Poll

What do you do when approached by a beggar/ homeless person asking for some spare change?

cross over the road to avoid being asked
2 (14.3%)
stop and give any loose change you may have
6 (42.9%)
stick your nose up and ignore them
0 (0%)
pretend you are on your mobile and simply can't hear them
0 (0%)
say 'fuck off'
0 (0%)
say 'fuck off' and give em a quick pisser round their head
0 (0%)
return with a pack of sandwiches you just bought (at least they cant spend your money on meths/fags but you still 'gave'
1 (7.1%)
stop and chat to see if they 'deserve' your help
0 (0%)
just simply say 'sorry mate i got none quite politely
5 (35.7%)

Total Members Voted: 9

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Author Topic: Do you 'walk on by' ?  (Read 1002 times)

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Offline bodie

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Do you 'walk on by' ?
« on: April 23, 2011, 02:27:52 PM »
I have always enjoyed 'observing' people and how they react to things.
Watching how people react to beggars is particularly diverse

I used to cross the road, it wasn't so much that i didn't want to give them anything but more like
i just didn't want anyone to invade my space and have to interact.  In the end i started talking to
a regular beggar outside my work.  He used to say the worst reaction is when folks ignore you.  He
said he would rather the 'fuck off' response as being ignored is just like saying  'you are a nobody
and don't exist'

I don't always give them change, but i do always acknowledge them now.

How do you deal with that situation?
« Last Edit: April 23, 2011, 03:40:48 PM by bodaccea »
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Celticgoddess

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Re: Do you 'walk on by' ?
« Reply #1 on: April 23, 2011, 02:30:53 PM »
Depends on where I'm at. Sometimes I just smile, sometimes I give loose change.
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Osensitive1

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Re: Do you 'walk on by' ?
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2011, 02:32:29 PM »
It depends. Usually give a dollar or some change. If they're really old, have been known to give them all the cash I have on hand.
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Offline Adam

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Re: Do you 'walk on by' ?
« Reply #3 on: April 23, 2011, 02:41:53 PM »
Doesn't happen often, but if it does then I give them money if I have it

A few weeks ago a guy approached me on the street and asked me for 50p "for the bus" lol

I gave it him for some reason

he even said he'd pay me back next time he saw me (on one of the busiest roads in my city, a person I'd never seen before in my life :P )
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Osensitive1

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Re: Do you 'walk on by' ?
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2011, 02:46:48 PM »
Forgot about the ones who stand in the intersections. Will avoid the lane closest to them if possible and if not possible, will keep the window up and shake my head no. Not sure why it seems so freaky when in the car, maybe because usually trapped in stopped traffic.
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Offline Parts

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Re: Do you 'walk on by' ?
« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2011, 02:48:39 PM »
I have no set answer either.  In general I will not approach them nor anyone else for that matter when I am out and I mostly ignore all people when I am walking.  If they approach me I tend to size them up I have been known to give them money but usually older ones or ones that remind me of someone.  I will almost always give someone money if they have a dog, have an original pitch, or make me laugh.  I don't like the ones with signs and have known people in the past who had made a good amount of money($100-150 a day) standing with a sign on the side of the road in the right place.
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Offline "couldbecousin"

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Re: Do you 'walk on by' ?
« Reply #6 on: April 23, 2011, 02:48:53 PM »
 I usually give bus fare or a few dollars, but grudgingly, because I resent feeling obligated.
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Offline "couldbecousin"

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Re: Do you 'walk on by' ?
« Reply #7 on: April 23, 2011, 03:00:08 PM »
Quote from: Heinrich on April 23, 2011, 02:41:53 PM
Doesn't happen often, but if it does then I give them money if I have it

A few weeks ago a guy approached me on the street and asked me for 50p "for the bus" lol

I gave it him for some reason

he even said he'd pay me back next time he saw me (on one of the busiest roads in my city, a person I'd never seen before in my life :P )

That seems to be a popular scam.  I remember giving "bus fare" to a young kid downtown, then being approached half an hour later,
by the same kid, this time asking for money so he could buy "something to drink."  I did not give him money that time.  With the bus fare
I gave him, he could go home and get a drink of tap water.  :zoinks:
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P7PSP

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Re: Do you 'walk on by' ?
« Reply #8 on: April 23, 2011, 05:08:35 PM »
I say no and give nothing.
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Celticgoddess

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Re: Do you 'walk on by' ?
« Reply #9 on: April 23, 2011, 05:36:18 PM »
Quote from: Jack on April 23, 2011, 02:46:48 PM
Forgot about the ones who stand in the intersections. Will avoid the lane closest to them if possible and if not possible, will keep the window up and shake my head no. Not sure why it seems so freaky when in the car, maybe because usually trapped in stopped traffic.

Yes! It totally freaks me out too. I feel trapped. As soon as I see them walking my way, I lock my doors. I never give to them.
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Offline Queen Victoria

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Re: Do you 'walk on by' ?
« Reply #10 on: April 23, 2011, 06:03:50 PM »
I don't give money to the ones who approach at the parking lot or gas station, only needing $ to buy a gallon of gas to get home.  I will usually give at the intersections.  In fact if the PR sees me looking for the spare dollar or two I keep handy she will ask, "Where's the homeless man?" if she doesn't see them right away.
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Re: Do you 'walk on by' ?
« Reply #11 on: April 23, 2011, 06:56:34 PM »
One of my daughter's drivers told me about her mother's boyfriend who would get her and her brother and sister to stand on a street corner with him and her mother with one of those signs that said their car broke down and they needed money to get home.  He would make the kids leave their shoes in the car because that made people give them more money.  They would get a couple hundred dollars in a couple of hours.  They weren't homeless and their car didn't break down and they were very near their home.  He would take them to the mall and give them some money for the arcade and buy them a pizza with some of the money and spend the rest on drugs for him and their mother.  She had a weird early childhood until her dad got custody of them.

Now, I'm less inclined to give money to people hanging around street corners.

I have given people "bus fare" before, though.  Once, I gave a woman a ride home, but she wasn't asking for money.  I could just tell that her feet hurt by the way she was walking.
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Offline Al Swearegen

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Re: Do you 'walk on by' ?
« Reply #12 on: April 23, 2011, 07:34:07 PM »
just simply say 'sorry mate i got none quite politely
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Psychophant

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Re: Do you 'walk on by' ?
« Reply #13 on: April 23, 2011, 07:40:25 PM »
Quote from: Al Swearengen on April 23, 2011, 07:34:07 PM
just simply say 'sorry mate i got none quite politely

Thats usually how I do it.   I save my money for donating to food banks or soup kitchens.  Unless I really know the person or such.  Too many scams out there right now.  I will give money to a street performer who is playing or performing really well. 
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Offline Adam

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Re: Do you 'walk on by' ?
« Reply #14 on: April 23, 2011, 07:46:56 PM »
Quote from: couldbecousin on April 23, 2011, 03:00:08 PM
Quote from: Heinrich on April 23, 2011, 02:41:53 PM
Doesn't happen often, but if it does then I give them money if I have it

A few weeks ago a guy approached me on the street and asked me for 50p "for the bus" lol

I gave it him for some reason

he even said he'd pay me back next time he saw me (on one of the busiest roads in my city, a person I'd never seen before in my life :P )

That seems to be a popular scam.  I remember giving "bus fare" to a young kid downtown, then being approached half an hour later,
by the same kid, this time asking for money so he could buy "something to drink."  I did not give him money that time.  With the bus fare
I gave him, he could go home and get a drink of tap water.  :zoinks:

I got asked for a tiny bit of money to go towards a drink once but iit was genuine as we were in the actual shop and she asked for the exact amount (somethign tiny like 6p or something and then thanked me again after she bought it

A girl in school once asked me for 30p for the bus. It was almost definitely for cigs though I think. I did give it her and everyone was like "wtf." She was in the year above me I think

I actually get asked for cigarettes more than I do money
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