a healthy earth for the kids

chadwick

never in all my years been asked for money or food in iowa. i have saw hobos walking the rails through but never have they set up camp staying more than a couple days. not one single time has a poor ass homeless guy ever asked me for a cigarette here in iowa. our homeless/broke ass bastard scene must be nearly invisible.

on the west coast & when traveling this country i give money & food away like i am santa god damn clause. i don't play games as i am handing out all kinds of good ass shit. homeless & street people were a new thing to me until western washington & cross country trucking.

iowa eats cows, pigs, chickens, corn, & apples & strawberries & melons & it seems to be pretty much ok.

justam

When asked by needy individuals, I usually give money if they don't look like drug addicts or alcoholics. I feel that it's better to err on the side of being generous in those cases.

I do avoid the people that look like professional beggars however. In Tampa there are some corners with crews of beggars with buckets and fluorescent vests. I don't give those people money. They seem like addicts that just beg for money to get their drugs.

PJ_Soul

They are free to ask, and I'm free to say no (maybe 1 time out of 10 I will give them something - depends on the circumstances). But you're right - it's super rude to pretend they're not there. If they address me directly, I always answer them and say I'm sorry, no (or, 1 time out of 10, I say sure, here you go)... Although I think I often seem to be pretending they aren't there because I usually have my headphones on if I'm walking anywhere, so they ask, and I don't hear them. Hopefully they understand what's going on there. :P

he.who.forgets

One time my wife and I were walking through Chicago back to our hotel coming from dinner. We had a to-go box of steak and the fixings from some fancy steak house. We offered it to a homeless begger and they turned it down!

youngster

One time a black guy asked me for money in a Best Buy parking lot. I politely said "No, I don't have any money to give" to which he responded, "What are you a racist? Can't help a brother out?" I then politely told him to pound sand and carried on with my merry self.

Seriously. The nerve of some people.

PJ_Soul

he.who.forgets wrote:

One time my wife and I were walking through Chicago back to our hotel coming from dinner. We had a to-go box of steak and the fixings from some fancy steak house. We offered it to a homeless begger and they turned it down!

I've had tons of panhandlers turn down food. They are either on crack or heroin and aren't hungry for anything other than crack or heroin, or those fuckers who are perfectly capable and have decided to make panhandling a career. There are tons of those in Vancouver. These people make up to $400 a day tax-free and have cushy apartments downtown, living a life of luxury by going out and begging and pretending they're homeless. Sick fucks.

iamica

youngster wrote:

One time a black guy asked me for money in a Best Buy parking lot. I politely said "No, I don't have any money to give" to which he responded, "What are you a racist? Can't help a brother out?" I then politely told him to pound sand and carried on with my merry self.

Seriously. The nerve of some people.

Yup. The same thing happened to me. It was infuriating.

hedonist

he.who.forgets wrote:

One time my wife and I were walking through Chicago back to our hotel coming from dinner. We had a to-go box of steak and the fixings from some fancy steak house. We offered it to a homeless begger and they turned it down!

Reminds me of that Curb Your Enthusiasm episode

brianlux

he.who.forgets wrote:

One time my wife and I were walking through Chicago back to our hotel coming from dinner. We had a to-go box of steak and the fixings from some fancy steak house. We offered it to a homeless begger and they turned it down!

We have a local who spends everyday standing in the same place on a major street in town with not shirt on swaying back and forth. A brought him a cup of hot coffee one morning and he complained about no cream or sugar. I suppose it's better to offer or ask if help is wanted rather than just give when not asked.

I read about this guy who collects homeless peoples cardboard signs- true, a weird thing to collect. The collector often offers to buy the signs but reports that in some instances people have turned down hundreds of dollars for their sign. I think that's cool. It shows some integrity.

PJ_Soul

brianlux wrote:

he.who.forgets wrote:

One time my wife and I were walking through Chicago back to our hotel coming from dinner. We had a to-go box of steak and the fixings from some fancy steak house. We offered it to a homeless begger and they turned it down!

We have a local who spends everyday standing in the same place on a major street in town with not shirt on swaying back and forth. A brought him a cup of hot coffee one morning and he complained about no cream or sugar. I suppose it's better to offer or ask if help is wanted rather than just give when not asked.

I read about this guy who collects homeless peoples cardboard signs- true, a weird thing to collect. The collector often offers to buy the signs but reports that in some instances people have turned down hundreds of dollars for their sign. I think that's cool. It shows some integrity.

That was very nice of you Brian.... But I couldn't drink a black of coffee either. :oops: It just tastes really bad to me .... However, if you came and gave it to me while I was shirtless and homeless, I think I would take if from you and say thank you.... And then throw it away while thinking about how kind you were. :shifty: I wouldn't complain to you about it!

As for the second example... 65% of homeless people have a mental illness. Some wouldn't stay off the streets if they were actually given a home and money.

Snakeduck

PJ_Soul wrote:

However, if you came and gave it to me while I was shirtless and homeless, I think I would take if from you and say thank you....

I think if that was the case, you could just put a bucket down and it would be full of money in no time...

PJ_Soul

Snakeduck wrote:

PJ_Soul wrote:

However, if you came and gave it to me while I was shirtless and homeless, I think I would take if from you and say thank you....

I think if that was the case, you could just put a bucket down and it would be full of money in no time...

:fp: How fucking naive am I - I never even thought of that.