l_watson• 14 years ago

I used to do the same thing while I was commuting to San Francisco to do an expert system for PacBell. Lots of homeless people begging and the people I worked with lectured me on not giving them money. That was in my pre-vegetarian days and I had a serious hamburger addiction; occasionally when I bought a hamburger, I would buy a second one to hand to an apparently homeless person.

mistercow• 14 years ago

I really don't understand why people care so much what the beggar uses the money for. Give him a dollar, or don't. If you do, don't worry that he might use it to buy booze; just feel good that you did something nice for someone. If you don't, don't try to justify it to yourself by saying he might be a liar. Just say "I have the right to not give beggars money because it's my money" and be done with it.

There, I solved all of your altruism problems. You're welcome.

lucian19002• 14 years ago

My mom taught me never to give money to beggars, only ever give them food. Seemed entirely logical.

mikeash• 14 years ago

I have seen enough professional beggars who live well that I pretty much just assume that they're just about all like that. It seems that if you're good at it, you can make quite a bit of money. And this is hardly new: there's even a Sherlock Holmes story that revolves around a man who gives up his profession to become a beggar because the money is better.

If you feel guilty (and why wouldn't you? it's only natural), give money to charitable organizations which help the homeless. They know how to put the money to better use.

zaccus• 14 years ago

Some panhandlers really need money, and some don't. There's no way to know for sure which is which, and I can't afford to give money to everyone who asks for it. So the only "rational" solution is to not give money to panhandlers at all.

Of course, I don't follow that rule perfectly because saying no or ignoring somebody makes me feel like a dick. But I'm not going to pretend that giving money to a panhandler is ever a rational act.

spung• 14 years ago

This is what my parents have taught me to do as well.

It's also a possibility though that the beggar wanted to be efficient and accumulate more money for other fares throughout the day, just trying to be efficient.

Responding to Beggars

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