UPSB v3
Serious Discussion / Street Beggars
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Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 00:24:18
Spoiler:
If you've ever traipsed through a city's downtown area, you've probably encountered a street beggar at least once. Without life's basic necessities, they're forced to cling to the sidewalk and solicit donations from passers-by. When you saw such a person, you decided to either drop change in the collection tin or keep walking.
Nobody likes street beggars, but it's another one of the world's sad realities. Some are born into poverty and have virtually no chance of living a normal life. Others arrived at the same situation by making poor decisions. People are sometimes loath to offer money to beggars because they don't feel it'd make a difference. But what are your thoughts? -
Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 00:27:45
i think cities should make programs for homeless to get jobs.
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Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 01:02:56
Well, the people here in NYC...are different. All of these people only want the money to buy drugs and alcohol. For example, there was a guy on the train begging, and I gave him one dollar. He looked crippled, and walked with a limp. When the train got to its next stop, the guy got off, and ran, LITERALLY RAN VERY FAST to the train across the platform. And there was a beggar who acted as if he had problems speaking, but then a police man stopped him, and he all of a sudden was able to speak GOOD English. It makes it hard to give a person money on the train...especially if you've been through these situations a number of times.
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Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 01:21:03
I've had the same kind of problems as huroni. To many times have i been scammed by people who pretend to be beggars
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Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 01:40:43QUOTE (PenCell @ Feb 7 2009, 05:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I've had the same kind of problems as huroni. To many times have i been scammed by people who pretend to be beggars
Yeah a lot of people just use the money you give them to buy dope.
But I can't really know anything for sure, and if I happen to have money on me I usually will give it to a beggar that I see even if he may be using it to buy drugs...only because from my religion's perspective, you get blessings for your actions only based on their intention. -
Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 03:46:49
I would give clothing. I accidentally clicked on food as well, but I don't think I would give them food. I clicked on "Others" as well. Specifically, I would want to offer them education.
Mother Teresa said "Please don't give money to these street beggars" (Don't know exactly what she said tho). I agree.
Giving money only teaches them how to beg for money. They would probably do the same thing over and over again, and would not progress the situation any better. I would probably want to train them HOW TO MAKE MONEY. Yes. They shouldn't get money without working. They are just sitting in street hoping that someone would put money in their cans, thinking that people would pity them.
What I would do is take the children to places where they raise orphans. Education is the thing they need, not money. Some people do say it's the same, and it does appear to be the same: using money to give them something. However, they are very technically different.
Yes indeed that money, in short-term, could give them some sort of pleasure through food and things like that, but that is a initial pleasure, and is not something that would last forever. However, education, on the other hand, would give them eternal knowledge about something, and would learn to make money themselves rather than begging for it, making a long-term positive effect, but has virtually no short-term positive effect. however, this also makes the country itself better because people who would work for money increases, causing consumption of things more active, making the economy advance. THen this advance would make the country have more money, until the country has enough money to educate MORE homeless people, and they would learn to make money and work, making the consumption MORE active.........and so on. This is definitely a positive effect.
I would want the country to make an action. I would probably offer those street beggers clothing because clothing, is essential for everyone, and it last for long time. -
Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 04:07:03
If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.
If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. -
Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 04:14:39
Thanks for elaborating what i said.
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Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 04:16:10
OMG Vancouver Downtown East-Side is really bad. My parents told me that when they were kids, like 30 years ago, Downtown was a cool place to hang. But like now, the homeless and drug problem is really bad. Like, shelters are overcrowded and there's literally one every second house. Druggies and shady people make it seem really unsafe there, and they're all homeless. So far this year, I think a couple of homeless have died. I drove around the area of couple of times when doing my driving practice, and it really is a sad sight. But, it is what it is, and even though the city is trying to do something, nothing's really happening. So yeah, here, the main reason people are homeless are because they are druggies or runaways or people who just threw away their lives. So even though I wanna help, it's their decision and if they don't give a crap about what the government is trying to do, then what good is a couple of bucks gonna do? Give 'em another pinch of methamphetamine? The best you can give is advice, but their all prolly too high to listen to you. So the rare time I go through the area, I just stiffen up and go on with my life, and they can go on with theirs.
EDIT: added stuff and corrected methamphetamine wrong
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Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 04:26:37
I would offer them clothes and/or food
I went on this church retreat In DC, and we had to be "homeless" to empathize with the homeless to evangelize
We just sat on a park bench with nothing... for six hours
No food, no money, nothing
We weren't allow to leave the bench either
Only problem was the cold and the boredom
Mind you this was at the end of December and I was freezing...
I don't know how they can sleep outside...
Edit: Grammar error... stupid pronoun reference -
Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 04:52:54
I will give nothing but my vote.
I think government should take care of them. That way both the giving and the recieving will be done most fairly.
I think that the only help that should be given should be in the form of money, and in certain areas maybe an offer about cheap housing. Even the poor should have the freedom to choose. If a person is hungry enough he will always choose food. It is just a matter of not giving more than you would be much better of with minimum wage. But one should also remember that not everyone can just get a job if they wanted to, and some people have gotten them it so deep a pit, that they can't just easily get out of it again. Society should be ready to provide help for those people.
As for beggars I think you should put them in jail or atleast give them a fine. Begging drags down the whole society around it. -
Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 09:55:54
I seriously would give them nothing. Even if its a homeless person that was just going through a hard time in life, i dont know that. So therefore they get nothing.
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Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 10:04:57
sometimes i just drop some loose change into their cups. Kinda hard to give them clothing or other stuff here. My father said that we should only help those with disabilities cause those with able bodies can help themselves.
Like for example, I went to Cambodia 2 years ago and there were many people begging especially around huge markets and my father would only help those who have lost limbs during mine explosions or for whatever reasons and he wouldn't care for those with able bodies esoecially women with young children and he said that those women are poor and they can get a small job washing dishers or cleaning up the area but they decide to get pregnant and beg on the streets. -
Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 12:53:37
Wow your dad is kinda extreme.
i personally feel that i will mainly help woman ,old and kids.
i would donate to a male only if he has disabilities.
woman with kids are not really able to work.
imagine them bringing the kids to work.
not many boss would agree.
they cant possibly leave the really young kids alone.
i just donate what coins i have.
i think thats the best i can do.
since i cant help them any way to make them fend for themselves.
at least i helped.
at least help them pass a meal?
i have seen China Government giving out certificate to prove that you are ALLOWED to beg.
they even issue certificates.
beggers are pretty common in china.
even in ShangHai.
they are really persistent.
think on a better way, they really need the money.
on the other hand, they are just too thick skin.
my dad encountered one woman.
she followed my dad for STREETS my dad did not have cash with him.
its all in my mum's bag.
she just doesnt believe my dad doesnt have.
Begging just doesnt seem like the right thing to do.
But when things are at its end.
They have to try everything to fend for themselves. -
Date: Sun, Feb 8 2009 22:38:28
Like I said in the old thread, I would only give to the serious ones.
Like the ones who had signs saying: " I aint gonna lie, need money for drugs/beer"
Hell, atleast there trying to make an effort to get what they want.