Do you spare change for the homeless?
Discussion
jimbop1 said:
ManFromDelmonte said:
Kermit power said:
some pointless, drugged up peasant on a street corner.
Baryonyx said:
I'd rather throw my last coin down a drain than give it to some drugged up criminal vagrant.
WowAre people aware that many of the homeless guys are ex soldiers.. Probably with mental issues?!
Tossers
I have absolutely no doubt that £50 given to the Legion will do far, far more for the cause of ex-soldiers living on the streets (or, indeed, ensuring they never get there in the first place) than giving £50 to beggars will.
I've never heard of a charity turning round and saying "stop donating, please, we've got enough", so every penny you give to the sort of scum who pressure people for money in the streets and throw gifts of food back in your face because they can't drink it, smoke it or stick it in their veins is a penny effectively stolen from those who really can do something to help those in need.
Faust66 said:
You raise a valid point - it does get annoying to be constantly approached for spare change.
Look at it this way though: smartly dressed chap in a suit comes up to you and asks you for the time/directions to the railway station/for a light/whatever. Do you immediately oblige with the request if possible or just ignore him?
Do you only talk to people you think are 'equal' to you?
If being pissed off by people asking for spare change is the worst thing that happens to you on a daily basis then you clearly have a better life than a lot of people out there… homeless or otherwise.
First of all, nobody comes close to being equal to me! Look at it this way though: smartly dressed chap in a suit comes up to you and asks you for the time/directions to the railway station/for a light/whatever. Do you immediately oblige with the request if possible or just ignore him?
Do you only talk to people you think are 'equal' to you?
If being pissed off by people asking for spare change is the worst thing that happens to you on a daily basis then you clearly have a better life than a lot of people out there… homeless or otherwise.
Secondly, no I tell them to f
k off aswell. 
walm said:
Drinking booze in the open!!!?
How VERY DARE THEY.
Was it like these chaps?
You've missed the point. It's often a fair assumption that if they can't afford a house or decent shelter they are struggling for cash. If they're struggling for cash why would you spend the money on things like alcohol when you could put that money to shelter? How VERY DARE THEY.
Was it like these chaps?
It's about priorities. For people who aren't homeless it's housing, food, heating, etc first, then luxuries or pleasures. For the homeless it seems to be the other way. Coincidence? If they've the cheek to spend money on drugs why should I fund that? I don't mind funding food if they can't afford to eat, but why drugs?
boobles said:
Faust66 said:
You raise a valid point - it does get annoying to be constantly approached for spare change.
Look at it this way though: smartly dressed chap in a suit comes up to you and asks you for the time/directions to the railway station/for a light/whatever. Do you immediately oblige with the request if possible or just ignore him?
Do you only talk to people you think are 'equal' to you?
If being pissed off by people asking for spare change is the worst thing that happens to you on a daily basis then you clearly have a better life than a lot of people out there… homeless or otherwise.
No... I tell them to fLook at it this way though: smartly dressed chap in a suit comes up to you and asks you for the time/directions to the railway station/for a light/whatever. Do you immediately oblige with the request if possible or just ignore him?
Do you only talk to people you think are 'equal' to you?
If being pissed off by people asking for spare change is the worst thing that happens to you on a daily basis then you clearly have a better life than a lot of people out there… homeless or otherwise.
k off aswell.
Good answer!
Faust66 said:
You raise a valid point - it does get annoying to be constantly approached for spare change.
Look at it this way though: smartly dressed chap in a suit comes up to you and asks you for the time/directions to the railway station/for a light/whatever. Do you immediately oblige with the request if possible or just ignore him?
Do you only talk to people you think are 'equal' to you?
If being pissed off by people asking for spare change is the worst thing that happens to you on a daily basis then you clearly have a better life than a lot of people out there… homeless or otherwise.
It doesn't cost me money - or take it away from someone truly deserving - to tell someone the time or give them directions to the station.Look at it this way though: smartly dressed chap in a suit comes up to you and asks you for the time/directions to the railway station/for a light/whatever. Do you immediately oblige with the request if possible or just ignore him?
Do you only talk to people you think are 'equal' to you?
If being pissed off by people asking for spare change is the worst thing that happens to you on a daily basis then you clearly have a better life than a lot of people out there… homeless or otherwise.
E65Ross said:
You've missed the point. It's often a fair assumption that if they can't afford a house or decent shelter they are struggling for cash. If they're struggling for cash why would you spend the money on things like alcohol when you could put that money to shelter?
It's about priorities. For people who aren't homeless it's housing, food, heating, etc first, then luxuries or pleasures. For the homeless it seems to be the other way. Coincidence? If they've the cheek to spend money on drugs why should I fund that? I don't mind funding food if they can't afford to eat, but why drugs?
Because food and drugs are the same if you are sat in the pissing rain, in a doorway in Southwark. Your money gives temporary respite at best - is that not enough? It's about priorities. For people who aren't homeless it's housing, food, heating, etc first, then luxuries or pleasures. For the homeless it seems to be the other way. Coincidence? If they've the cheek to spend money on drugs why should I fund that? I don't mind funding food if they can't afford to eat, but why drugs?
W124 said:
E65Ross said:
You've missed the point. It's often a fair assumption that if they can't afford a house or decent shelter they are struggling for cash. If they're struggling for cash why would you spend the money on things like alcohol when you could put that money to shelter?
It's about priorities. For people who aren't homeless it's housing, food, heating, etc first, then luxuries or pleasures. For the homeless it seems to be the other way. Coincidence? If they've the cheek to spend money on drugs why should I fund that? I don't mind funding food if they can't afford to eat, but why drugs?
Because food and drugs are the same if you are sat in the pissing rain, in a doorway in Southwark. Your money gives temporary respite at best - is that not enough? It's about priorities. For people who aren't homeless it's housing, food, heating, etc first, then luxuries or pleasures. For the homeless it seems to be the other way. Coincidence? If they've the cheek to spend money on drugs why should I fund that? I don't mind funding food if they can't afford to eat, but why drugs?
E65Ross said:
But if you don't have food, you die. If you don't have cigarettes, you just live a healthier lifestyle.... I can't believe you can even compare the 2!
It's not a comparison. I merely state that it is possible to get into a situtation where the acquisition of drugs and the acquisition of food become comparative needs. Indeed the need for drugs can be greater. I know this full well when helping homeless people that I have known for years. I know that they will immediately spend that money on either drugs or booze. But, because I understand drug addiction, I'm fine about that. Indeed we openly discuss it. The problem with this thread is a huge lack of personal experience of the problem - this is really evident in the lack of understanding concerning getting out of homelessness. It is next to fking impossible. In the actual real world. Where us sane people live. Edited by W124 on Wednesday 15th October 14:01
W124 said:
It's not a comparison. I merely state that it is possible to get into a situtation where the acquisition of drugs and the acquisition of food become comparative needs. Indeed the need for drugs can be greater. I know this full well when help homeless people that I have known for years out. I know that they will immediately spend that money on either drugs or booze. But, because I understand drug addiction, I'm fine about that. Indeed we openly discuss it. The problem with this thread is a huge lack of personal experience of the problem - this is really evident in the lack of understanding concerning getting out of homelessness. It is next to fking impossible. In the actual real world. Where us sane people live.
fking impossible. In the actual real world. Where us sane people live. king hell, what size ladder did you need to clamber on to your high horse? Drug addiction is because someone fked their life up, nowadays there is an excuse for everything but the bottom line is that if you are weak willed enough to descend into a life of chaos because you couldn't say no to seriously addictive drugs then you are a loser who doesn't deserve money from other people, especially when it is for nothing other than to feed your dirty habit. If it was pissing with rain and I had nowhere to shelter I would probably crave something to take my mind elsewhere, if only for a few hours.
If we continue down the path we, as a society, are currently on, it's likely we'll see way more homeless on our streets. You only have to look at America.
If we continue down the path we, as a society, are currently on, it's likely we'll see way more homeless on our streets. You only have to look at America.
BrabusMog said:
the bottom line is that if you are weak willed enough to descend into a life of chaos because you couldn't say no to seriously addictive drugs then you are a loser who doesn't deserve money from other people
Thanks for bringing this thread back on track.For a moment someone was showing some understanding and compassion on this thread.
If I want that sort of nonsense I could read the Guardian. [/s]
Symbolica said:
Once again PH'ers manage to plumb new depths of ishness towards anybody whose lives haven't panned out exactly like theirs have.
ishness towards anybody whose lives haven't panned out exactly like theirs have.
Quite.I try to give to the ones making an effort, e.g. a black guy in San Francisco got my attention with a riddle and went on to be interesting and informative on an upcoming blues night, I gave him $10. I've lived an interesting enough life to know "There but for the Grace of God".
Just seen this thread and scanned through, must say it has changed my opinion of certain posters who I thought I'd got to "know" over the months/years of participating here.
Living in London, I sometimes walk past the All Souls church on Regent St, opposite the Langham Hotel. It has a big overhanging portico which provides shelter from the elements and later at night you can usually see 10-15 homeless people there, sleeping on cardboard and covered by whatever they have to keep them warm.
According to some here, they probably decided to get their heads down there because they can't be bothered to go and fetch their car from wherever they had parked it before setting up for a lucrative day of begging. Or maybe, its too far to travel back to their flat in Fulham. Seriously? Jesus Christ.
Of course there are some fakers and chancers - people trying it on just like in every walk of life. Recently the influx of folks from some European countries who view begging as a profession are particularly noticeable and problematic in the West End.
In the past, me and the OH have helped out at a shelter one of our friends volunteers at when they need extra pairs of hands. If some posters here could lower themselves to talk to folks on the streets, they might realise a lot aren't just there to get some free soup, its because they are as far down the "ladder of society" as it gets and can't see a way out. Many are ex-forces who left the services and now cannot find a job because they don't possess the requisite GCSE or other qualifications - probably why they joined up in the first place. On leaving, they find they have nowhere to go. I've met others who had decent jobs, lost them in the recession, split from the wife who kept the house and joint account and found themselves with no money and no future in the space of a few weeks. Won't even go into those who have mental issues or teenagers who ran away from home because life was so bad there they felt they had no other choice. Some people have been dealt a very bad hand in life through no fault of their own - I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
Those posters who used the descriptions "smelly oiks", "unworthy", "filthy tramps", "scum" etc - have a good look at what you wrote. Its despicable.
Lots of people will be living on the street over the coming winter months - they aren't doing it because its an easy life.
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