A Beggar? Your Views On Begging Lots of beggars in this country...

[cyborgxxi 0]

I am a third culture kid studying at a southeast asian country called Thailand or Siam. I am currently in Bangkok, the country's capital city. Thailand is known for its heavy traffic (most in the world!), prostitutes, percentage of population of transvestites (Guinness Book of World Records), air pollution, and correupted government and police, as well as major piracy. Oh, don't forget the beggars.One day, while heading home, I entered Seven-Eleven (7-11) and bought myself an icecream (Wall's). Ehh, it was good. I got out of the place and I noticed a very poor-looking person (old male) sitting on the 7-11 stone ledge with his arm held in front of him, as if asking for money.But I wasn't too sure if he WAS asking for money. I mean, whenever I see a beggar, most of the time I will spare a few coins (4~8 cents equivalent). This time, I was asking myself, "Is this guy a beggar? Am I going to anger him if I give him my money?"It took a lot of time unwrapping my icecream and throwing it in the bin. I took several glances at him and he looked at me. I got scared... I felt bad but I didn't want to upset anyone. So, I walked away, feeling troubled. I didn't look back.

Edited August 4, 2005 by microscopic^earthling (see edit history)

[miCRoSCoPiC^eaRthLinG 0]

Heh - what you are describing here struck me Oh-So-Familiar . Infact, it's a part of my everyday life too - me being situated in a place about 1 hour off Bangkok, named - Ratchaburi. I'm sure you've heard of it... My work takes me down to Bangkok very frequently and having travelled extensively all over Thailand, I can say that the situation you describe is so very common not just in Bangkok but in any of the larger cities anywhere in Thailand.

 

What I follow under these circumstances is a simple advice that my mom had taught me when I was a li'll kid - in order to effectively deal with begging back in India. I hand out my loose changes ONLY TO PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED AND/OR AGED PEOPLE. These are the really needy ones - having lost the capacity to lead an active working life - either through accidents/sickness or out of just plain old age. As for the rest 99% of them - I think begging is just an easier way out because they are outright lazy to go out and find some job for themselves. For most part my anger flares up - when I see able-bodied men/women begging by the roadside.. They are able enough to go do some physical labour that'd fetch them enough to get decent daily meals (I mean comeon - a full fledged Thai lunch would hardly cost you more than 30-40baht = $1 ). You don't even need any qualifications to take up such job - and such helping hands are much needed everywhere.

 

If I was ever forced into a situation like that and I was able-bodied, I'd definitely go do some sort of work - however "lowly" (if you don't believe in the dignity of labour, that is) it might be, rather than go around begging. I'd rather starve but not beg - as long as I'm capable to doing some work, somewhere..

Edited March 27, 2007 by miCRoSCoPiC^eaRthLinG (see edit history)

[cyborgxxi 0]

True, true.You kind of ringed a bell inside my brain. However, that guy was old. He had white hair and I think he is old enough. Also, able-bodied people can apply to be the streeth cleaners equipped with rakes. You can make a living with that but those kind of people had enough time to think of what to do.*nods*

[wutske 0]

Here we don't have that much beggars, but when I see one, I don't know what to do, I just walk past without looking and when I've past the guy (strange, never seen a woman begging ) I feel sad that I didn't help that guy. I don't know why I do that, it's automatic , maybe my brains says, if I help this one, I should help the next on I see, and the next one ... because it wouldn't be fair to the other ones, and what the other day, when you see him, should you give money or feel guilty. It's not easy.

[dyingofcolour 0]

I always feel bad when I see someone begging but I try not to give money directly to them, who knows if they are really poor or just begging to get extra money. I feel better giving money to a charity and it's more likely the money will be spent on something good rather than just drugs or alcohol like some beggers do.

[Sarah81 0]

Here we have beggars who stand on street corners with "Will work for food" signs. Some of them get creative and write "Why lie? I need a cold beer" on their signs instead, and people seem to give them even more money. (Reward for being honest, I guess.)

Anyway ... what's interesting to me is that even homeless people can do something productive and take care of themselves to an extent. Dumpster diving, as distasteful as it might seem to some of us, is actually a pretty interesting (and self-reliant) way to take care of yourself.

Has anyone ever read an essay called "On Dumpster Diving" by Lars Eighner? He was a homeless guy in Austin, Texas for years but never resorted to begging or handouts. (I say "was" homeless because he's back on his feet and is in an apartment now.)

Instead, he found all of the things that he really needed in Dumpsters - and then wrote this essay about the experience, which is actually a really fascinating piece. I would link to it, but I can't find it published anywhere on the Internet. It's been anthologized, though, so you might be able to track it down on his Web site.

But at the same time, his essay is about the wasteful nature that many of us have. We toss out all sorts of perfectly good stuff every day, which means that people like this guy can come along, get the things, and put them to good use.

Not that sharing is bad, but why do we just throw stuff out like that?

Anyway, that's a different subject, I suppose.

[apurva 0]

Yeah very true,here in India and to be particular in mumbai there are more than 40lakhs beggers..Mumbai in India is known for opportunities so ppl from all over fly over here without having any kinda shelter security and end up lying on streets or stations and begging for food(mostly for drinks).They could've worked and say here a simple food would cost you hardly 15rs and mind you 43rs=1$These ppl have now been used to for begging..We find them everywhere..Oh give a break now.. Government please do something

[velma 6]

Hi,This is one topic that really needs to be shown some light for nowadays we can never know if a person is really genuine or not. I mean you can never tell If a beggar coms begging to you saying that he has not eaten in days but does not look like it then what do you do?I give money to people who really deserve it like old people and handicapped people for they cant earn as nobody is ready to ive them a chance.I give to old people for when I look at them Iam constantly reminded of my grandparents and am grateful that they never had to lead such a life.Whenever a Person or child comes begging to me for money coz he has not eaten then I usually offer them food, The genuine ones usually happy take it and leave you with gratitude but the ones who want nothing but money will not agree to food and demand for money.... I tend to ignore them then.I feel bad for many of them but I cannot do anything so I usually leave.You can call it survival of the fittest or whatever but they and us have no difference for all of us are fighting for survival in the end, Genuinely or not for even we cheat.Cheers

[Vue 0]

I hope you don't mind if I ask...what is a "third culture kid"?

 

It's funny how you described your ah...encounter...outside 7-11. The beggar (?) person sounds strange.

 

Well, in Vietnam, they pull your garments and beg you to give them money. You run and of course they can't chase after you because their arms and legs are partially crippled.

 

In developed countries, one would look down on beggars. But in developed countries/regions...I wouldn't know. Yes, I know they are poor, whether they like it or not. But I remember some people talking about the encounters they had (similar to yours)...I forgot the reaction or reasoning they had about beggars, but I remember a lot of people concluding that they wouldn't give money to every beggar they see.

[Maxfelgar 0]

In Canada we really have quite a low poverty rate, but in the big cities (Toronto, Vancouver, etc.) there are quite a few beggars/homeless people. I always feel bad walking past them, especially the older people, as they aren't always able to work. I often give a couple bucks to the older people I see on the side of the street, but those people that come up to you with cigarette smoke on their breath asking for spare change, I just walk past. I don't like it, but I don't want to give someone money for them to blow on drugs & such.

[Lydubs1405241537 0]

Here's a funny beggar story. When I visited Paris with People to People, there were a lot of Muslim looking women who ALL asked the same question. "Do you speak English?" If you said "Yes", they would hand you a piece of paper with a sad story written in English so you would feel sorry for them and their made up life and donate money to them. One was about how her brother had died and now their family was somehow poorer. That doesn't make sense to me... how could one less mouth to feed make a family ever more poor? Anyway, we all knew they were fakes. Here's the funny part though. Once, a woman came up asking the question while we were having a conversation... IN ENGLISH! One of my friends said, "Uh... no hablo ingles." in his very real sounding Mexican accent. And she responded in Spanish. We were like, "Oh, crap..." and we just had to walk away cause we had run out of non English languages. I could've done some German, but I didn't feel like it. She probably knew that language too.

[Maxfelgar 0]

Yeah, I had a similar story in Italy. There are these women who sit hunched over under a thick blanket with bowls in front of them. One of them had another woman who started speaking to me first in Italian, then English, and when I started speaking French she knew it. It's amazing how people that are so... poor, know so many languages. I'm sure that if I had tried another language, such as Spanish, she would have known it as well.