Giving money to street beggars.

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#21 Post by Pontius Navigator » Tue Nov 28, 2017 10:12 pm

In India female beggars hire babies as props. The babies are denied food and water so that they are floppy.

In Colombia one cruise passenger gave some money and was berated for not giving enough. The beggar didn't bother those who didn't give at all. One beggar with deformed legs managed to get to more than one point on our walking toiuyr ahead if us.

However in Egypt we met a very enterprising young man. He approached us with a handful of English money and asked for 20p (£E1) to complete his collection. As we left he approached our tour guide and asked him to change all this English money!

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#22 Post by Rwy in Sight » Fri Dec 08, 2017 7:28 pm

I was checking-out of the hotel the other day, while breakfast was served. A beggar was at the lobby asking for food and was given none. We left the lobby more or less at the same time. Initially, I tried to avoid him but then I thought he was in such a bad shape that a 0,10€ might be useful. Now I feel bad I did not give him more.

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#23 Post by Slasher » Sun Dec 10, 2017 4:30 pm

In the Sandpit and FME yer common Bangladude street cleaner is paid absolute crap. Not only does he have to survive but also send money home each month to his fam in Bangladudia. So sometimes I'll dish out some groceries to 'em during Ramadan. That of course is the fasting month but to these poor bastards it's like any other.

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#24 Post by Cacophonix » Thu Dec 14, 2017 11:14 am

One of the most interesting interactions I have had with a street beggar was the one I had with some poor chap in Edinburgh some years ago before a rugby international. He came up and said something along the lines of "I could give you a load of baloney about needing money for food etc. but what I most need now is a drink"! He looked tired, unkempt, underfed and clearly needed care and food. It was freezing and his life was clearly *****, who was I to become pious and point out that alcohol was going to exacerbate his problems? In that moment he needed some inner solace and some forgetfulness! I gave him £20.00 for his honesty and let him be. He is probably long gone and dead on account of all of the factors that go with the descent into poverty in an uncaring world! No doubt my £20.00 hastened him on that path, poor guy!

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#25 Post by Capetonian » Thu Dec 14, 2017 11:47 am

I had a similar experience with a bergie at the old Inn On The Square in Greenmarket Square. I was sitting outside on the stoep having lunch and this toothless reeking bergie came and rested his chin on the railing about 2 inches from my lunch and started off with:

"Yello master I'm not going to give you a long ***** story about how my brother needs money up in Worcester and blah blah blah I'm an alky and I need 2 rand for a dop."

I gave him enough for a top up and made it quite clear that it was for his honesty rather than because I condoned what he was doing.

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#26 Post by Cacophonix » Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:06 pm

Capetonian wrote:I had a similar experience with a bergie at the old Inn On The Square in Greenmarket Square. I was sitting outside on the stoep having lunch and this toothless reeking bergie came and rested his chin on the railing about 2 inches from my lunch and started off with:

"Yello master I'm not going to give you a long ***** story about how my brother needs money up in Worcester and blah blah blah I'm an alky and I need 2 rand for a dop."

I gave him enough for a top up and made it quite clear that it was for his honesty rather than because I condoned what he was doing.


You know Capetonian that post of yours reminded me of the bergie that used to play the mouth organ on Rondebosch station back in the 70's. He was known to everybody as Tom Jones and would sing old Cape Coloured folk songs and dance. He was popular with all the commuters into town but he was drinking meths and, not surprisingly, he died and all the bergies held a memorial parade in front of the station wearing the very best that they could beg, borrow or steal. It was like a scene from the beggar's opera but it was one of the saddest things I have ever seen (the thought of it brings a tear to my eye to this day)!

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#27 Post by Rwy in Sight » Sun Dec 17, 2017 2:33 am

Last Friday, I had an interesting experience. I was moving to a new appointment and I saw an oldish guy, who my sister always help because she looks like our father. He sells various things like lighters and packets handkerchiefs (those at a cost of .40€). I only had available .20€ and I gave it to him. He refused to move on and insisted instead that I give him the precise amount of money because he considered a business transaction rather that begging. I finally gave him .30€, took the packet and I went to my way.

And that reminds me that when a person selling something on a street in exchange for pity cash, the advice is to take it. It helps their pride - and you get to keep the item.

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#28 Post by Imagegear » Sun Dec 17, 2017 5:16 am

I'm with Capetonian on this one. Down here we suffer from well organised gangs of Rumanians, who, in the Summer are driven around town at in a fairly newish Citroen van. The driver (minder) positions each beggar at their designated squatting place. They leave the van with an assortment of paraphernalia including dogs, cats, kittens, babies, children, old carpets, broken beach chairs, old granny's and other emotional extensions. Oh and the quintessential late model, mobile phone.

This is supplemented by teams at traffic lights who drag their dirty, greasy, grit laden, plastic sponges across my windscreen in an attempt at blackmail to get me to pay before they get near it. I scream, bellow, hoot, try to hang back before driving through them, but sooner or later they manage to get their crap on my windscreen. By now I am ballistic and just want to crush all of them under my 220R19's. This seems to happen just after I have visited the car wash.

Every so often, the police hoover them all up and they disappear for a week or two but they are soon back.

But my special hatred is reserved for the drug pushers who set up their "not-so-invisible" shop front on the prom which is full of kids. I am often minded to have a go but they are "carrying" and have "backup" and not to mention the wife having a cadenza about me "interfering".

.....thank you for reading my rant,

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#29 Post by Cacophonix » Sun Dec 17, 2017 4:28 pm

Imagegear wrote:I'm with Capetonian on this one. Down here we suffer from well organised gangs of Rumanians, who, in the Summer are driven around town at in a fairly newish Citroen van. The driver (minder) positions each beggar at their designated squatting place. They leave the van with an assortment of paraphernalia including dogs, cats, kittens, babies, children, old carpets, broken beach chairs, old granny's and other emotional extensions. Oh and the quintessential late model, mobile phone.

This is supplemented by teams at traffic lights who drag their dirty, greasy, grit laden, plastic sponges across my windscreen in an attempt at blackmail to get me to pay before they get near it. I scream, bellow, hoot, try to hang back before driving through them, but sooner or later they manage to get their crap on my windscreen. By now I am ballistic and just want to crush all of them under my 220R19's. This seems to happen just after I have visited the car wash.

Every so often, the police hoover them all up and they disappear for a week or two but they are soon back.

But my special hatred is reserved for the drug pushers who set up their "not-so-invisible" shop front on the prom which is full of kids. I am often minded to have a go but they are "carrying" and have "backup" and not to mention the wife having a cadenza about me "interfering".

.....thank you for reading my rant,

Imagegear


I think that there is a huge difference between the band of mendicants, like the Roumanians (and others) who demand money with menaces by threatening to "wash your windscreen" and genuine cases where the person involved has fallen on their beam end for whatever reason. Organised begging is a crime and should, quite correctly, be stamped out. Drug dealing is another crime altogether...!

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#30 Post by Imagegear » Sun Dec 17, 2017 6:35 pm

Caco

I would generally agree, and I have and will continue to give when I am sure the plea is genuine. I am, for better or worse, of the persuasion that says, I will give what ever I can out of my means, but do not try to intimidate, patronise or exploit my generosity in other testing ways.

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#31 Post by Fliegenmong » Tue Oct 30, 2018 9:29 am

Not a Street Beggar as such....but in NYC, Grand Central station...in a country (indeed a city) cloaked in so much wealth, I spied an oldish black fellow picking through bins.

I was eating some very very average American sandwich of some description, and very discreetly approached the gentleman, and offered (again very discreetly so as not to make a scene of the mans predicament) the untouched half of the 'baguette' .... I remember the sincere gratitude of his soul....as I saw it reflected in his eyes...his nod of thank you humbled me, as he was at least twice my age...

Now...the cynic could say it is a very noticeable place to scavenge through bins etc....and perhaps yes...but no one else offered food for which he seemed genuinely thankful...and ashamed of finding himself in such a place..

Yes.....I still makes me feel good about myself...
Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... Oscar Wilde

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#32 Post by ExSp33db1rd » Tue Oct 30, 2018 10:24 pm

I don't give. Scrooge maybe, but ...

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#33 Post by Slasher » Wed Oct 31, 2018 9:36 am

I used to give grub to the street cleaners in the Gulf (those not walking around with 3 smartphones doing side gigs to survive). Poor buggers there work their arses off for poverty wages. Most are Pakis and Bangladudes with the odd Indian thrown in.

The only perks they get is free medical (which they could never afford) as long as they're at death's door on arrival at the hospital. For any outpatient stuff they have to fork out the cost first and then take their chances with the raghead boss to have it approved for reimbursement. If not it's tough bosoms and they lose a whole month's salary or more depending on what the outpatient costs and medicines were. No wonder the poor bastards are hungry all the time.

If I needed heavy awkward stuff hauled upstairs or down I'd grab a couple of blokes off the street to help me. Then I would pay 'em in US cash. Not a lot I grant you but it'd keep him or his family back home fed for a week.

I like these guys because the majority never beg for food or cash - they want to earn and not get handouts. I did however give some handouts now and then out of sheer humanity.

The Bangla I talked to said they have 5 sickies a year. Most will risk using those sick days to take a day off now and then doing other jobs to earn extra income - washing cars, doing errands, odd jobs etc. More than 5 days (i.e. they actually get sick) their pay is docked. So let's say for example he gets run over by a bus into a mangled bloodied heap. His insurance will fully cover all costs associated with his problem. Let's say his hospital stay is 21 days and rehab another 10 days. Let's throw in 5 days more before he can start properly working again. Total 36 days. In that case he'll be docked 31 days pay.

If they were working in some shithole like Chad or Sudan it would be understandable. But the Gulf area is so megafukking rich it's an obscene affront to the dignity of labor. While some ragheads on the street will help one of these poor buggers out if he is really physically fuct (e.g. sunstroke) ...most won't as foreign street cleaners are considered the lowest of the low in status. The don't spit on them - just turn a blind eye. I'm no do-gooder...but jeezus!

The bible and koran have one theme in common - help out the poor and the stuffed. Moozy 'compassion' is but a sick joke there.

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#34 Post by Capetonian » Wed Oct 31, 2018 11:24 am

But the Gulf area is so megafukking rich it's an obscene affront to the dignity of labor
It's all built on exploitation and slavery of one kind or another and it's a blight on the face of the earth and an affront to the human race. The whole place, starting with stinking hypocritical corrupt DXB, should be flattened, after evacuation of the exploited.

I used to keep a few tins of food (chicken meat or fish) in my car when driving around in ZA, and if, as often happened, I was approached at an intersection by someone who said they were hungry, I'd give them a choice of the three. After twice seeing them chuck them away with disdain, I stopped doing it.

They want money for drink or drugs. I appreciate that they have a **** life but they are not doing themselves any favours.

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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#35 Post by 1DC » Wed Nov 07, 2018 10:34 am

I don't give to beggars but i do buy the Big Issue, i have always felt that people selling it are trying to help themselves..

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Would you give a homeless person on the street $100?

#36 Post by Undried Plum » Wed Nov 07, 2018 10:59 am


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Re: Giving money to street beggars.

#37 Post by Rwy in Sight » Wed Nov 07, 2018 8:50 pm

Another thing I do and it might help is put food - any kind and maybe more unusual like chocolate or chips to the boxes after the tills at the supermarket. Those boxes are used to provide meals for those in needs (a service run by the very rich local church) and I feel that only people really in need go there.

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