do you ever give homeless people money?

[harmacologist]

^ yep. all bums are just lazy slackers. they're all in that position for exactly the same reason.

maybe, if you come back in another life and you're on death row in bali or you're a little down on your luck for any one of a hundred reasons, the people from whom you seek help won't be, well, like you.

spend that $2 wisely.

alasdair

see comment #5. i'm not a monster.

 

[InterestingFACT]

solid approach. just assume they're all on the make (or, like potatoman, that they are all crackheads) and you never have to give away another penny. you need that $2 or $3 a lot more than they do...

file under: "i don't tip either - it's not my fault if the system works like that, they get paid. if they don't like it, they should just get another job."

alasdair

I sympathize with your stance, but the counter-position is a little bit more nuanced than you're giving credit. Yes, not every homeless person is a drug addict or an alcoholic--and even if they are, that doesn't mean that they suddenly don't actually need the money. But why give money which might further the addiction that's keeping (some of) them on the streets, when instead you can use that same money to take them to lunch, in the process maybe even learning a thing or two by talking to them.

Obviously, you're not saying that's a bad thing to do or a waste of time, I'm just pointing out that while some people use excuses like this as crutches to avoid thinking about the homeless, many others (though, sadly, too few) are genuinely trying to do what they think is most right, most likely to uplift someone's life.

 

[alasdairm]

i tend to agree with you. i guess my point is that i hear a lot of people saying "i refuse to load their crack pipes for them". i understand and respect that position but many of those many just stop there and don't take care of the other side of that equation...

alasdair

 

[ChemicalSmiles]

I have given money... but usually I prefer to buy food... If I give cash 1-3 dollars is fine.... but I usually ask people if I can give them some food, or buy them a meal... if they immediately reject that... I usually let them go on about their day.

 

[JoeTheStoner]

How Much A Dollar Cost

Up until this point in the album, Kendrick’s been plagued by Lucy & Uncle Sam. On his road to recovery, he runs into a a homeless man at a gas station in South Africa.

He tells the story of a man (who he thinks is a crack addict) asking for 10 Rand (apprrox $1 USD). Initially Kendrick says no and feels resentment as the man who continues to berate him. After asking if he’d read Exodus 14, Kendrick begins to feel guiltily and sympathetic towards the man.

His selfishness, to which he attributes his success, eventually comes out most in his interactions with the homeless man. At that point, the man reveals himself to be God — his selfishness & unwillingness to give the homeless man a dollar has cost him his place in Heaven.

Kendrick then repents in the outro, asking God for forgiveness. It’s only now he’s free of Lucy & Uncle Sam — he had to be humbled to be humble. Pointing out that the figurative value of a dollar is far higher than the literal value of a dollar.

 

[CosmicG]

I used to until I got sick of them coming up to me literally every single day asking for more. Like hey I have a job and a home but still I'm broke too and I know don't look rich. People like that are simply feeding off of other kind people's weakness, that weakness being empathy unfortunately. Usually homeless people are homeless for a reason. Any time I have spent more then ten minutes talking to the homeless the conversation inevitably leads to them trying to con me for money since we just connected and are "dudes" now. I just shake my head and keep waking straight face.

If I was in that situation I would be doing the same thing though. Still in my area all the homeless are either crackheads or dope fiends.

 

[socko]

They are bad here. This isn't Starving Ethopia so there's no excuse for the aggressive begging. Starving Ethopians are probably too polite to beg in the first place. My response to the more aggressive, obese pan-handlers is to look them in the eye, rub my belly, and grin. If I have food with me, I take a bite so they can see.

 

[ScotchMist]

I'm selective over who I'll give money to. You can usually tell who really is down on their luck and who is blagging the homeless card just to earn a score, whilst having a flat and claiming off the social.

 

[PotatoMan]

so you just assume they're crackheads?

if somebody asks you for a couple of bucks, ask yourself if you need it more than they do...

alasdair

well alasdair the majority in this country are crackheads. And they mostly have names and I know who they are. Even if they're not crackheads how would I even know. Giving them something to eat or drink is far more worthwhile than 2 or 3 bucks cuz that money will buy you NOTHING here. In america yeah they'll get a burger or sum shit from McDonalds but food and snacks here cost a lot. So giving them money is pointless. Cuz I don't have like a bunch of money that they need more than me. I know they can do with food.

 

[alasdairm]

...the majority in this country are crackheads...

how could you possibly know that?

...how would I even know.

nevermind.

weak.

alasdair

 

[red22]

Is it possible to die of starvation in first world countries?

 

[thujone]

How Much A Dollar Cost

Up until this point in the album, Kendrick’s been plagued by Lucy & Uncle Sam. On his road to recovery, he runs into a a homeless man at a gas station in South Africa.

love it

i gave the dude by the liquor store some change the other day. I've been saying no to him for a while but after seeing him in the alley next to the store pounding a tallboy in secret I felt strange. He's courteous and clean-shaven and has been standing outside the liquor store all winter long in -30 degrees just to collect change for beer.

i see people driving up in $100-$150k cars buying their liquor with cash but ignoring the guy outside. How dare he speak to them. His mere existence is an affront to the capitalists. He is the terrorist in plain sight.

 

[PotatoMan]

how could you possibly know that?
nevermind.

weak.

alasdair

Because they're psychotic and cocaine and crack are the only hard drugs in this country. Crack is hella cheap, as is the blow. I know, trust me. Stop singling out negligible details in my posts allybaba. I mean they could be boozers. But crack/coke abuse explains the psychosis they seemingly have. Plus I've seen some actually smoking crack. I just said crack cuz it's usually what has people on the street here.

 

[alasdairm]

my point is that you're making baseless claims. latest figures from h.u.d. claim there were 610,042 homeless people in jan 2013.

you claim that "the majority in this country are crackheads". that means you're claiming that there are at least 305,022 homeless crackheads in the u.s. can you back that up with anything? anythign at all. or is it just a number that you pulled out of thin air?

alasdair

 

[PotatoMan]

HAHAHA. SO you thought Im american. I see where this mix up started from.

Do not assume alasdair. I am from Trinidad and yes the majority of the homeless here are crackheads. I thought I made the fact that I don't reside in the US clear to you when I talked about the cost of food HERE and in your country.



PotatoMan 1 Alasdair 0

 

[alasdairm]

Do not assume alasdair. I am from Trinidad and yes the majority of the homeless here are crackheads. I thought I made the fact that I don't reside in the US clear to you when I talked about the cost of food HERE and in your country.

ok.

so back up your claim that the majority of homeless people in your country are crackheads. if your claim is true, a couple or three references should be easy to produce.

PotatoMan 1 Alasdair 0

it's not a competition and the fact that you view it as one says a lot about your contribution.

alasdair

 

[PotatoMan]

ok.

so back up your claim that the majority of homeless people in your country are crackheads. if your claim is true, a couple or three references should be easy to produce.
it's not a competition and the fact that you view it as one says a lot about your contribution.

alasdair

It's quite a loose claim TBH. There are actually very little statistics about things like that readily available online for me to source. Please don't make me have to find a source for that claim as well. The day you come here and see for yourself will be your source.

No comment on your grave comment on my frivolous comment.

done here.

 

[alasdairm]

thanks for admitting that you basically made it up. that's all i'm looking for and now we know.

alasdair

 

[Bardeaux]

I have given money... but usually I prefer to buy food... If I give cash 1-3 dollars is fine.... but I usually ask people if I can give them some food, or buy them a meal... if they immediately reject that... I usually let them go on about their day.

This.

Besides, I hardly carry or use cash anymore so I never have any money to give.

There are exceptions though. Like the guy in a t shirt and shorts who says he just got out of work and needs money for a bus ticket. Everything about that scenario is just unbelievable for me.

 

[brink]

How about folks from out of state who "need a few bucks for gas", and if you offer to put some money on a pump, [not] surprisingly, they decline? First off, I always like to hear about how a road trip was a jamming good idea while lacking resources to arrive at a destination.

Just as others have touched on regarding the nature of homelessness, it can be inferred that people were either unable to help themselves past a point or they chose a life of limited responsibility. Certain individuals are truly beyond the reasonable assistance of friends or passers by, and that's neither limited nor exclusive to the homeless. Stereotyping and making blanket judgments based on less than absolute determining factors is undoubtedly a moral defect... And yet, you'd be naive to ignore commonalities among types of people and attempt to give everyone your all. Therefore, we give Joe a few bucks in order to take the high road, but there will be no rides, to prevent him from staining the seats, carjacking, or killing us. Mary, on the other hand, looks like she's had a bath within the past fortnight, and she seems oh, so nice.

It's rational to consider if actions are actually going to help someone. Serving to enable degenerate habits can be worse than gambling, as you are choosing to fund choices made by others.
And, like with all financial choices, also give honest thought toward how much that money cost you. Does a $20 donation amount to half an hour of work, an hour, or more after taxes? Do you still have a good feeling about contributing?

Speaking of costs: teaching a man to fish could very well be more costly and futile than giving him a fish.
But hey, who's to say even vain efforts are a waste if they lend to senses of validation [for lacking selfishness] or spirituality. We all gotta rationalize some kinda way...

Another interesting perspective can be had by comparing this topic with how the best of intentions from parents often lead to poor results in their children, especially when support is given without regard to potential consequences. I could've posted this last bit and called it done.