asking for change!

[marc26]

i was walkign to work today at 545am. this bum, 25-30yr old kid, asked me for change. i said" i am walkign to work at 545am, why on earthe would you think i would give you change to not go to work!" unreal

[steve@thaib]

Beggars on shift-work? Now there's a concept!

[Rex7777]

I used to live in Greenwich Village in NYC. Anyway, at least in my part of the village, you couldn't walk too far in any direction without being asked for "spare change." Usually they guys doing the asking were bums looking for enough money to buy a bottle of wine. After I lived there long enough, I'd see the same people every day, in the same places, asking form money. There was one girl that used to stand on Ave. of the Americas (6th Ave?) every day at the same place. You'd think that was her job, standing there with a cup asking for change. Maybe she made a small fortune doing that?

Rex

[LivinLOS]

I tend to empty my pockets of coins when in cities.. I had some brief times of sleeping rough (once in Winter in Holland.. Very sub zero.. Thought I might die) and it tends to give you a different perspective.

That said I dont like pan handlers or anyone being pushy.. You can tell type, most are shy to ask and dejected looking, those ones get the contents of my pockets.. the ones with 'any spare change ??" erm spare no !!! Spare money, what a concept..

[Mav]

I had a couple of young teenagers with flash looking skateboards, latest trainers, surf brand clothing (expensive in Oz) etc, ask me for change a few months ago.........told them to naff off !

Beggars near Nana with limbs missing, yes, no problem......as l believe they have no welfare system in LOS

[marc26]

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

I tend to empty my pockets of coins when in cities.. I had some brief times of sleeping rough (once in Winter in Holland.. Very sub zero.. Thought I might die) and it tends to give you a different perspective.

That said I dont like pan handlers or anyone being pushy.. You can tell type, most are shy to ask and dejected looking, those ones get the contents of my pockets.. the ones with 'any spare change ??" erm spare no !!! Spare money, what a concept..

actually, these beggars in vancouver are the most polite ive ver seen but it still bugs me. there is so many of them, its crazy.
and i guess i have a negative view of them becasue my brother is mentally slow and has physical problems and he always has a job

[Allybabba22]

Originally Posted by marc26

actually, these beggars in vancouver are the most polite ive ver seen but it still bugs me. there is so many of them, its crazy.
and i guess i have a negative view of them becasue my brother is mentally slow and has physical problems and he always has a job

I was only talking to my uncle about this the other day, I work nights deliver all around Dublin city centre and believe me there is loads of homeless people here living rough, And I would not wish it on anyone, Its getting bitter cold over here now, I do be freezing running around working in it, Never mind lying on a concrete pathway with just a bit of cardboard, Do you really think these people like living rough?

What you dont seem to understand is, Once you are living rough, You cant get a job or Social Welfare without an address, And you cant get an address without Money, So what else are they suppose to do except beg, Just think about it, You would need to be really hard up to ask people for change especially when you are living on the street, Its only a bit of change to you but it means a lot more to them, Dont be so hard on them.

PS: As I said I actually know a good few homeless people personally from my work, And one in particular his name was David Gill, And he used to tell me story's of how people treated him and how they looked down on him with disgust, And how when he was asleep on the street people used to piss (urinate) on him as they passed by, You think that is bad though, One night about a year ago, They went one better than that, When they were walking by they poured petrol all over him and burned him alive while he was sleeping for a laugh, He died in hospital from his injuries a week later, Now this guy was the salt of the earth and never harmed anyone, Yet just because he lived on the street he was treated like a piece of shit, Again do you really think he choose that life for himself?

PPS: Nobody was ever charged for his murder.

[marc26]

Originally Posted by Allybabba22

I was only talking to my uncle about this the other day, I work nights deliver all around Dublin city centre and believe me there is loads of homeless people here living rough, And I would not wish it on anyone, Its getting bitter cold over here now, I do be freezing running around working in it, Never mind lying on a concrete pathway with just a bit of cardboard, Do you really think these people like living rough?

What you dont seem to understand is, Once you are living rough, You cant get a job or Social Welfare without an address, And you cant get an address without Money, So what else are they suppose to do except beg, Just think about it, You would need to be really hard up to ask people for change especially when you are living on the street, Its only a bit of change to you but it means a lot more to them, Dont be so hard on them.

PS: As I said I actually know a good few homeless people personally from my work, And one in particular his name was David Gill, And he used to tell me story's of how people treated him and how they looked down on him with disgust, And how when he was asleep on the street people used to piss (urinate) on him as they passed by, You think that is bad though, One night about a year ago, They went one better than that, When they were walking by they poured petrol all over him and burned him alive while he was sleeping for a laugh, He died in hospital from his injuries a week later, Now this guy was the salt of the earth and never harmed anyone, Yet just because he lived on the street he was treated like a piece of shit, Again do you really think he choose that life for himself?

PPS: Nobody was ever charged for his murder.

again, i am aware there are different circumstances and that was my point. alot of these homeless people in vancouver are slackers that just dont want to work or are on crystal meth, which i dont feel sympathy for in one bit.
you talk about not being able to get a job. there is jobs that pay under the table that alot of people can work if they dont mind working hard.
as i said, my brother is mentally slow, and has health problems and he could easily live on the streets but he has always worked these menial jobs so i believ if he can do it, a big % of these people can do it

[LivinLOS]

But its also to be said that your brother also has a family support network to give him somewhere to sleep and get washed up before getting a job..

I am like Ali in that I sympathize with most.. You can see the pushy scamming kind of scally a mile off and they get fcuk all from me.. But the down on thier luck side tend to get my charity.. I am also partial to going buying a hot sweet coffee and big sandwich and passing that to them on a cold morning.. Money wont get spent on drink or drugs that way and the personal tought that you think to do it is somehow appreciated more..

I am from a semi gypsy heritage and family anyway.. I remember as a kid my old man would always always (every hitch hiker) give tramps and other guys like that lifts.. I was taught to always call them 'Gentlemen of the road' and have to say we met some interesting charachters.. Sometimes he would bring home.. One even stayed with us over christmas day as my old man picked him up just before and he had no family etc.. I remember somehow my dad had rustled up a new zippo in a box as a present for this old fella and he was so touched and shocked he cried..

Another time we were sitting in a resturant and this old boy comes to the window and looked at the menu card and price list (in the window) while we were sitting at the table next to it.. You could see he was reading it was was hungry and had no money to get it just by the look on his face.. So my old fella goes outside.. speaks to him.. Gets him by the arm while he protests and brings him in.. Now as they come inside the old boy must have looked a bit on the scruffy side and the manager or whatever comes over and 'Sorry but he cant come in here'.. Well my old fella is similar to me in that niether of us take to authority well and pompous pr1cks dont get far.. Hes a merchant seaman / gypsy / smugller / etc so doesnt get told what to do much.. Anyway, quick as a flash he loudly says "what.. This man is my father.. are you saying my father cant eat here" (or words to that effect).. You could see the old boy was shy and nervous from being chucked out of places or denied entrance but once my old man had claimed it was family and we had been waiting for him the manager was kind of defeated.. You could see the air come out of this guys sails and just know he was immediately defeated.. Anyway the old fella came and had something to eat, told a couple of stories. was made welcome etc..

I can think of loads of these kind of encounters.. though I do have to say that the quality of character amoung these guys was a lot different that modern homeless I think.. Lots of them were just nomadic grifters, worked the farms and hops picking, manual labourers on the move (oakies in Yank speak).. and even if they might have had a drink too many there wasnt the chemical drug use to break minds as much back 20 - 30 years ago..

[marc26]

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

But its also to be said that your brother also has a family support network to give him somewhere to sleep and get washed up before getting a job..

I am like Ali in that I sympathize with most.. You can see the pushy scamming kind of scally a mile off and they get fcuk all from me.. But the down on thier luck side tend to get my charity.. I am also partial to going buying a hot sweet coffee and big sandwich and passing that to them on a cold morning.. Money wont get spent on drink or drugs that way and the personal tought that you think to do it is somehow appreciated more..

I am from a semi gypsy heritage and family anyway.. I remember as a kid my old man would always always (every hitch hiker) give tramps and other guys like that lifts.. I was taught to always call them 'Gentlemen of the road' and have to say we met some interesting charachters.. Sometimes he would bring home.. One even stayed with us over christmas day as my old man picked him up just before and he had no family etc.. I remember somehow my dad had rustled up a new zippo in a box as a present for this old fella and he was so touched and shocked he cried..

Another time we were sitting in a resturant and this old boy comes to the window and looked at the menu card and price list (in the window) while we were sitting at the table next to it.. You could see he was reading it was was hungry and had no money to get it just by the look on his face.. So my old fella goes outside.. speaks to him.. Gets him by the arm while he protests and brings him in.. Now as they come inside the old boy must have looked a bit on the scruffy side and the manager or whatever comes over and 'Sorry but he cant come in here'.. Well my old fella is similar to me in that niether of us take to authority well and pompous pr1cks dont get far.. Hes a merchant seaman / gypsy / smugller / etc so doesnt get told what to do much.. Anyway, quick as a flash he loudly says "what.. This man is my father.. are you saying my father cant eat here" (or words to that effect).. You could see the old boy was shy and nervous from being chucked out of places or denied entrance but once my old man had claimed it was family and we had been waiting for him the manager was kind of defeated.. You could see the air come out of this guys sails and just know he was immediately defeated.. Anyway the old fella came and had something to eat, told a couple of stories. was made welcome etc..

I can think of loads of these kind of encounters.. though I do have to say that the quality of character amoung these guys was a lot different that modern homeless I think.. Lots of them were just nomadic grifters, worked the farms and hops picking, manual labourers on the move (oakies in Yank speak).. and even if they might have had a drink too many there wasnt the chemical drug use to break minds as much back 20 - 30 years ago..

actually ny brother didnt have the support system. after my dad died, he got real bad with drinking and was abusive to my brothers and sisters so mu mom booted him. but he always took care of him self. never a dime from anyone.

[LivinLOS]

OK sorry, just an assumption as I have heard you talk about 'big family' and kind of assumed large close lots of siblings kind of thing..

[wakeboycam]

On Kao San Road there is an old guy with no arms. I always slip some cash in the pocket of his shirt. But i always wonder how he would get it out to buy some food or where he sleepes and washes himself. Would he have a wife to go to at night or something .... ? In general in Holland i don't give much to beggars because we have a decend social system here and everybody gets money from the gouvernment if they want it. But in other countries and especially the not so rich countries i always try to give something.

[Allybabba22]

Originally Posted by marc26

you talk about not being able to get a job. there is jobs that pay under the table that alot of people can work if they dont mind working hard.
as i said, my brother is mentally slow, and has health problems and he could easily live on the streets but he has always worked these menial jobs so i believ if he can do it, a big % of these people can do it

Thats the point, I dont know about America but over here no one would give them a job, Money under the counter or not, You would not be able to get a job cleaning a toilet if you lived on the street over here, Nobody wants people who are dirty and smelly working on there premises etc..etc..

[marc26]

Originally Posted by Allybabba22

Thats the point, I dont know about America but over here no one would give them a job, Money under the counter or not, You would not be able to get a job cleaning a toilet if you lived on the street over here, Nobody wants people who are dirty and smelly working on there premises etc..etc..

i guess there is different circumstances for everyone. but alot of these people are on the streets by their own doing

[marc26]

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

OK sorry, just an assumption as I have heard you talk about 'big family' and kind of assumed large close lots of siblings kind of thing..

we have a very big close family, but i guess after a yar of two of kicking the crap out of my siblings he got booted. iw as only a kid, so i dont remember. weve taken care of him later in his life, but hes still self sufficient

[Heywood]

Its a hella of a situation,

My thinking is inline on this one, I think if you really look at someone you can tell which sort they are, Yes it is true here in the states there are professional beggars, ones who drive nice cars but park them out of sight but beg and make more than most who work for a living.

I think of myself and how it would be if I had lost everything, the way some people are treated is downright disgraceful. There are peoples pets who are treated with more respect than a fellow human being.

Some of the worst treatment is handed down from people who have had all of there lives, its unreal to me how bad people can be to each other, I will never understand it.

I am a big believer in empathy toward my fellow man and will always think of the first time I helped someone, let your conscience be your guide.

We waste so much in my own country that there never should be one person ever to go hungry, we house people in jails with a warm bed and hot meals, but turn our backs on those who have nothing. Yes I do realize there are programs, but if your a single male I think its a bit tougher.

I will however be the first person to say every single able body should have to work for what they have, no handouts to people who make a choice to live off of the system....Our welfare system sucks and promotes the nonworking types to produce more children who are taught to do the same...God I've got to get out of this place.

Ok..enough of this serious talk...how about lunch.

[Allybabba22]

Originally Posted by marc26

i guess there is different circumstances for everyone. but alot of these people are on the streets by their own doing

Thats true aswell, But they are still human, And as I said after a couple of weeks living it rough on the street they probably realise there mistake's and were they went wrong, But find it really hard to get back to normality because the system we have in place is against them, Yes there's hostels were they can go but there is only enough room for a certain amount of people, And even then they are rough as fu*k over here, Sometimes you would probably be better off on the streets, I just think these people deserve better than that.

By the way I understand what your saying about some people actually making a living out of tapping for money and in some cases, End up making a huge amount that you would not make doing a normal job, But you can normally spot these people from a mile off.

[barcardi73]

Well i aint a big believer in giving beggars cash in the uk ! But when i am in thailand i always take my spare coins or small notes with me for those people that happen to be begging ! (bg's included ) i find it worth while to put a smile on the face of a poor thai person ! One time in a 7/11 there was 2 kids struggling to balance the 3ft tall slushy drinks they had just filled giggling at the counter when i offered to pay for them the cashier said they had already paid so i told them to go and get some chocalate and i would pay . So off they went round the shop for 5 mins when they returned they had the ferrero rocher chocaltes .Probably looked for the dearest in the shop ! so i paid and it was worth every baht to see the smiles on there faces ! And always get that same heart warming smile from the street beggars I will take you one day ally and buy u a slushy

With the uk beggars you know where most of the cash is going i.e the off license! which puts me off giving !


Barcardi73

[marc26]

Originally Posted by barcardi73

Well i aint a big believer in giving beggars cash in the uk ! But when i am in thailand i always take my spare coins or small notes with me for those people that happen to be begging ! (bg's included ) i find it worth while to put a smile on the face of a poor thai person ! One time in a 7/11 there was 2 kids struggling to balance the 3ft tall slushy drinks they had just filled giggling at the counter when i offered to pay for them the cashier said they had already paid so i told them to go and get some chocalate and i would pay . So off they went round the shop for 5 mins when they returned they had the ferrero rocher chocaltes .Probably looked for the dearest in the shop ! so i paid and it was worth every baht to see the smiles on there faces ! And always get that same heart warming smile from the street beggars I will take you one day ally and buy u a slushy

With the uk beggars you know where most of the cash is going i.e the off license! which puts me off giving !


Barcardi73

as i like to do in nana plaza, i was sittign at the outside bar at the entrance. i watched this one lady who had her 5 yr old gilr running up to farangs and grabbing their legs. this lady made more than any bg that night

[marc26]

plus, since i consider you guys friends,and this topic touches a nerve, ill share my thoughts on this
my dad died when i was 4. my mom had 7 kids. becasue of a screw up she got screwed out of my dad's navy pension and we had no money growing up. my mom worked her ass off, but we moved from apartment to apartmnet. sometimes not having heat or electricity. we went 2 years without hot water when i was ateenager.
if my mom, at the age of 55 with 7 kids can bust her ass to get by and put a roof over her head, many of these homeless people, that are not mentally unstable can also.
thats my story, sorry to throw that on you. but i guess thats why i have the attitude i do. mind you, i am never rude to these people except for young able ones

[Allybabba22]

Originally Posted by marc26

plus, since i consider you guys friends,and this topic touches a nerve, ill share my thoughts on this
my dad died when i was 4. my mom had 7 kids. becasue of a screw up she got screwed out of my dad's navy pension and we had no money growing up. my mom worked her ass off, but we moved from apartment to apartmnet. sometimes not having heat or electricity. we went 2 years without hot water when i was ateenager.
if my mom, at the age of 55 with 7 kids can bust her ass to get by and put a roof over her head, many of these homeless people, that are not mentally unstable can also.
thats my story, sorry to throw that on you. but i guess thats why i have the attitude i do. mind you, i am never rude to these people except for young able ones

I can understand your point of view, And I would possibly feel the same under the same circumstances.

[Heywood]

Originally Posted by marc26

plus, since i consider you guys friends,and this topic touches a nerve, ill share my thoughts on this
my dad died when i was 4. my mom had 7 kids. becasue of a screw up she got screwed out of my dad's navy pension and we had no money growing up. my mom worked her ass off, but we moved from apartment to apartmnet. sometimes not having heat or electricity. we went 2 years without hot water when i was ateenager.
if my mom, at the age of 55 with 7 kids can bust her ass to get by and put a roof over her head, many of these homeless people, that are not mentally unstable can also.
thats my story, sorry to throw that on you. but i guess thats why i have the attitude i do. mind you, i am never rude to these people except for young able ones

Understandable Paul for it to piss you off so...Your mom was top shelf to pull that off...that's the difference.