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Bayers Lake beggar: Don’t think for a second we don’t see you sneaking away for a smoke. If you put smokes ahead of food, you don’t deserve a dime.
PS – that’s some nice North Face backpack you have. Yup…poor my ass. —Street cleaner needed
This article appears in May 6-12, 2010.
57 Comments
I can’t stand them either but to be fair a North Face backpack is probably $1 at the Sally Ann and if you watch downtown office building doorways long enough you’ll see a steady stream of people picking out butts from the ashtrays and smoking areas. Smoking is a joy when you’re hungry. Don’t assume all beggars are living a comfortable life. Mind you, that doesn’t mean you need to give them anything, it’s just a reminder that smugness is often undeserved.
North Face backpack? I think i know that guy…he’s usually around Lacewood. Along with 56756 other new pan-handlers (strangely, most of them are teens, and most have that lame “I need bus change” spiel- you also need a kick in the ass, and gee, THAT i have no problem giving to you)
Is there people still out there who are so naive that they think that their donations are for food/clothing wtf i would guess 90 % of panhandlers take is for drugs,booze and smokes duhh!
I think I know who this one is. He just stares blankly at you without blinking and is quite annoying. He often uses the classic, “I only have large bills and no change for teh bus” line but doesn’t comprehend it when people (well, a group of us anyways) tell him to go get change in a store/bank.
He bums outside of Shoppers and Tims on SGR constantly and I’ve actually seen him going into and leaving the Clyde St. NSLC.
In fact, PK has seen him on the computers at SMU in the labs.
yes, they are multiplying….
at an alarming rate.
It’s like a panhandling bunny epidemic.
So they “need bus fare” do they.
Tell them you need a blow job … do they wanna trade ?.
One doesn’t always get what one needs or wants, & often we have to make decissions to get what we want, that’s life isn’t it!
Count your blessings you’re not in Victoria or Vancouver. With the mild weather in winter, the streets are crawling with vagrants, junkies and ne’er do wells 24/7 and 12 months a year. Christ they take over parks and any green space they find. If I see another ‘Spare change for Pot’ sign I’ll freak (because thats what I use mine for.)!
Is he always wearing the backpack and looks or sounds like Stuart French? My co-worker labeled him Backpackasaurus. Their main diet are nickle, dimes and quarters.
martym, just like adding fuel to the fire.
zZz, I as well observed the epidemic.
More, I don’t think I’m that hard up for a blow job. I’ll just write a check for $100,000.00 and post date it for September 18th, 2065.
better your money going for smokes, it could be either crack or ho’s. shit, i think i’llgo for the last one.
That’s him Senor.
Are these the guys who walk up and down the median with a sign at the 102 overpass lights on Lacewood? I just noticed them a few weeks ago. They’re dressed better than some people I know that actually work. For fuck sakes people, keep your windows rolled up!
I’ve had some rough patches in my life at various times. Somehow I could never sacrifice my dignity by begging for handouts. I chose to go without and strove to improve my life through hard work instead of begging. I have little respect and no money for able-bodied beggers. If I could survive without begging surely they can do the same! Perhaps the time spent begging would be better used finding employment.
I think I know who you’re talking about with the backpack. He doesn’t look really poorly dressed. He just sort of walks around with his hands on his straps and has this doofus-y expression.
same here oceanlady and i never once panned or even bummed smokes i got my shit together by myself on my own!
Backpackasaurus….. lol. Awesome name!
That’s exactly him, jdp. I see him constantly and he tries to say hi to me. Often I just laugh at his request for spares or I glare a dirty look.
Oceanlady you should congratulate yourself. Why can’t everyone be so sound-of-mind like you?
I dont see what’s so wrong with a beggar asking for a cigarette, I’ll offer a few unprompted if I feel particularly sorry for someone but don’t happen to have any change.
oceanlady lives up to her moniker…it is vewry wefweshing
EML— I really think it’s fair not to expect to be hassled by some greasy addict for something that they either have money for, or don’t. Food and shelter are a completely different thing, but smokes? Come on, there are people out there that barely have money for food and shelter. Bumming a cigarette is probably the lowest form of begging. Most people can barely afford their own addictions. Fuck off.
*waits for kay to barge in and remind us just how awful we are for being “hateful” by her standards*
Exactly, Paingirl! Oceanlady can’t possibly wrap her head around the fact that there are people out there with much bigger problems than any she’s had! I wonder if Oceanlady has ever been schizophrenic, had bipolar disease or severe depression.
Even for those beggars we see who seem to be spoiled, lazy brats who can’t be bothered looking for jobs and think of begging as a good way to make money for their weekend fun : I can’t imagine having a mind as messed up as that. I won’t give them my money, but I’ll sure pity them.
Dr Fever, there are alot of nuisances in life. Beggars, traffic, late night noise….the list goes on. We live in a free society, afterall. If you don’t like it, go live in Singapore. Otherwise, try not to take the beggars as such a personal afront.
And you cannot wrap your head around the fact that people are more concerned with their issues compared to those of a complete stranger. And even more so than a complete stranger who rudely asks somebody else for money. In short, we’re not concerned with other peoples’ issues; it’s not our responsibility to be overly concerned with other people when we have our own issues, bills, life and interests to consider.
Funding panhandlers is not an issue for social responsiblity. I repeat: funding panhandlers is not an issue for social responsiblity.
Does it make us bad people? Absolutely not. If we refuse to feel sorry for beggars, that doesn’t make us bad either. Not every person begging for change is down on their luck – especially in Halifax. Plus if you’re young, able-bodied, have all your limbs and can speak clearly then there is no excuse for you not to look for a job while other people, younger/older/with disabilities, are capable of taking care of themselves.
I’m with Fever on this also; it’s absolutely fair to not be expected to be asked for spare change. Personally I think it’s rude to have a complete stranger ask me about my finances and even more rude to expect me to hand my earnings over to them without receiving anything back. And realistically we’re not “helping out” if we’re enabling beggars.
And by the way, Dr Precious, fuck off yourself.
As a free society, I have the right to tell them where to go too. There’s nothing wrong with that… As far as I’m concerned, panhandling isn’t a “nuisance” when it comes to choices like drugs. It’s a serious problem. Cigarettes are something you can kick cold-turkey, unlike kicking heroin, which can be deadly. Control your addiction and get help (which is 95% free for the most part), and just maybe you won’t have to worry about bumming for smokes.
Again, bumming for smokes is pathetic.
Holy shit, NGF. I don’t fund beggars. Just because I’ll ocassionally feel bad for them and offer a loonie or cigarette does not mean I ‘fund’ them. Not did I write anything about social responsibility. I was merely responding to Oceanlady’s overly-simplistic view of begging, and what I DID say was that I pitied them (see above for reasons), and that for me it was no big deal to give a cigarette every now and again. Sure, begging is a nuisance to put up with, but is it not such a big deal when you consider what it would be like to live in the type of society which would imprison (and sometimes do worse to) beggars.
Unless the government passes some sort of law that requires you have to pay each beggar you see, or else face a fine, simply say ‘No’ to the beggar and get on with your life. Stop whining about your rights having been infringed upon!
.
I don’t think people would feel as angry as they do towards beggars if saying no to a beggar didn’t make us feel like assholes. When a beggar asks someone for change and that someone says ‘No’, they look like an asshole to the beggar and to themselves…atleast for a minute. And since nobody likes to feel like an asshole, especially if they aren’t one- it makes them feel anger towards the beggar.
Wrong.
I don’t think so.
ya, I’m not an asshole for saying no.
now if they were dying on the street and I just walked over them… that might look bad….
but when tons of people are saying no and walking by with no remorse, how is that making any individual look bad?
I’m not in the slightest bit implying you’re an asshole for saying no. I don’t think anyone is an asshole for saying no to a beggar. I’m saying part of you FEELS like one, and because you know the beggar thinks anyone who refuses their request is one. I’m just suggesting an infuriating part of having to deal with begging is that when we say no, we automatically feel like cheapskates evn if we’re actually far from being that. People don’t like to be made to feel guilty unjustifiably. It makes us indignant and angry.
Never once felt like an asshole for saying NO to some street skell. Now, taking a running kick at his Tim’s cup and dancing around singing “GOAL, IT’S A GOAL, Scored by ENGLAND ENGLAND ENGLAND!” that made me feel like a bit of a cupid stunt.
….some of us more than others. For example the OP, who signs off “Street Cleaner Needed”
EML: wrap YOUR head around this >>> I clearly defined ‘able-bodied’ beggars in my post. Last time I checked the brain (including all it’s dysfunctions and illnesses) is a part of the human body. And yes, I have suffered from severe depression. What’s your point?
Back when I was struggling to get by there was no such thing as the food bank. You simply went without food. It’s funny how starvation is such a great motivator to improve one’s lot in life. Beggars who smoke? Food is a necessity, cigarettes are not. Hence the lack of cigarette banks!
I’m all for giving the mentally ill the help they need but I’ve seen quite a few beggars who don’t seem to fit that bill which, I believe, was the OP’s point. If they are simply down on their luck, the food bank will feed them. Begging on the street is not the only option. The worst are the beggars who feel the need to hurl verbal abuse when one is unable or unwilling to fork over (NPI) some cash when they ask. Beggars with a sense of entitlement! Yeah, right!
i have noticed an increase in strong looking, kinda cute fellers all over the freakin place…with the signs. i can’t even be bothered with the stink eye, just a blank stare
“strong looking, kinda cute fellers”…..and what are they willing to do for the spare change? Hmmm….
they seem to get driven all over the city, popping up at different intersections…i am always watching. rawk
surely the sign discounts any of the ‘cute’ factor…
considering they are asking for a blatant handout.
Maybe that’s the answer for downtown. More rent boys means more chickenhawks with disposable incomes. Next thing you know there’s a “barn of pottery” and “beyond the bath & bed” anchoring Barrington and presto – instant rennaissance.
i am merely an observer and gatherer of information zZz
interesting…
surely you interpret as well.
no opinion in this case (as I figure it) means their douchy sign really doesn’t negate anything.
interesting indeed.
i am never shocked only appalled…but i had trouble wrapping my brain around this, made me feel hollow
I won’t lie… I’ve asked for a smoke from a person or two when I’ve run out and there’s not a store in sight, but I do it in a manner that’s kinda quirky (My line is “Got a cigarette you can live without?”)
In turn, I try to give a smoke to the next person who asks me for one (pay it forward in a cancerous way)
What annoys me more than “homeless” people asking me for cigarettes, is when my CO-WORKERS ask me… These are people who make the same income, or MORE than me
mindsnap’s back!
where ya been?
stuck in some fissure somewhere?
I was in Hawaii for two weeks :p
you should talk to angel about sat…
or drop me a line…
zzzcoaster@gmail.com
still was expecting spam from people… surprisingly even though this is completely available to anyone, I’m not getting hosed.
my faith in humanity is slowly rising.
When asked if I have spare change, I tell them “the only difference between me and you is the spare change in my pocket.” it usually shuts them up.
If I forget to email you, gimme a shout… mind_snap@hotmail.com
or co-workers bumming spare 5-10-20 dollars and never paying back; just enough to be annoying but not enough for you to harp on for repayment fucking assholes
I dont know why some people get so butthurt over pandhandlers/sign flyers. If you don’t want to give or cannot, then don’t. If you can, great. I’ve traveled the country numerous times as both a solo traveler and a member of a band. In both situations I’ve had to resort to panhandling for gas money/food when show promoters failed to come through with promised guarantees or busking wasn’t as fruitful as hoped.
More often than not the person panhandling probably has more money than me if they’ve made a few dollars, but that doesn’t mean I have to belittle them or act like a jerk. If I have a spare dollar I’ll gladly fork it over to someone I haven’t seen day in day out, because if I was in the same situation I’d want someone to help me. That being said the career bums get no help from me, they are making a lifestyle choice and can live with it; although I’ll say no nicely.
If someone is panhandling and is being aggressive call the cops, but otherwise just live and let live. Or get some sunglasses and an mp3 player-perfect people protectors.
This maybe old news…
http://halifaxdating.selectalternatives.co…
Either there’s an imposter, or I’ve missed something when I was south o.O
no that is our beloved zZz, right some cute aint he
z dude you are all that bouuy if i was gay….. 🙂
I had a profile up but deleted it since you have to pay to contact others.
You’re really naive if you believe these scammers are purchasing used items at Sally Anns or other drop-off centres. Like I said before; the ‘dollar-or-bus-ticket’ girl used to wear uggs when I saw her begging on SGR. Seriously doubt you can buy ugg boots at SAs.
It is possible to buy uggs at the SA, NGF. I know someone who shops there regularly and occasionally scores some really nice current stuff for a fraction of the cost of brand new. It’s rare but it can happen.