Do you give money to beggars?

[Pornstar]

What is your reaction to beggars in the streets? I don't think i have ever given any of them money because i assume they will spend it on alchohol or drugs. I think the rest of them are con artists. The other day this guy about my age was walking behind me and he obviously had a pocketful of change because it was clinking and jangling like mad and he comes up to me and says 'scuse me mate, couldn't spare some change could ya? No i bloody well can't asswipe. The only time i have ever given a beggar anything was when i gave a homeless guy a meal of BBQ ribs which i had just taken from a restaurant in a doggy bag.

My worst beggar story is when i was in Paris and there was a lady sitting against a shop window with her young baby in her arms. She had her top pulled down to uncover the complete right side of her torso, which was badly burned. It made me sick, and i still wonder if she had been burnt deliberately specifically to get more money begging. Also bad is in Tijuana, Mexico where you get little 5 year olds asking you for money, which they promptly hand over to their parents who are standing 10 meters away.

 

[M29]

Most of them are con artists or smack heads. Especially round bourke st swantson st. I've seen to many of them. I hate them all.

 

[jefffff34]

Originally posted by M29
Most of them are con artists or smack heads. Especially round bourke st swantson st. I've seen to many of them. I hate them all.

I agree.

 

[mantis]

There was a guy outside a bank yesterday asking people for $1.80 bus fair so he could get to centrelink, as he had just got out of jail didn't see anyone give him the money, I just laughed at him.

 

[Rohan_]

They aren't worth it.

 

[Bomber Spirit]

Never never never. Beggars are nothing but thieves and con artists.
It's an organised scam.

 

[bunsen burner]

Giving them money just encourages them to keep doing. The more and more people give them money, the more beggars we see on the street.

I would prefer Aussie cities to have less beggars.

 

[windyhill]

Only the older blokes,(the retired collingwood footballers as my old man used to say) the ones who are obviously alco`s and way down on their luck,but i won`t just give them cash,tell them to wait where they are and I`ll bring them food,not grog ! done it a few times.
The younger ones get told where to go.

 

[pedrothelioness]

I had a guy come up to me and asked me if i knew where the Elizabeth street hosel was, after awnsering, Elizabeth st perhaps, he then went on about how it was costing him 25 dollars a nite to stay there and needed 35 dollars bond, because the salvation army hostel was full and you can only stay there for a nite, he then proceeded to ask me for money. At 25 dollars a night, thats pretty much the rent i pay per day to live in melbourne, and i could barely pay rent bills ect myself, let alone for someone else. I agree the greater majority of beggars in the city are druggies, we used to get them come into work all the time, it however is nothing compared to the begging I found in Europe. in some countrys we were warned that begging is a profession for many, they hire children as props and everything, and they make quite a bit of dough. One of the worst places which was suprising, apart from romania, parts of italy and spain, was brussels.....in belguim, for quite a wealthy city, they're were people everywhere. I always felt uncomfortabe when people came up to me, not only cause id have to say no, but i also felt like it was invading my own space.

 

[Lethal]

Nope, I certainly don't.

 

[kaz68]

Yes I have.

When I used to go to the RCH on a regular basis I would get asked by some of the old blokes around there for change. I would usually hand some over.

I also gave my daughter's baby blanket and my jacket to a young girl with a young child who was asking for money. Very sad situation to be in and I don't think anyone would choose to be in that situation. Would you seriously give up your life as it is and change places ??

I think to generalise and say that anyone down on their luck or who have made some poor choices in their life, or who have simply fallen through the social safety net is scum is pretty harsh. They are fellow human beings.

Kaz

 

[Portia]

Yeah, I do reasonably often, to the less annoying people.

 

[gPhonque]

Originally posted by Porthos
Yeah, I do reasonably often, to the less annoying people.

Same.

It depends on the person.

Mind you, i don't go to the city very often anymore.

 

[The Hitman]

Rarely. Some are genuine, some aren't. It depends on how much I have, too. Bloody annoying though...

The Hitman

 

[PiesPremiers]

Originally posted by The Hitman
Rarely. Some are genuine, some aren't. It depends on how much I have, too. Bloody annoying though...

The Hitman

If you found a babies lolly pop on the ground, you wouldnt even give it back, even if the baby was crying its heart out. Your a cold man brett, very cold.

 

[Danni]

Originally posted by gPhonque


Mind you, i don't go to the city very often anymore.

Same here. If I have a few bucks to spare, then yes I will.

What if it was a genuine case? For me it is not worth the risk not to give. I know that if I found out that it was genuine, and I could have helped in a small way, but didn't, I would feel terrible.

 

[mantis]

I always give them a ciggie when they ask for one. Sowwy Ripper.

 

[The Hitman]

Yup, I'm a right royal prick.

The Hitman

 

[Thrawn]

No. Because I have done it once, gave two dollars to a bloke who asked for money for a train ticket home. Then I had to wait for my friends a few minutes later and who do I see? The same bum I gave the money to, only to see him with out of McDonalds with a cheeseburger in his hand!

From then on, I never give in to beggers demands.

 

[Bomber Spirit]

I had to laugh last Saturday when I was down in Church St Mall in Parramatta. If you're going to pose as a homeless and penniless person and hassle me for money, it might be an idea to remember to switch your mobile off.

 

[SeinDude]

I just say I don't have any change and keep walking, but it's very annoying to get asked. Once I had someone ask me for money while I was talking on my mobile phone... talk about rude!!

Cheers!!
SeinDude

 

[aggels]

If I do, I feel bad because I have no money, if I don't I feel bad because they could have been genuine. I like buskers, because at least they're doing something about it, but what about people who aren't musically inclined?

I have given money to beggars before. A while ago a girl asked me for $2 for food, and since I had some change that I didn't need in my pocket, I couldn't justify not giving it to her. So I did, and I was really glad to see her actually go and buy the food and eat it in front of me.

If people ask me for money for a train ticket, I tell them to go to the travellers centre at Spencer Street Station. If they really are stranded, there's always a way to get out of it.

I'll also add that after the footy one day a few years ago, I had to catch a train home to St Albans and get someone to pick me up from there (I live in Sydenham). The normal way was to phone from a payphone and jump on a train (before mobiles were as wide spread) Well one time I'd saved only 50cents for the phonecall, And when I got to the phone on the platform, it was blocked - I was in a hurry, so I ran to the other phone, losing my 50cents on the way. I panicked, because the next train was the last train, and all I could do would be to catch a train to St Albans and hope that someone thought of me and drove to St Albans when they thought of it. Not exactly the safest option. I was very lucky because some homeless guy who had been picking up coins on the platform came up to me with a handful and told me to take what I needed. although I felt bad about taking it, I was so grateful for him giving me that. And so I think it's only fair to kind of "pay it forward" if you know what I mean.

Oh I do rant too much.

 

[bunsen burner]

Originally posted by kaz68
Very sad situation to be in and I don't think anyone would choose to be in that situation. Would you seriously give up your life as it is and change places ??

What do you mean that they haven't chosen to be in that situation? Of course they have. Those people chose their actions that inevitably have got them homeless.

I think to generalise and say that anyone down on their luck or who have made some poor choices in their life is scum, is pretty harsh

What's more, you even said so yourself a few sentences later.

 

[Sydneyfan]

I do sometimes if I have spare money in my pocket, normally I just say no sorry. Sometimes you get intimating types who stand over you, which annoys me, like one dude I see sometimes in the Devonshire Street Tunnel, near Central in Sydney, he has a push bike and literally blocks you in, I hate the guy because he's not genuinely needy, when you see him you have to quickly avert your way or you're trapped!

Had one girl, about 15 or 16 years old, a couple of months back come up to me, I had 40 cents in my pocket so I gave it to her. To which she replys, "Is that all you've got?, whattya expect me to do with this, make a phone call!" and then chucked the money on the ground. Bloody ingrate, I was about to tear strips through her but kept walking, I was annoyed I could have given that money to someone who genuinely needed it not an ingrateful little brat.

 

[kaz68]

Originally posted by bunsen burner

What do you mean that they haven't chosen to be in that situation? Of course they have. Those people chose their actions that inevitably have got them homeless.

So you know the exact reason why every single homeless person got where they are ? The "Current Affair" generalisations about the unemployed and homeless are simply NOT true. As an example, people who have mental illnesses ... did THEY choose that ? If society fails to protect them adequately do we automatically blame them for their illness and their inability to cope ? Or a teenager leaving an abusive home ? I suppose they are to blame. What about families who lose their current rental properties and can't find anyone willing to rent to a family (happens more often than you would believe ... landlords usually want young couples, not families with kids). I could go on, but those examples will do for now.

You obviously come from a fortunate background. I myself am in a very fortunate position, but I recognise that NOT everybody is as lucky and I refuse to swallow the simplistic view that they are homeless or being forced to beg through their own fault. Blaming the victims is an absolute cop out.

What's more, you even said so yourself a few sentences later.

WHAT ???? Below is exactly what I posted. I said some have made poor choices, some are down on their luck and others have fallen through the social safety net. So all of a sudden it is simply all about bad choices ?

Come off it. If every single person in society was thrown on the scrapheap due to a poor choice in their life then there would be a VERY large pile. I sure as hell hope none of your choices ever see you fall on hard times .... the lack of compassion shown by a lot of people towards those who are less fortunate (whether they be homeless, poor, refugees, aged, etc) is truly an indictment on our society. Do we have it that hard that we find it impossible to show compassion to those who have it worse off ???

Kaz

Yes I have.

When I used to go to the RCH on a regular basis I would get asked by some of the old blokes around there for change. I would usually hand some over.

I also gave my daughter's baby blanket and my jacket to a young girl with a young child who was asking for money. Very sad situation to be in and I don't think anyone would choose to be in that situation. Would you seriously give up your life as it is and change places ??

I think to generalise and say that anyone down on their luck or who have made some poor choices in their life, or who have simply fallen through the social safety net is scum is pretty harsh. They are fellow human beings.