Similar thing happened to me: I’m at the grocery store and see this woman beggin for money so I give. Next day I’m back and happen to see her driving off in a BMW/Mercendes. Nice.
It doesn’t matter though because I still give when I feel moved to do so. The money is a gift, if people solicit that gift with bad intentions than so be it. You reap what you sow.
I hate it when someone says he needs the money for food or for his children or something, and then buys cigaretes and the like. But what he wants to do with his money is his thing, I am out of it anyways.
The most I was amused was when a guy approached me, he begged me for money and just said he needed it for beer, that he doesn’t wan’t to lie to me. I burst out laughing soo hard I gave him for a beer.
[quote]Eric 2.0 wrote:
[quote]clockworkchad wrote:
recently taking the train out of NYC back to CT, there is an older woman saying that she had her pocketbook stolen and just needed 40 dollars so her and her kid could get a ticket back to connecticut. 2 people got up and gave her 20 dollar bills. other people ran through the gammit of questions and she had an answer for everything she was asked.
my roomate was also coming back from the city the next week and saw the same woman again, and then last weekend i was there and i saw her too, except some kids yelled ‘hey didnt this happen to you last week too’ which she ignored. if she is doing that to 2 trains an hour, she is making about 80 bucks an hour. needing money to get by because your homeless is one thing, but praying on other tourists sympathies for your own personal gain is really F**ked up in my opinion… [/quote]
I think the cops should look the other way when people like this catch a good beating [/quote]
yea i agree. she really had the middle class suburban mom NYC tourist look DOWN, she was rocking a fanny pack and everything.
Many of the people on the side of the road “earn” more than people with average jobs. They rotate locations fairly often to tap new markets (or “marks”). There’s been several times where I’ve seen them pack up and leave, and all of a sudden, the limp goes away…
The intersections are like territory. The sharks and professional scam artists would never let a REAL person in need occupy a prime spot… It’s all a bunch of BS.
Donate to a charity you trust or better yet, volunteer some time. A dollar here or there to a scam artist is not making a difference.
But don’t hate the player… Hate the game. Sure it’s not ethical, but how is it any different than someone on TV saying, “Jesus want’s you to send me money”? That’s nothing to get mad at. If he can convince people to give him money, more power to him. Just don’t be one of the people.
Here in Chicago there was a big story on this maybe a few years ago. Kinda of like what someone said about NY earlier in this thread. This wealthy men were standing on street corners begging for money, and in the end were making almost 6 figures a year by doing so.
[quote]ladieslove wrote:
i’m a sucker.[/quote]
Oh hai.
BBB, I wouldn’t be too worried about it. I’d be pissed at first, but I’m a firm believer in karma.
You may end up in a threesome with that lovely thing you sleep next to every night and one of her friends she met at one of your naked butler parties, when that guy very well may end up homeless at one point in his life.
Live and learn, I guess. Just imagine how pissed he was when he got a sammich, an apple and a bottle of water out of it when he wanted cash. LOL
Did he actually say, “hey I’m homeless” or did you assume that because he was begging or selling cheap magazines that he was homeless? If he didn’t actually say that he is homeless and he simply begs and says he’s going thru a rough time right now then, he didn’t really decieve you. Most people assume that if someone is begging they must be homeless, maybe he’s begging cuz it helps him get by every month.
There are a ton of scammers out there, but I just tell myself that I think it’s man’s responsibility to help fellow man if we have the means to do so. THerefor I will give what I can without putting myself into financial hardship and if someone along the way deceives me or several people deceive me and spend the money on drugs or whatever then that is on their conscience not mine. A lot of people refuse to give money to the homeless and say they spend their money on drugs or are scam artists, but I say if I give $5 to 100 people and 90 of them are scammers or junkies, it’s still worth it, because most people would just pass those 10% that REALLY do need help. Imagine what it would be like to lose everything be out on the street and nobody will give you a dime because they all think you’re a junkie or a scam artist.
[quote]angry chicken wrote:
Many of the people on the side of the road “earn” more than people with average jobs. They rotate locations fairly often to tap new markets (or “marks”). There’s been several times where I’ve seen them pack up and leave, and all of a sudden, the limp goes away…
The intersections are like territory. The sharks and professional scam artists would never let a REAL person in need occupy a prime spot… It’s all a bunch of BS.
Donate to a charity you trust or better yet, volunteer some time. A dollar here or there to a scam artist is not making a difference.
But don’t hate the player… Hate the game. Sure it’s not ethical, but how is it any different than someone on TV saying, “Jesus want’s you to send me money”? That’s nothing to get mad at. If he can convince people to give him money, more power to him. Just don’t be one of the people.[/quote]
I’m a christian and I get really agitated by commercials…oh hi I was just praying over this holy water…want some? only 25.95. If you are going to complain about churches scamming you…then you should think…wait a second…if I know anything about the religion i claim this doesn’t seem right.Yup, god didn’t tell me to send him $1,000 dollars…he said tithe and give offerings when you feel its right.
anyway. Personally I would be pissed, there are plenty of helpless people who really need money and then there are the lazy fat asses who think…hey wait a second I can just ask people for money. If you are 20 and sitting there with a cup and an ipod I wouldn’t give you a glass of warm piss in the desert. If you really want to give to charity then find a solid one you can trust.
I’m not angry at the guy. After all, he never actually said ‘I’m homeless’ or even ‘hello’. Just “Thanks” when I give him stuff. He did use the assumption on my part, that he must be homeless, to profit. I don’t agree with that, but it’s no worse than what corporations or charities do every day, I’m sure.
And I’m not really pissed off with myself. After all, I did a good deed, so no need to berate myself for that.
I guess I’m just annoyed at the world that it drives people to abuse the system like this.
Meh, never mind. Life’s a bitch and all that.
BBB
[quote]RSGZ wrote:
I remember back in SA there was a couple in one of the suburbs of Joburg that would go around claiming they ran out of gas or some or other believable sob story. After swindling people for money all day, they’d walk a couple blocks, get in their car and drive home. I believe this went on for months, too!
Not sure how they get caught out though, but eventually they did. That’s the kind of situation that would piss me off. [/quote]
A similar thing happened to me in Nottingham. There was a young woman who would be smartly dressed, but always with a convincing sob story. “No money to get home” or “baby needs food” or “lost my credit cards, need bus fare”, etc, etc.
She ‘got’ me one time and then I cottoned onto her patterns and lies. She approached 2 of my friends, whilst I was walking about 20 yards behind her (coincidence, not stalking haha). I hear her launch into one of her sob stories and i shouted out: “Don’t give her anything lads, she’s a con artist.”
“WHAT THE FUCK’S IT GOT TO DO WITH YOU!?!?!?!?!?!” she screamed as she rounded on me, transforming instantly from smart young professional to blood-thirsty banshee and ruining her credibility to the ‘marks’ in the process.
“Easy love, you’ll wake your baby”. Was my only reply ans I neatly circumnavigated her incandescence.
BBB
[quote]ladieslove wrote:
damn.
i had no change to do laundry for weeks because i kept giving to the charities who wait for you to leave the grocery store. i’m a sucker.[/quote]
You can get your revenge. Donate the clothes you want washed, then when they put them on display in the store, steal them back.
There was a guy that used to occupy an intersection we drove by every day to our shop. He had a sign that said “Lost everything in a fire, Will work for food.”.
We had a clear cut to start and were short handed. I yelled out-“Hey, you want to cut some trees?”. He shook his head no and waved us on.
I don’t give to beggars. There are plenty of charities and organizations in place to help them if they need it.
[quote]bushidobadboy2 wrote:
Oftentimes, when visiting my local mini-supermarket, there will be a certain gentleman standing outside, selling the ‘Big Issue’. For those that don’t know,. the BI is a low rent magazine that is written by and in support of, homeless people. Instead of begging, they sell copies of the magazine for a profit, prices set across the board. They buy for 75p and sell for 150p. The ‘magazine’ isn’t worth Ã?£1.50p but we all know it’s for a worthy cause so some people (like me) will support the person selling the mag, because:
A) They are homeless
B) They are actually making some effort
Now instead of money, I often buy the homeless guy a sandwich, an apple and a bottle of water, seeing as I’m in a supermarket and I don’t want to encourage any possible substance abuse issues.
I’ve done this about 6 times in the last few months and would do it more often but the guy isn’t always there.
HOWEVER, my fiancee and me went to pick up her new second-hand car from down the road, the other day. As we pullinto the compound of the traders establishment, who should be driving out, in a big (though not expensive) car? The aforementioned ‘homeles’ guy.
“I recognise him from my local supermarket as a beggar/big issues salesman!” I said.
“Really? We know him as ‘the camel rider’ and he’s a motor trader. Buys a lot of cars from us he does.”
So now I feel a bit cheated. On the one hand, the guy is obviously making a living for himself, so fair play to him for that.
On the other hand, I certainly wouldn’t have gifted him with food, if I had known he was a motor trader!
I saw him today, as the market and said “So, I hear you are a car trader then.”
“Oh Yes!” he said with a big, shiteating grin.
“Well I won’t be buying you and more food then, you cheeky sod!” I said, but with a smile.
Now I don’t feel any animosity towards the guy as such, but I do feel deceived. And a little disappointed that my gift of sustenance was not given to a genuinely starving or homeless person.
Actually, I’m a little unsure how to feel about this. Obviously I don’t require anyone to tell me how to feel, but I would like to know your thoughts and opinions, so that I may quantify and come to terms with this type of deception.
So what say you T-Nation massif?
BBB[/quote]
I’d be mostly confused. People sometimes look at beggars as being “just lazy” as though going out and getting a job would be harder than constantly asking people for money and dealing with the various responses. Maybe this guy just gets off on the con of the whole thing - so I might be a bit annoyed with him, but he’s conning people out of small change, not lifes savings.
I’d probably just end up ignoring him. Wouldn’t stop giving food to people I thought needed it though.
Only gypsies sell them here,so when you hear the words ‘big issue’,you know to keep walking.
I remember once I was walking to a bar in my hometown and there was a kid in sort of ragged clothing, maybe a couple years older than I, who asked me for 37 cents so he could get a beer. I’m typically moved to compassion when someone asks me for change for a beer, so I gave him a couple quarters.
Later, as I was walking home from the bar, I passed the kid and some of his friends sitting on a bench. He again asked me for thirty-seven cents for beer, and I said “What the fuck I already gave you thirty seven cents!” He got real sheepish and his friends all laughed.
It was funny, and it’s obviously an insignificant amount of cash, but at the same time I was pissed that I did the guy a favor and he just forgot about it. That kind of shit happens though.
I feel the same way when income tax and social security gets deducted from my paycheck every week.
[quote]timbofirstblood wrote:
I remember once I was walking to a bar in my hometown and there was a kid in sort of ragged clothing, maybe a couple years older than I, who asked me for 37 cents so he could get a beer. I’m typically moved to compassion when someone asks me for change for a beer, so I gave him a couple quarters.
Later, as I was walking home from the bar, I passed the kid and some of his friends sitting on a bench. He again asked me for thirty-seven cents for beer, and I said “What the fuck I already gave you thirty seven cents!” He got real sheepish and his friends all laughed.
It was funny, and it’s obviously an insignificant amount of cash, but at the same time I was pissed that I did the guy a favor and he just forgot about it. That kind of shit happens though.[/quote]
He was obviously just trolling the side walk for people to get money off. You sure it wasnt Celtic?
We know your out there celtic…watching…ready to pounce on your prey…and call them out
Down here in Miami, I find that there are more people that will try to sell you stuff while you wait at red lights, whether it be bottles of water, flowers, or different kinds of fruit. I rarely see homeless people just begging for money. And when I do see them at street intersections, they go to each car and give the driver a piece of paper explaining the dire situation they are in( ex. they just lost their job/ or kids need money to eat).
So I have respect for the people that instead of sitting there and just begging for money, they will try to make a profit by selling certain items. And I have only encountered this in Miami, even in other parts of Florida there’s always just people sitting there with signs saying they need help/money, so I always think they are just scamming people.
[quote]StevenF wrote:
I feel the same way when income tax and social security gets deducted from my paycheck every week. [/quote]
hahahha awesome
[quote]sandbagger wrote:
Down here in Miami, I find that there are more people that will try to sell you stuff while you wait at red lights, whether it be bottles of water, flowers, or different kinds of fruit. I rarely see homeless people just begging for money.
And when I do see them at street intersections, they go to each car and give the driver a piece of paper explaining the dire situation they are in( ex. they just lost their job/ or kids need money to eat).
So I have respect for the people that instead of sitting there and just begging for money, they will try to make a profit by selling certain items. And I have only encountered this in Miami, even in other parts of Florida there’s always just people sitting there with signs saying they need help/money, so I always think they are just scamming people.[/quote]
When im working and i get sent to the city (chicago) theres always kids selling bottled water for a dollar at stop signs,yano instead of going to school or something. But i will usually buy one every now and then, better than slinging crack