Gut Check. What's your reaction?

[cphbullet]

You may have seen me.

Lol.

Stay out of rowlands pharmacies

 

[Dennisch]

I chose Yay for charity, because somewhere deep inside me I still have some faith in humanity.

 

[HighSeasHoMastr]

I chose Yay for charity, because somewhere deep inside me I still have some faith in humanity.

This too shall pass.

Can probably guess which way I voted

 

[sumbrownkid]

Nice act of humanity by the cop.

And to Danoff, you do bring up great resources so those out of their luck can get support to get back on their feet. But also many of these homeless people are also either just mere vagabonds of their own choosing, or have mental issues that prevent them from normal socializing.

I remember seeing a hobo having an argument with a tree in Chicago...

 

[a6m5]

There will be isolated cases, but this is why Danoff's the left side of gtplanet brain. 👍

I'm not gonna lie, I just saw this story on the news, and as much as I hate it, my reaction to it was #1. Even if charity was justified, I should have at least suspicioned, but I didn't.

 

[Nicksfix]

#1

When you look into the mirror, can you smile to yourself wholeheartedly and remember the last time you did something kind for someone in need ? Or, do you feel that harrowing guilty feeling because you remember a time when you could have, but chose not to ?

 

[Keef]

I voted "Yay for charity!" because, well, yay for charity. You didn't provide a link to a story so I don't know if the cop is helping the guy or about to arrest him for loitering - probably happens more often than not. Yay for charity, but you won't see me giving anybody anything for free, not until I can support myself comfortably and think the person deserves it.

 

[Liquid]

Based purely on what I see, yay for charity. I like to believe in the milk of human kindness, but delves into the story may bring out the cynic in me.

 

[motortrend]

My first thought was "forget shoes" as I think food is the priority

 

[Encyclopedia]

I voted for the first option because I think there's more genuine people than not. Obviously I don't know if this particular homeless guy is honest (or even homeless for that matter.)

 

[Zenith]

My first thought was "forget shoes" as I think food is the priority

It snows in NYC and the guy doesn't exactly look starved.

 

[Patrick]

With this instance I would choose option #1, but most of the time I go with option #2.

 

[Bye Ya]

I often wonder why people would stand alongside the road for 8 hours in the cold and rain when they could make more in the same amount of time at a real job, but a lot of homeless people have mental issues that prevent them from doing so. I vote #1.

 

[nobuffalo]

I often wonder why people would stand alongside the road for 8 hours in the cold and rain when they could make more in the same amount of time at a real job...

Watch them for a few hours and you may find that's not always the case.

 

[Public'sTwin]

Nice act of humanity by the cop.

And to Danoff, you do bring up great resources so those out of their luck can get support to get back on their feet. But also many of these homeless people are also either just mere vagabonds of their own choosing, or have mental issues that prevent them from normal socializing.

I remember seeing a hobo having an argument with a tree in Chicago...

Yes - an extremely high proportion of homeless folk are both mentally unstable and victims of domestic abuse, eviction, unemployment, blah blah blah they chose to be addicts steal shoes etc Merry Christmas Happy Holidays!

Edit:

On another note, though, this reminds me of Derrida's commentary on the notion of the gift, ie all charity, in that simply expecting recognition or any kind of acknowledgment invalidates it as a gift—it becomes a transaction, and regresses to the sphere of commerce; to qualify as a gift, one must expect nothing in return at all, that is, have no expectations whatsoever—even a 'thank you'.

 

[Bye Ya]

Watch them for a few hours and you may find that's not always the case.

What's not always the case? Have you watched homeless people for hours?

 

[BobK]

If there were a "no opinion" option I would have chosen that. Not enough actual facts to do otherwise.

 

[Nero9]

Mine is option #4: Police publicity stunt.

Seconded

 

[arora]

here ya go.

​

And here I thought they usually just arrested them for vagrancy, pan handling, loitering, public intoxication...

http://www.dominionofnewyork.com/20...r-it-and-it-was-perfectly-legal/#.ULkmO-T7InM

 

[MoLiEG]

I went for 1.

There are good people in the world, and not all homeless people are junkie scum.

There's still good people in the world 👍

 

[nobuffalo]

What's not always the case? Have you watched homeless people for hours?

I often wonder why people would stand alongside the road for 8 hours in the cold and rain when they could make more in the same amount of time at a real job...

Clear enough? I couldn't tell you if they were homeless cause I didn't follow them and no I haven't watched them for hours straight, but I have for 30 minutes or so at a time during my lunch break and on a busy intersection in the right area I've seen some make more than they would if they spent the same amount of time pushing carts or flipping burgers.

 

[Northstar]

Apparently our hobo has been seen barefoot again, enforcing my #2 selection.

 

[Public'sTwin]

Apparently our hobo has been seen barefoot again, enforcing my #2 selection.

Better get him another pair of boots, then.

 

[Mac K]

Apparently our hobo has been seen barefoot again, enforcing my #2 selection.

So I've heard.. Apparently he sold the boots..

 

[Nish]

A write-up on Jalopnik about him.

http://jalopnik.com/5965238/the-jef...ource=jalopnik_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

 

[a6m5]

Homless guy was on the news again. Apparently, now he says he wants his share of the cut from the photo going viral.

I think the cop should go back, kick the guy, get a photograph of that, so the homeless guy can get his cut off of that photo.

 

[sumbrownkid]

He's a hobo doing hobo things.

Nothing to see here folks...

 

[Keef]

It's called economics. Money was more important than shoes to him - hell, he told the cop he didn't want shoes. So he sold them. I would have done the same thing.

 

[Public'sTwin]

It's called economics. Money was more important than shoes to him - hell, he told the cop he didn't want shoes. So he sold them. I would have done the same thing.

Thus exposing the irony of the dual reproach, "there he is without boots!" and "it's warm enough without boots!" critiques: that precisely because it is (just barely) warm enough to go without boots, he makes due without them in lieu of whatever is more useful to furthering his own ends (a trademark American tactic, if I recall).

Furthermore, it exposes a secondary irony: in a country which so fetishes free will, independence, and "self-determination", the general population is sure quick to dictate the terms and conditions of the "correct" uses of charity and cultivation of lifestyle which results therefrom.

The general US reaction to this indicates a number of things to me: that Americans' beliefs in the virtue of charity is not unqualified (and thus not absolute), and therefore that their belief in "freedom" is also not unqualified (and therefore also not absolute, as already evidenced by imperialistic meddling if we want to get sociopolitically-cynical), which may be summarised in short-form as: eg homosexuality is fine - even if visible—although, previously, it was "DADT" (indicating that attitudes are subject to revision); and charity is fine, so long as we get to dictate the terms of its use and applicability, which comports with an attitude that can be traced back to the nature of the Native land rights' negotiations tactics and arbitration, if you're so inclined to follow up.

Just as Israeli Jews seek their revenge against history upon Palestine, so too do the descendants of the victims of prosecution that were America's settlers seek their historical vengeance upon those who are domestically convenient, since such an attitude is obviously to no advantage of the "charitable" party. In both cases, we find the victims of this attitude to be the weakest, most infirm members of society to which appeal is the least available.

Typical.


ps i went shopping today, Merry Christmas! ^_^ <3<3

 

[FoolKiller]

For the cop, I say it is yay for compassion. No matter the intent of the homeless guy, the cop was acting compassionately. I say this because I don't want the rest of my statement to downplay that I think the cop was being genuinely charitable.

That said, I voted for #2. Ten years ago, when I was working as an intern at GE, making far more money than I knew what to do with while living I my mom's basement, was the first and only time I gave anything to someone on the street. I was going to lunch at a McDonald's and a guy was standing by the door asking for money. He looked genuinely rough and starving. On my way in all I had was a $20 as I had just gotten cash from the ATM. But on my way out I handed him a $5 from my change. He was asking for money for food, and that would have been enough for a meal. My car was on the backside of the parking lot and when I got in I saw the man walking past in my rear view mirror. I turned in my seat to see where he was going. With my cash in hand he cut through a small patch of woods to a run down building that was known to be a hangout for addicts. I had some friends in school who did drugs and would buy there if their usual dealer (a guy at school) wasn't available.

And that was the last time I ever trusted a beggar to actually be begging for food.

I have done charity before when friends had lost their job and needed money to get by. I'd hire them on to do some work around the house. I'm not heartless, and will help those who are actually trying. But as Danoff pointed out, the difference is obvious when one is doing everything they can to get a shower and stay clean and asking for work while the other is just asking for a handout.

And I have heard every story, from needing gas to get to their kid's hospital bed (where's their car?) to bus fare (we don't have a bus station) to just a couple of bucks for some food. But now the whole world runs on card. I almost never have cash on me, so I can be 100% honest and say, "Sorry, I don't have any cash."

One guy did nearly get hurt though. He approached me just after I took my daughter to daycare. He gave me some story about riding buses across country (remember, no bus station) to see his kids for the first time in ten years. When I told him I didn't have any cash on me he walked alongside me, which let me smell the pot, and mentioned how it looked like a nice daycare with lots of cute kids going in. I keep an old table leg between my car seat and the door. Were we not in front of a lot of people with small kids I likely would have used it. I have never been angry enough to start violence until that moment. Instead I just made a comment how it is also kind of pricey and got in my car. A cop sits a couple of blocks up every morning during rush hour, directing traffic at an intersection when necessary, and on my way to work I stopped by his car and waved him over and reported the guy.

So, yeah. I can't say I have any other reaction to someone begging on the street than cynicism. Between witnessing my money going toward drugs and a veiled threat at my daughter, I have little trust in those guys.


Side note on the table leg: My wife used to think I was nuts and paranoid. I mean I never needed it, so it was just an unnecessary precaution. I told her about what happened and she hasn't questioned it since. She even said she'd have posted bail if I had used it.