Is this what it has come to?
Discussion
So, I’m sat in my kitchen on Saturday afternoon, basically looking at PH and some of my other favourite sites, when the doorbell rings
Expecting to open the door to someone trying to flog something I don’t want, I’m surprised to see a young woman wearing a black headscarf
In a sort of mumbled attempt at English she says “scooze please” and unfolds a piece of paper, wrapped in plastic, for me to read. Paraphrasing a little it reads: “please help, young baby, no food, hungry, please give me some money” I say “no thank you” and close the door
Now I live on a normal residential road in the depths of a modern British estate, inhabited in the main by white middle class people with middle of the road jobs. No particular wealth, no-one particularly struggling.
I’ve left posting this a couple days, as I didn’t know whether to post this or not in case it is considered racist, but on reflection the young woman was probably Albanian or such the like (from the brief 2 words she said), but is this what modern British life has come to? Immigrants begging for cash door to door?
Expecting to open the door to someone trying to flog something I don’t want, I’m surprised to see a young woman wearing a black headscarf
In a sort of mumbled attempt at English she says “scooze please” and unfolds a piece of paper, wrapped in plastic, for me to read. Paraphrasing a little it reads: “please help, young baby, no food, hungry, please give me some money” I say “no thank you” and close the door
Now I live on a normal residential road in the depths of a modern British estate, inhabited in the main by white middle class people with middle of the road jobs. No particular wealth, no-one particularly struggling.
I’ve left posting this a couple days, as I didn’t know whether to post this or not in case it is considered racist, but on reflection the young woman was probably Albanian or such the like (from the brief 2 words she said), but is this what modern British life has come to? Immigrants begging for cash door to door?
Because they 'fish' where the fish are.
I regularly see families of Albanian Big Issue sellers at Victoria, commuting out to the suburbs where the pickings are richer.
The girl outside Waitrose in Cobham looks particularly pink-cheeked and well-fed. Last time I saw her, she was pregnant.
I regularly see families of Albanian Big Issue sellers at Victoria, commuting out to the suburbs where the pickings are richer.
The girl outside Waitrose in Cobham looks particularly pink-cheeked and well-fed. Last time I saw her, she was pregnant.
It's not racist to decline a someones plea for money it's a personal choice.
I don't give/lend money to anyone I don't know, apart from Registered and proven charities so I'd stand by that decision as you never know what they're doing sometimes they want to see whats in your wallet when you open it or in your house when you open the door ( this applies to all random door to door people no racism intended).
I Kid you not I've seen an Eastern European male sit on the street begging for money etc playing the guilt card...... and then low and behold he walked around the corner pulled out a f
king Merc key and proceeded to waft off in a '55 plate E-class merc ....... I was truely shocked !
I don't give/lend money to anyone I don't know, apart from Registered and proven charities so I'd stand by that decision as you never know what they're doing sometimes they want to see whats in your wallet when you open it or in your house when you open the door ( this applies to all random door to door people no racism intended).
I Kid you not I've seen an Eastern European male sit on the street begging for money etc playing the guilt card...... and then low and behold he walked around the corner pulled out a f
king Merc key and proceeded to waft off in a '55 plate E-class merc ....... I was truely shocked !I'm used to seeing these "people" scattered about on streets asking for money, cleaning car windows at traffic lights Etc, but knocking doors is a whole new thing for me. I'm still amazed by it...
How far away was the guy with the knife likely to be?
How far away was the guy with the knife likely to be?
SC7 said:
You should have asked her for a blow job and slipped her a tenner.
Thinking about it, the OH was out at the time.......Similar thing happened to me few year's ago in he old house. Knock on the door so i open it to see a old toothless woman with european accent attempting to sell me a amateur made painting in broken english. Wasn't my cup of tea so i've declined. And so she continued onto the neighbors house. To be fair, there was something almost desperate about her but what can one do...
This happened to me in the Gare Du Nord in Paris.
The first one I declined and she coughed in my face (nice!).
The second time I worked out the best avoidance technique was to stare blankly and not say anything
'Speak English?', silence, 'Parlez vous Francais?', silence, 'Sprachen ze Deutsch?', silence.
They soon buggered off
The first one I declined and she coughed in my face (nice!).
The second time I worked out the best avoidance technique was to stare blankly and not say anything
'Speak English?', silence, 'Parlez vous Francais?', silence, 'Sprachen ze Deutsch?', silence. They soon buggered off
al1991 said:
This happened to me in the Gare Du Nord in Paris.
The first one I declined and she coughed in my face (nice!).
The second time I worked out the best avoidance technique was to stare blankly and not say anything 'Speak English?', silence, 'Parlez vous Francais?', silence, 'Sprachen ze Deutsch?', silence.
They soon buggered off
Gare du Nord is full of them, as is Gare de Lyon as at last Thursday. The first one I declined and she coughed in my face (nice!).
The second time I worked out the best avoidance technique was to stare blankly and not say anything
'Speak English?', silence, 'Parlez vous Francais?', silence, 'Sprachen ze Deutsch?', silence. They soon buggered off
Watch out for the ring trick which seems to be very popular with them in Paris. Peasant sidles up to you, reaches down to the floor and picks up a brass but hallmarked wedding run - big fat jobbie not unlike a large plumbing olive and asks if it is yours. Then they want you to buy it off them - and it seems with many, the greed kicks in for 10 euros and "cash for gold" when back in the uk (not me by the way). Of course, it is worthless crap.
Good old socialist care and lack of border controls keeping us all on our toes.
The guilt technique of (I'm guessing) Romanians in Paris was unlike anything Ive seen in the UK. Lots of holding pretty passable Classical Greek poses of despair, anguish, etc, with a tray next to them. Another dude of indeterminate origin who claimed to be deaf, but pointed from his French to his English message like a shot on hearing my British accent, pulling all sorts of faces. Just seemed weird!
Edited by glazbagun on Monday 14th February 23:33
The second one gets out of a cab at the Gare du Nord, a swarm of Romanians descend. In my last job I'd work two days a week in Paris and their attentions became rather tiresome.
However homelessness in Paris seems to be quite prevalent: a tiny patch of grass in front of the ad agency where I worked was a veritable tent village. Lots of tents on the verges of the Périphérique too.
I wonder when we're going to see such things here. Can't be long, surely.
However homelessness in Paris seems to be quite prevalent: a tiny patch of grass in front of the ad agency where I worked was a veritable tent village. Lots of tents on the verges of the Périphérique too.
I wonder when we're going to see such things here. Can't be long, surely.
Mobile Chicane said:
The girl outside Waitrose in Cobham looks particularly pink-cheeked and well-fed. Last time I saw her, she was pregnant.
There is one who sits on a stupid little chair outside of the Waitrose on Weybridge Hight Street. Pisses me right off, I mean Weybrige, really, where have you got to live to get away from these people. Can we not at least have a home grown begger!! Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff