Yesterday when I was waiting in line at the McDonalds drive through a crack head asked me for money… I almost never give money to pan handlers, but for some reason I decided I’d help this guy out. He didn’t look any more sympathetic or deserving than any other pan handler I’ve seen lately, but for what ever reason I found myself reaching into my pockets.
Unfortunately I didn’t have any money on me. I was actually planning on using my debit card for the food. I looked down into the console of my car- all I could find was two dimes and two pennies… It wasn’t much, but how does that saying go? “Beggars can’t be choosers”… Certainly that applied to this situation. Or so I thought.
I gave the guy my change and he gave me a frustrated look. “Can’t you help me out with a dollar?” he asked.
I explained that it was all the money I had and he walked away without saying thank you.
He then proceeded to pace back and forth across the parking lot mumbling to the twenty two cents he still held in his hand... He saw me staring out the corner of his eye. “You could have given me a fuckin’ dollar!” he shouted at me.
“I gave you what I had!” I replied.
He threw my change to the ground and started walking away.
This reminded me of that Urban Legend about giving a panhandler money only to see him getting into a Mercedes later that day. That’s the type of story I often hear people tell to justify their belief that the homeless are lazy and/or ungrateful people.
I looked around and I saw that 3 or 4 other cars in line had seen what happened. The lady behind me shook her head disapprovingly at the man.
“That’s why I don’t give them change,” she yelled to me.
That was exactly the kind reaction I was afraid of. This ass hole just justified this lady’s policy against never giving change to the homeless.
I wanted to yell something to the crack head about how his actions could one day impact the willingness of someone to give money or help to people who have a legitimate need… but how could I convey that to him? He was already halfway across the parking lot.
I suppose could have yelled to him, “Excuse me Mr. Crack Head, but did you know that your actions are perpetuating a dangerous stereotype?”, but I would have sounded like an idiot...
So instead I just pulled up to the menu and ordered my food.
[A Sweet Tea and two McChicken Sandwiches in case you were wondering…]
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Farting in the Shower is a ramblingand ecclectic mix of short stories, embarrasing confessions, pictures, and fast food reviews.
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5 comments:
Near where I live in York we get a lot of beggars as its a tourist area. A lot of people make a good living which I agree stops people giving to the real needy.
I had a situation similar to yours on one of my US trips. A bloke waved a plastic cup in front of me so I put what change I had in his cup(not sure how much but not far off a dollar). He looked at it then at me and said is that all you are giving me, I can't buy much with that. I promptly took the cup off him and took my money back, the look on his face was a picture.
glad you're blogging more often now, joel. :)
I grew up in Compton, California. An area full of cluck heads. You go to the liquor store, the shopping center, the park, walk down the street, shoot, even step out of your house, and you will see cluck head after cluck head asking you for money. All of em have some the-world-will-end story if you don't give them money. So after many years of living in Compton, I have developed an absolute resistance to any pleas for change by bums. Not only do I NEVER give them money, but I get testy when they press too hard.
If fighting poverty is your goal, instead of giving money to a bum on the street, a much more logical solution would be to save up the money and send it to a very efficient charity - atleast then you are more likely to have the money reach someone who would make better use of it.
I never ever give them any money!! if they ask for money to "buy something to eat" i tell them "i won't give you the money but we can go to that little store or that mcdonalds, burger king or wendys...what ever is around...and i'll buy you something to eat". There has only been ONE guy that actually accepted that offer!! and thanked me for it. the rest just said "never mind" and walked away angry calling me a bitch. i refuse to give them money though because i've had the same thing that happened to you happen to me.
WHITE ROSE BOY, i totally loved what you did!! more power to you!!
I don't give money mainly because I usually don't have change (I use my debit card a lot) and it doesn't feel safe.
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