To the man who asked me for change on Dresden Row:
I see most people passing you by without any acknowledgement. I was not one of them. I looked you in the eye, smiled and said “I’m sorry, I don’t have any.”
Your response?
“Yeah I bet.”
Hey, I understand your frustration and I am sorry. I will not surmise why you are holding out your cup asking people for money. I know there are many issues here, and I will not judge you. Too bad you couldn’t afford me the same courtesy.
Maybe I looked like I had money – I don’t. I am the working poor. I have gone to work with the flu, with pneumonia and once, with a broken arm. I have to work because sometimes I am a paycheck away from where you are.
You saw my nice coat but didn’t know I got it from a thrift store. You saw my coffee and didn’t realize that the only reason I could afford it was because I was given a gift card for Christmas.
Many people don’t carry money anymore – it’s a plastic world. Sometimes if I do have extra change, I give it to someone who asks. Rest assured, that person will never be you. —The Working Poor
This article appears in Jan 5-11, 2012.
What do you expect from a guy looking for his next bottle of Aqua Velvet?
I little “excuse me? Fuck you very much” goes a long way…
smarmy, begging asshole.
You don’t owe a beggar an explanation.
“No” is all you need to say, and if they have an issue with that and start some shit, call a cop and get them busted for aggressive panhandling.
And if they ask for money for food/coffee, then refuse when you offer to get them a sandwich or drink, don’t feel bad fpr not supporting their Lysol habit.
Wp
There is no excuse why those panhandler assholes can’t get a job, other than they are too damn lazy. Don’t give them a cent.
Being poor doesn’t give the beggar a right to be rude, I’m sure some of us would have had the Fuck You Too approach considering most walk by ignoring them. when your living pay to pay sometimes there just isn’t spare.
Just tell them the government takes all your spare change – they take fifties and hundreds from most of us on a daily basis…
When I was in college, I once gave a toonie to a really skinny red-headed dude on Dresden. I thought he would go buy some chips or something right away. But he took it out of his cup, put it in his pocket and kept panhandling. Later, when it was time to take the bus home…I went digging in my purse and didn’t have any bus fare. I had misjudged my bank account balance too and couldn’t withdrawl any funds from and ATM because I had less than 20 bucks and it was after 5 so no tellers were open. Long story short, it was a LOOONG walk home that day. I hope buddy enjoyed his crack, because it is the last time I support that. If you want to contribute to a decent cause that actually HELPS a lot of people, donate some food to the food bank.
no fool, too bad you couldn’t have found the guy and asked for the 2 dollars back, imagine the look on buddies face, and your right on about the food bank.
Fuck the poor. When they’re given something it’s not like they appreciate its value. Look at any housing project. Fuck ’em.
I’m polite to beggars *until* they get saucy with me. One smart ass comment gets one back from me.
If asked if I have spare change, I simply say “No”. The end. No sorry about it, because I’m not sorry, and insincerely saying “Sorry” will just instigate these people. There’s nothing spare about the change in my pocket. I work for it, I EARN it, therefore it will remain in my pocket until I feel like spending it.
Yeah, Fuck em…
I know some of them have had shitty luck but they are most likely not the ones giving lip. I worked my ass off and made my own opportunities to not be a drain… I even worked at a lobster plant and built boats (loads of resin and very little ventilation) to pay my bills when life turned shitty.
I do miss the LC Pirate though, at least he made people smile…
that’s what you get for being a sucker. some of these dudes pull in more in a week, than you do in 6 fucking months. it’s true, i have followed a few, and they go home after work, to nice half million dollar homes. and then they have these nice new cars and suv’s too. i fucking kid you not. i know one guy, gets a cheque from the gubment silly fund, of about 2 grand a month, gets a disabled pension cheque for about 1500, and works the streets for about another 2 grand a month. and he really looks the parts. all crazy looking and wild hair.
No one should ever feel obligated to give money they have EARNED to someone who hasn’t. I have worked hard to get to where I am … so I’ll be damned if I’m going to give my money away to someone standing on the street begging for it. I’ll give it to family or friends who need it before I give it to a stranger.
And, believe me when I say that I do not live a frivolous life, but I also don’t have anything to spare … nor am I cold to the despair of others … but, if I do have something extra, it will go where I know how it’s being used.
What few changes in each of our lives could turn us into people on the street. Really….one try at crack could turn the most responsible person out there begging and selling themselves for more. It has happened. Like in every line of work, every minority, each gender we will find ignorant people but to judge these people is really wrong in my opinion because you never know the few errors/choices in your own ways that could have turned the tables to you being on the street begging for money. I always look at these people and know they didn’t all chose that life sometimes that life chose them based on many variables to their exposure and childhoods. So try not to judge one street person because they were having a bad day. You never know why they are having a bad day or why they appear to be having a bad life. They may have reasons and situations that would make you cry if you knew.
fuck ’em