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A crisis of conscience

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by hockeybeat, Aug 15, 2007.

  1. EE94

    EE94 Guest

    If you encounter panhandlers a lot, carry some granola bars or some such and give those. Seriously.
     
  2. Wow, we've got more bleeding hearts on SJ than I thought.

    Every piece of change that you give to a panhandler perpetuates chronic homelessness and encourages people to continue to beg as a source of income. If you feel moved by the plight of homeless people, donate the money to a shelter or soup kitchen.
     
  3. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    So soup kitchens don't perpetuate chronic homelessness?
     
  4. Money donated to shelters, social-service orgs, churches can be used for food, shelter, GED/job training, drug treatment, etc. Money given to a panhandler is almost certainly going to be used for booze.

    Social-service workers whose job it is to help the homeless would tell you that giving to panhandlers contributes to the problem, rather than helps solve it.
     
  5. zeke12

    zeke12 Guest

    And we'll leave it to you to decide which is a bigger problem aside from homelessness: That a person desperate enough to beg for money on the street might buy alcohol or your complete alienation from your fellow humans.
     
  6. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Bottom line is there are some people that are going to be homeless, no matter what.
     
  7. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty Guest

    i don't know zeke. getting bombarded with that shit on a daily basis can do as much to a lotta folks.
     
  8. Wow, thank you Zeke for clearly stating what I have become convinced of over the years... Giving money to a panhandler has NOTHING at all to do with helping the homeless person. It's about making the giver feel good about himself.
     
  9. A timely story:

    http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1187254832252820.xml&coll=2
     
  10. zeke12

    zeke12 Guest

    I know, Tom.

    I've lived in neighborhoods where I couldn't stand at the bus stop without being hit up constantly. I've turned people down when I didn't have anything, and I've bummed out countless cigarettes. I've also told the story on here before of my favorite panhandler, who hit me up for food money while eating an ice cream cone.

    That said, I don't get the smug moral outrage that a homelless person *GASP* will buy alcohol with the money the receive, and somehow that makes them bad people who are deserving of their fate -- and, as an ancillary benefit, absolves you of any feelings of guilt.

    As I said before, if they're desperate enough to beg for money on the street, I assume they need the money fairly badly. I don't much care what they spend it on, if I give it to them.
     
  11. zeke12

    zeke12 Guest

    This is exactly correct on at least two levels, neither of which you were intending.

    That's impressive, no matter how you look at it.
     
  12. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Yes, but those people don't really want to help the homeless. They just want them out of downtown.

    And there is no question that some will lie about needing medicine, diapers, gas money (especially) etc.

    It's a tricky situation. But I think these people wouldn't care if the homeless were taken out and buried in a pit as long as they didn't inconvenience tourists.
     
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