Poll: If a homeless person begged you for money, would you give it to them?
- Thread starter mrduckbear
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Sadly, no.
I'm firstly not rich enough to be handing out money. I bought some guy sitting outside in the sun 5 litres of water in a bottle. He didn't thank me. He asked for more money.
He brought his son with him. I know that schools here are free and welcoming, so he has dragged his son out of school to come begging with him. Either they have no intention of improving the situation or that is precisely what they want.
If you play music on the street, then I tend to give a few pennies if I have the money (which I rarely do). I give money to people I like. I just paid off some debts for my girlfriend.
Also, I'm going to assist my girlfriend in creating a business which helps the poorer farmers in her area. That's how I'll help improve the world. But a few pennies here and there won't solve anything. If you really care, create a business and hire some homeless people, or perhaps ask your workplace to consider giving some of these homeless people internships or something.
I'm firstly not rich enough to be handing out money. I bought some guy sitting outside in the sun 5 litres of water in a bottle. He didn't thank me. He asked for more money.
He brought his son with him. I know that schools here are free and welcoming, so he has dragged his son out of school to come begging with him. Either they have no intention of improving the situation or that is precisely what they want.
If you play music on the street, then I tend to give a few pennies if I have the money (which I rarely do). I give money to people I like. I just paid off some debts for my girlfriend.
Also, I'm going to assist my girlfriend in creating a business which helps the poorer farmers in her area. That's how I'll help improve the world. But a few pennies here and there won't solve anything. If you really care, create a business and hire some homeless people, or perhaps ask your workplace to consider giving some of these homeless people internships or something.
Generally speaking it isn't a good idea to give them handouts. It keeps them locked in a cycle when there are many organisations to help rehabilitate people living on the street.
Here where I live, we've been having more and more people out on the street. Tough economic conditions coupled with drug abuse and even domestic abuse have meant more people are ending up on the street. There is, however, a difference between someone out on the street because they have nowhere else to go and someone out on the street because they don't want to take responsibility for anything.
Usually, they're on the street because it's better than living in a place with rules. They don't have enough money to own their own home and continue abusing drugs and alcohol, but they won't stop their substance abuse so they can live under someone's roof. Not many people tolerate drug abusers stealing their stuff to pawn for drugs so they kick them out. They then stay outside. Giving them money enables this.
City officials have also encouraged people to give responsibly by donating to organisations that rehabilitate people living on the street instead of giving directly to them. Many of them loot our bins looking for recyclables and some even leave food for them. It leads to an influx of homeless folk and the criminal element among them takes advantage of this. This has led to increases in break ins, muggings, assaults and car break ins.
People still feel sorry for many homeless people but ironically they don't need our pity. They need rehabilitation or at the very least an environment that doesn't support their habits. Once they have nowhere else to turn to, they end up at centres designed to get them cleaned up and off the street.
The other problem is that homeless people don't stop having sex just because they're homeless. They then raise kids on the street and the children are often taken from them. This is traumatic to the child and unnecessarily so if the parents had considered cleaning up their act. Children growing up on the street are being neglected (in so far as not having a home and being exposed to violence, drugs and potential sexual abuse is neglect) so authorities have to take them away to protect them from life on the street. Even if the parents took care of them as best they can, the children still deserve better than life on the street. There's no guarantee they will find a home or be adopted, but they can't be left to life on the street.
Everytime you give to people on the street it perpetuates this. It contributes to children growing up on the street and enables drug and alcohol abuse. Rather give to organisations that deal with the issue.
Here where I live, we've been having more and more people out on the street. Tough economic conditions coupled with drug abuse and even domestic abuse have meant more people are ending up on the street. There is, however, a difference between someone out on the street because they have nowhere else to go and someone out on the street because they don't want to take responsibility for anything.
Usually, they're on the street because it's better than living in a place with rules. They don't have enough money to own their own home and continue abusing drugs and alcohol, but they won't stop their substance abuse so they can live under someone's roof. Not many people tolerate drug abusers stealing their stuff to pawn for drugs so they kick them out. They then stay outside. Giving them money enables this.
City officials have also encouraged people to give responsibly by donating to organisations that rehabilitate people living on the street instead of giving directly to them. Many of them loot our bins looking for recyclables and some even leave food for them. It leads to an influx of homeless folk and the criminal element among them takes advantage of this. This has led to increases in break ins, muggings, assaults and car break ins.
People still feel sorry for many homeless people but ironically they don't need our pity. They need rehabilitation or at the very least an environment that doesn't support their habits. Once they have nowhere else to turn to, they end up at centres designed to get them cleaned up and off the street.
The other problem is that homeless people don't stop having sex just because they're homeless. They then raise kids on the street and the children are often taken from them. This is traumatic to the child and unnecessarily so if the parents had considered cleaning up their act. Children growing up on the street are being neglected (in so far as not having a home and being exposed to violence, drugs and potential sexual abuse is neglect) so authorities have to take them away to protect them from life on the street. Even if the parents took care of them as best they can, the children still deserve better than life on the street. There's no guarantee they will find a home or be adopted, but they can't be left to life on the street.
Everytime you give to people on the street it perpetuates this. It contributes to children growing up on the street and enables drug and alcohol abuse. Rather give to organisations that deal with the issue.
I have been actively pestered by a beggar. A particularly rude one at that too, he walks right up into your face, or breaks into your crowd of friends who are standing around waiting for a bus, and holds out his hands and saying "please". Walking into crowds, being totally annoying, and you have to shoo him away. I understand he's in need of money, but there are better ways of doing it. Personal space, dude, do you speak it? (Given his actions, I think he does).
If not wanting to give money to beggars is being callous, then call me Callous McHeartLess, but I don't think the solution is to start begging. Honestly, I don't know what the solution is, these people come from pretty terrible conditions in search of a better life. Not finding it, they resort to begging. In Europe, they come mostly from the eastern countries to Scandinavia, where the language barrier will punch them in the face and keep kicking them until they die. I get that we're the richer part of Europe, but it's not going to help them coming here, life will be just as cruel and unforgiving, with a whole lot colder climate, and people in general don't care any more here than they do elsewhere.
There are obviously people who give them money, otherwise they wouldn't survive more than a few days, but is this really what we want?
I'm going to go into the most heartless corner of my mind and drag out something that some of you probably don't want to hear, so I'll put it in a spoiler. Click it if you want to know what I have to say.
I hope this isn't going to make people yell at me in fits of rage, and that it helps people think a little outside of the box, because I certainly have.
If not wanting to give money to beggars is being callous, then call me Callous McHeartLess, but I don't think the solution is to start begging. Honestly, I don't know what the solution is, these people come from pretty terrible conditions in search of a better life. Not finding it, they resort to begging. In Europe, they come mostly from the eastern countries to Scandinavia, where the language barrier will punch them in the face and keep kicking them until they die. I get that we're the richer part of Europe, but it's not going to help them coming here, life will be just as cruel and unforgiving, with a whole lot colder climate, and people in general don't care any more here than they do elsewhere.
There are obviously people who give them money, otherwise they wouldn't survive more than a few days, but is this really what we want?
I'm going to go into the most heartless corner of my mind and drag out something that some of you probably don't want to hear, so I'll put it in a spoiler. Click it if you want to know what I have to say.
What really is the point of giving these people the false pretense that coming here will help their situation? If we keep giving them money, they might survive long enough for them to keep begging for another day. It doesn't make a difference, because while they can eat for one more day, their life situation is unchanged. Their days will still be spent begging for spare change that people don't want, making people think they're doing a good deed. I don't believe it is a good deed, we're just sustaining their miserable life, letting them think there's hope where there is none.
I understand that people have this in-built desire to survive, otherwise we wouldn't survive as a species, and people are mostly programmed to not wanting other humans (or animals) to suffer, so we help them in a way that allows us to think is helpful, and we don't have to think more about it afterwards. They may or may not be thankful, I don't know what kind of emotions the act of receiving money excites in the recipient, but the joy is nonetheless short-lived, at least in the grand scheme of things.
By giving a beggar some change, we're essentially also setting a price tag on their lives, saying that "this is how much I think you're worth, now go away".
I'm of course not saying that it's more ethical to let them die, and their lives are certainly not worthless. Nor should we think that any life could have a value. You've undoubtedly heard the phrase "all lives are invaluable". To me that sentence is unreasonable. Invaluable suggests that there IS a number, however infinite we might imagine it, that would set a price tag on a life. No value has a bad taste to it too though, it makes it sound like a life is worthless.
Perhaps I'm being overly pessimistic, but this is how I see the world. People shouldn't have to be forced away from their homelands to attempt to warm the hearts of a frozen people because they're worse off than we are.
I understand that people have this in-built desire to survive, otherwise we wouldn't survive as a species, and people are mostly programmed to not wanting other humans (or animals) to suffer, so we help them in a way that allows us to think is helpful, and we don't have to think more about it afterwards. They may or may not be thankful, I don't know what kind of emotions the act of receiving money excites in the recipient, but the joy is nonetheless short-lived, at least in the grand scheme of things.
By giving a beggar some change, we're essentially also setting a price tag on their lives, saying that "this is how much I think you're worth, now go away".
I'm of course not saying that it's more ethical to let them die, and their lives are certainly not worthless. Nor should we think that any life could have a value. You've undoubtedly heard the phrase "all lives are invaluable". To me that sentence is unreasonable. Invaluable suggests that there IS a number, however infinite we might imagine it, that would set a price tag on a life. No value has a bad taste to it too though, it makes it sound like a life is worthless.
Perhaps I'm being overly pessimistic, but this is how I see the world. People shouldn't have to be forced away from their homelands to attempt to warm the hearts of a frozen people because they're worse off than we are.
I don't give money to homeless becuase most of the time they just go use it to buy drugs. If I'm outside a food place or something and they ask me for money for food, I'll offer to go buy them something to eat. Majority of the time they don't want that just money.
No, i already made that mistake at the bus station in Malmö
If they gave me a reason however, like paying for a bus, then yes probably
If they gave me a reason however, like paying for a bus, then yes probably
If I had money to give to them and they weren't harassing me? Sure.
However, once you start harassing me, you aren't worth my time. Make me feel threatened and I'll fight to protect myself and I usually carry a knife on me if not more.
I typically don't give homeless people money but that's more because I really DON'T have the money to give out. Also, 90% of the ones in my area aren't really homeless so I don't feel sorry for them. If you have the money to afford a brand new custom fitted suit and nicer shoes than what I typically wear, then my pity for you goes away. And sadly that's 90% of them in my area. I've also heard some of them bragging about how not homeless they are and just how much they're making off suckers in the area.
I have enough money monthly to pay my cell phone bill and have $40 left for gas for all the things I HAVE to do because I get paid for them or because they are for my health(drs appointments and medication pickups). I'm lucky if I have $5 left over at the end of the month.
However, once you start harassing me, you aren't worth my time. Make me feel threatened and I'll fight to protect myself and I usually carry a knife on me if not more.
I typically don't give homeless people money but that's more because I really DON'T have the money to give out. Also, 90% of the ones in my area aren't really homeless so I don't feel sorry for them. If you have the money to afford a brand new custom fitted suit and nicer shoes than what I typically wear, then my pity for you goes away. And sadly that's 90% of them in my area. I've also heard some of them bragging about how not homeless they are and just how much they're making off suckers in the area.
I have enough money monthly to pay my cell phone bill and have $40 left for gas for all the things I HAVE to do because I get paid for them or because they are for my health(drs appointments and medication pickups). I'm lucky if I have $5 left over at the end of the month.