Is it right to give money to beggars?

[Craorach]

I want to say, with some of the comments in this thread.. that I understand that there are valid reasons for homelessness and begging even in societies with good benefits systems.. the mentally ill are truely not responsible for their situation and fall through the cracks often before they can be diagnosed, and treatment for some can be worse than the condition. From personal experience I also understand that getting a job is hard enough when you're on benefits and unable to afford much in the way of nice clothes/transport/etc let alone when you're homeless.

Severe mental illness is, however, one of the very few valid reasons for this kind of stuff.. unlike, say, drug addiction.. which is a purely self inflicted woe.

 

[TheXRatedDodo]

I give money to beggars if I get a good vibe off them.
I am quite often prone to sitting down and having a chat to them, some of them have very powerful tales to tell, some of them are obvious crackheads, alcoholics or addicts of some other sort, but if I get that good vibe, my money is theirs.
Sometimes simply sharing a cigarette with a homeless guy can be an incredibly powerful experience.

 

[Souplex]

It's pretty much impossible to get a job in that situation, they need it.

 

[Wodan]

Never give beggars any money. Most of them are scam artists and the rest you just perpetuate their problem.

Sad thing is you can make a decent yearly wage by begging in the states and all off the generosity of ignorant people.

Instead if you want to help the homeless give to soup kitchens or try and get them a job/rehab/help.

 

[LitleWaffle]

Giving a beggar money is a good thing to do, but not giving them money i don't believe is bad.
Complicated, especially if you add people who are just scamming.

However, if you know it is a true beggar, I would hope you would give them something.

 

[LikeDustInTheWind]

I believe this song accurately portrays my feelings.

<youtube=mcdtVD8X1-A>

It's much less offensive than the the title would make you think.

 

[TheDarkestDerp]

"should" is a word I'm not too keen on, as it implies a sense of superiority on the part of the party dictating it towards another persons behaviour. So.... let's nix 'should' from the equation and move on.

*ahem*

Me, I try to follow the Arabian ideal of it being a blessing to give to a beggar, as much for the giver as it is for the beggar.

Sooner or later we will all fall on hard times, be it emotionally, economically, socially, physically or just sexually. Difficulties will befall us as creatures and often they will be beyond our immediate ability to cope with in one or more of the above stated scopes. At times like that we will often look to others who are unsympathetic to our plight with malice, because they 'don't care'. "If it was them sitting here with impacted rectal death-fever, they'd care, dammit!" Thoughts along this line crop up, and maybe justifiably so.

We all say we care so much about the plight of others, hurricane Katrina, the Japanese Tsunami victims, Rowandan refugees, homeless people in our very own towns... etc etc etc, it's a pretty long list of suffering out there in the world, but not that many of us actually do anything. Generally because it falls outside of our immediate comfort zone, to actually physically 'help' in those situations would require lifestyle-altering changes, taking time off from work, possibly our determined 'lives' altogether, learning skills and world travel into hazardous environments, possibly contracting fatal illness or injury. So, by comparison, just giving a hand-out, or hand-up depending upon your viewpoint, seems a relatively minor thing to me. Why not toss a helping hand to a beggar?

I say give 'em a few bucks, or a sandwich. Teach 'em to fish when they're on their own two feet again.

 

[FortheLegion]

I only give money to beggars who play a touching song in public.
One time I listened to a man play a sorrow filled song on his beat up cello. It was beautiful, I emptied my pockets of change.

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

It is rather hard for me to decide. This requires some explanation

Once, when I was young, I had saved up about $75 dollars for a new toy (What it was I cannot remember). It had taken me 15 months of piano lessons (I got paid to practice) to earn that much. We were looking around, my parents stopping in shops, and I saw a homeless man. He was ill looking, tired, and hungry, and was asking for change for something to eat. He had mere pennies in his tin. I walked over, put my $75 in, said ?Jesus loves you? and walked back to my parents, who were a bit shocked, but proud of me. Later, when we walked back around that area, I saw the same man drinking what is by my calculations: $75 worth of booze. It was heartbreaking.
Now, I find it hard. I do feel like most of the aggressive beggars are trying to scam you, or make you feel guilty. In Mexico, in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, children will practically climb on your car to wipe down your windows, even when you tell them in Spanish ?No, thank you.? They still go through with it as far as they can, and hold out their hands expecting pay. It is conflicting. If I give them money, I reinforce that behavior. But if you don?t, they may grow to resent people like me.
Rather hard not to though, as I feel so sorry for them. I cannot state that I will never give, but defining when is hard.
Also, this may be relevant, and I personally find it helpful

Spoiler

Matthew 25: 34-46
Then the King will say to those on his right, ?Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.? 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ?Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?? 40 And the King will answer them, ?Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.?
41 ?Then he will say to those on his left, ?Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.? 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ?Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?? 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ?Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.? 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.?

 

[Rayne870]

The key to reducing the homeless population is simply to reduce their population. Starving them out is a slow roundabout way to do it and it isn't working. In Canada there are a ton of jobs and a ton of unfilled positions as well as a very high unemployment rate. We can't cure lazy by throwing money at it.

Wait... are you saying the problem with homeless people starving is it an efficient way of killing them off? Please, please be joking. And by "reduce their population" I hope you mean get they homes and jobs rather than kill them.

Actually I said it isn't efficient. And no I don't like the idea of finding them jobs and homes and such using taxpayer dollars when there were more than enough opportunities in their lives to get those things themselves. I'm not saying go out and kill em but I'm not gonna support them either. I work for my cash and others can get off their asses and do it too.

 

[joshthor]

is it right? no. is it wrong? no. there are alot of places they can and should go. (at least in my town) that will help get them on thier feet. if they choose not to, thats fine, but begging is annoying, and it gives a slummy look to the street they are on. i personally do not give money to beggars. some of my freinds do, but i choose not too. they make an assload of money as it is. (seriously. sit on a bench a block away and watch how many people give them money. i was walking up the street towards one and i saw 4 people give him money, one guy gave him a 20)

 

[AnthonTheSkabot]

As once put by Tommy Flood in Christopher Moore's You Suck (or Bloodsucking Fiends, I can't remember) after being told that a beggar will probably just use the money for drugs: "I probably would too if I were him." And so my answer is yes, it's fine to give beggars money.

 

[RingaFiar]

snip

I'm not exactly sure this religious scripture is appropriate in this thread, particularly the high-handed way you've just delivered it.

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

snip

I'm not exactly sure religious scripture is appropriate in this thread, particularly the high-handed way you've just delivered it.

I then apologize. It was never my intent to be high-handed. That verse has just always helped me, and I hoped it might help someone else.

 

[orangeban]

The key to reducing the homeless population is simply to reduce their population. Starving them out is a slow roundabout way to do it and it isn't working. In Canada there are a ton of jobs and a ton of unfilled positions as well as a very high unemployment rate. We can't cure lazy by throwing money at it.

Wait... are you saying the problem with homeless people starving is it an efficient way of killing them off? Please, please be joking. And by "reduce their population" I hope you mean get they homes and jobs rather than kill them.

Actually I said it isn't efficient. And no I don't like the idea of finding them jobs and homes and such using taxpayer dollars when there were more than enough opportunities in their lives to get those things themselves. I'm not saying go out and kill em but I'm not gonna support them either. I work for my cash and others can get off their asses and do it too.

Yeah, sorry typo'd efficient, meant to say efficient. Now, some are just being lazy and that's bad but do you realise how hard it is for many people to get jobs? The reason we pay tax (among other reasons) is so the government (whos job is to look after us) can help the poor sods get "off their asses" as you put it. Those people starving and dying of illness because they can't afford food and medicine? They're not there because there less intelligent or as hard-working than you. Chances are they're there because they got a bad hand in life and frankly most of the ones I've met seem a lot nicer people than you.

And a disclaimer: I'm talking about the sincere ones there, don't bring up the actual lazy bastards.

 

[iDoom46]

I usually give money to beggars. Up to a dollar.

It may be irresponsible of me, but I really don't care what they do with the money. They need it, and they asked for it politely. As far as I'm concerned I'm performing a good deed. Whatever bad things they do with the money is their problem and they'll just have to continue to suffer for it.

 

[game-lover]

I think it's good as far as the thought counts. But is it always smart? No.

Myself, I don't often give money. Chalk it up to selfishness but pretty much every time I've given money, I've not felt all that awesome. Mostly either feeling loads of doubt that it was a good idea or regret that I gave too much money or I really couldn't have afforded to give my funds away like that.

But after watching this news program where they did a story over these fake beggars--one guy even had two fucking cars; and hearing from my brother the stories he's gone through with fake beggars--such as a guy who he sorta made come with him to pick out some food but didn't tough it or this other guy who wanted money for the bus only to buy some beer and then talk this other guy into giving him a ride--I'm pretty wary now when it comes to this,