Tried to Hire a Homeless Man Today

Originally posted by irsuccubus
All you need to get a couple of bucks off of me is to shoot from the hip. I honestly dont give a # if they are gonna use it to buy drugs or booze. If I were in that situation I would probably opt to be roasted out of my mind most of the time too. Many of the homeless are war vets. Men who bought the lie about Uncle Sam wanting them. What they did not know was that Uncle Sam is a fickle partner and once you have served your purpose...you're out the door! literally.....u are out the door and sitting on the curb with that tattered camo jacket and flashbacks for the rest of your life. I have approached homless people with money and have not even been prompted to do so other than the fact that I could feel their desperation on the night air. Why not? Its not gonna kill me to pass off a couple of pieces of paper that have less value as the days pass. I have a soft spot for the homless because I know that not all of them are these shifty weasels that are looking to trick someone out of a dollar. Gay teens get thrown out on the streets...women and their children opt for the streets over abusive homes and with current economic conditions....there are gonna be a lot more bums on the streets who were probably normal citizens not even months before. It happens that way sometimes. And if I can take the sting of that reality away by helping you zone out for a few minutes or hours...I dont mind. And before someone mentions that these people can be violent addicts armed with a board with a nail in it.....I have had run ins with violent people. All but one were so called ...normal "upstanding" citizens with livelihoods and most likely support systems.

So because their are actual real homeless people out there and messed up vets this justify s the fake ones and con artists?

People are quick to judge Christains and Muslims even though not all of them wanna blow you up or condemn you to hell fire. But if someone points out some homeless need not be that way.. Keyword SOME all of a sudden your against all homeless people your heartless.

You guys are making a strawman argument...

I woulda taken the leaf raking job. Seems easy enough and good exercise, but then that's just me. Anyway, I once went to the Barnes and Noble bookstore and a lady approached me in the parking lot. She looked to be in her 60's maybe with graying hair.I gave her an ear, and she gave me this whole story of how she had to get away from her abusive hubby and blah blah blah. I believed her, and gave her 20 bucks for a meal across the street. I guess a few months later I went to the same bookstore and the same lady came to me, and right away I realized that if she had been serious about her story, she would no longer have been in that parking lot but in a shelter or something for abused women. I just told her she had already asked me and sorry but no.
John Stossel just did a special on this type of panhandling. I feel sorry for people but I can't fix everyone's problems. I got enough of my own.

reply to post by ThirdEyeofHorus


It all boils down to their is a difference between helping true homeless people with physical, mental, job problems and providing for CON ARTISTS...

I guess some people cant differentiate...

reply to post by ker2010


Did I say it was right for anyone to defraud you?
No, I never said was right. Not once have I condone fraud and lying. In fact, it makes it worse for those that are truly in need. I think that's obvious.

It's the blanket condemnation that is evident in some many of you our here. It's called prejudice.

Here's the definition.
" /ˈprɛdʒədɪs/ Show Spelled
[prej-uh-dis] Show IPA
noun, verb, -diced, -dic·ing.
–noun
1. an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.
2. any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable.
3. unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, especially of a hostile nature, regarding a racial, religious, or national group.
4. such attitudes considered collectively: The war against prejudice is never-ending.
5. damage or injury; detriment: a law that operated to the prejudice of the majority."

dictionary.reference.com...

I can say the following then. Let's put all the Christians in jail. People that practise Christianity are responsible for some of the greatest crimes on the planet. Why can't I let the bad apples contaminate my preceptions?
Why shouldn't I hate all Christians for things like the Inquistion?
And if that's not relevant to you, then why shouldn't we condemn the Christians for the Salem Witch Hunt?

That's what I see going on here.
A Witch Hunt.
Scapegoat hunting.

reply to post by Robin Marks


And I see the opposite here, I see more people painting a broad stroke saying all homeless people or 99% are really in need!!!

You guys are doing the opposite in extreme measure.

The People decide to give them money, so its just another smart way to make money.

Just like you decide to give the government money

Not all homeless people are really in need. Some talk full advantage of the generosity of others.I can recall on TV show that follow a panhandler in Seattle, Portland, some where in that area. I was trying to find the show but so far I have been unable to locate it. I think it was an episode of 20/20 but I could be wrong.

Basically the guy lived in a 3 bedroom home in a very nice area. He would go into his garage where he kept his "work clothes" and put on some very dirty, foul smelling, clothes which he never cleaned. He would then go downtown and beg for money all day and that was his job. That was how he fed his family, paid for his home.

Some people say that is an urban legend, but I know I saw a TV about it. While looking for that, I did however find this...

reply to post by onehuman

One other little thing I would like to point out is the fact that some seem to just be assuming Im a perfectly healthy person and quite able to do it all myself. I promise if I was , I would have. I have over the years. It really isn't anyone business Why I needed help, but I did. The ol grey mare just aint what she used to be. So, I hope that clears a couple things up about how this all came about and what my intentions were. I know one thing though, I sure won't reach out like that again which is sad, because maybe now someone I could have helped will miss out completely, unless of course I decide to get more familiar with my city. I think I will stick with the Kids from now on and just teach them about gardening as we go along. They seem to get a kick out it and it is much nicer to see the wonder in a youths eyes as they watch something grow, as opposed too... well, I'll let you fill in the blanks there.

I fully understand where you're coming from, "old gray mare." Over the years I've found some really good sklled workers through Craig's List. However, In the recent past I found myself with a dilemma of needing someone to do a 3-5 hr light manual job due to poor health, but not having cash to pay. So I decided to post a listing under "gigs" on Craig's List and spelled everything out in clear terms... payment being they were welcome to a vast array of household and furniture items, value for value. So with that said, I had no idea of what to expect. Surprisingly, I started getting responses in less than an hour. Within 24 hrs I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the responses. Although I did get a few "opportunists" applying, they were easy to spot. The end result was a "win-win", much to my delight.

I get the idea that there are many small minded, self opinionated, selfish people out there that have had very little real experience in life, and I do not mean hanging out with your click. I have met many different types of drug addicts, working professionals and non working, I have met many different types of alcoholics working and not working. But this discussion is not about that. It is about people trying to survive however they do it. Have you ever left your comfort zone, and no not going to some resort for your holidays. Any time you want I will take you through the dark side, but you will be outside your comfort zone, you will soon learn what fear is and you will also learn that life is not simple, why does one girl become a prostitute and another not. Why does one choose to beg and another not.

Get some real experience and then form an opinion, that would be a great start and a big step for man kind. We once had this slimy politician live on a government benefit for a week and this fool said at the end of it, no problem. The game was flawed from the beginning, he still lived in his rich house, he still had a full tank of petrol in his BMW he didn't have to pay for any real bills during the week, phone, power, rent, plus plus. But the fool still formed an opinion. It is best not to judge until your walk the walk.

This is just what happens when 2 lazy people meet on the road.

I'll say one thing for sure about what I've learned from reading this thread.

In the future, I won't be at all surprised when there are concentration camps again.
The guards in Germany also thought they were right.

en.wikipedia.org...

It's obvious here who'd be the ones to refuse, and who would be the ones following orders.

It's called being hopeless. Past the point of feeling able and well, before the point where you want to end it all.

Just thank your God or whatever it is you believe in, that you can get up every day and feel the drive to exist, because some people don't have it. Not always their fault, and sometimes they just dig a rut and don't have the support or wherewithal to continue with life. Some people just drop right off, and land somewhere in limbo, before self-death and insanity. Then they just do what they do to get on with it. Coasting from corner to corner, living on a street, like their soul just lifted off their body. No emotion but broken despair, and the look about them like they swallowed a pill that broke them inside forever.

You don't have to pity people. But don't think some of these people can just "Get a job" or "be responsible". That's just wholly arrogant. Yea, they really "fool us all" by living on the street. They're really making it, those rakes and thieves.

Like I said, be thankful you have the fire inside you, to walk through life everyday.

Originally posted by kdog1982
Where I work I have"homeless " approach me all the time,everyday
with some sort of story.
I have this one guy,he comes up with this elaborate story of car
broken down,need so much to fix it.
I tell him he just told me a version of that story
a week ago,and he walks off.
I need to learn from them,
cause they are good at what they do.

I recall seeing the same guy with a sign frequently at a busy intersection. I recognized the fellow one day getting out of a new upscale SUV about two blocks from his work site. I watched him walk to his regular panhandle point and morph from a regular citizen to a down and out bum as he walked along puting his better threads in a gym bag and donning his " work clothes" as he walked to his work station. Considering he pays no taxes and does not have to attend pointless business meetings he likely does better than many of the folks who give him money.

Hmmm lets see how to put this.....
I am 65 yrs old, i am homeless ( i live in a school bus) i have at least two disabilities by the worlds standards,
And had you asked me id have raked yer leaves no questions asked....
You just asked the wrong kind of homeless person.
Try going down to labour ready after they have given out all the jobs....theres always a few latecomers who miss the bus....
Dont go looking for beggars because thats what they are, and thats why we call them that.
Sheesh sounds like you did this just to illustrate how worthless homeless people are.
And that aint so.
If you are looking for a worker dont go looking where youll only find players and addicts.
Use yer common sense.
Besides theres a whole lot to be said for shooting yer own dogs if you get my drift........

I was sitting on a bench near a hospital. I saw a women coming my way and thought she was going to sit down next to me and just chill like I was doing, but then she stopped at a trash can looking for food. I felt a lot of empathy for her, so I looked at her face closely and watched her body language as well to see if she was doing drugs. My conclusion to this observation was that she was not doing drugs (she wasn't sketching or anything of that sort, and looked fairly healthy actually) The main meaning to this was that she was not asking me for anything at all and was going about her business looking through trash cans for food or cans. I gave her 5$ for her to eat and she actually went into the hospital cafeteria to by herself some food. The look on her face when I gave her that money will stick with me always. It was a look of disbelief and complete gratitude. I still wonder how she is doing at this present moment.

Peace,
Novatrino

reply to post by onehuman


Can someone tell me what is wrong with this picture?

As every one knows, I am the most honest thing on this board when it comes to the whole out come of things...I no I will get a mod pm after this, but I have no other way to say-so please do not take offence and report me, its just an honest answer to your reply.

1. You probably looked like a serial killer or you look very mean, or strange.

2. Homeless humans no allot about the streets ‘Street Smart'=Surviving', in a way, that even a ' grown man' knows better then to take money from a stranger,’ LET ALONE TO SHOW A STRANGER WHERE they LIVE AT'.

'Inside the mind of a homeless man when approached by a stranger'

Op>I will give you 20 dollars if you come to MY HOUSE and rake my leaves.

HM> ‘he’s one of those Jeffrey dammar dudes, ‘omg’ what do I do‘?

‘My mother told me never to talk to strangers’

‘What guy is going to show me where he lives in the year 2011‘?

‘This guy is really strange’

‘I can see if he had no arms and legs, with does he want...really’

This guy rides in a cab, ive seen this movie before…so, so many times.

Damn! Homeless people and hookers must be the easiest pray for these weirdoes, he must think I’m dumb, wont eat me for dinner…putting some damn salt and pepper ,and some freaking hot sauce on my as, saying Bon Appétit .

So to break this down in the simplest way, ‘every thing isn’t about you’ it’s not about your lil offering, your lil generosity or the way you thought that 20 dollars was going to change their life.
POINT BLANK OF THE MATTER

They were scared as hell…….PERIOD!!!!!

Img527>>The comments was not partaking to the op in general, its just that some humans only think about them selves in a way they are selfish when thinking about another person view of the subject in a whole.
Not just homeless people, but in a general aspect of life

When you freely offer somebody to know your whereabouts of wear you lay your head at, ‘on the streets’ that spells trouble, in all shapes forms and sizes.

Ps, OP>don’t do it again ,or it might be trouble for you.
YOU NEVER LET A STRANGER NO WHERE YOU LIVE AT…NEVER!!!!

Originally posted by TheLogicalist
reply to post by onehuman

 

Rake your own yard.
The guy has right to say no.

You miss the point entirely. She was giving the guy an honest job. Even FDR's workfare programs made more sense than just giving people money for nothing.
See this is the thing though, Americans are very often the most generous people around. We always open our pocketbooks for starvng children and victims of tsunamis. But when the govt is in the business of taking more and more of our paychecks, this then becomes a confiscation of our own honest paycheck. And corrupt politicians realize Americans will keep giving to help the poor. So they just keep taking under the guise of do-gooding.

There are a lot of people on this thread that seem to have a narrow vision of life and how it should be. They throw their world-view on how things should be and push that onto other people that don't live up to their expectations.

Depending on one's philosophical, spiritual, and metaphysical beliefs etc, it can be looked at from many different angles.

If you believe in reincarnation, then one could say that they could have been someone in a previous life that despised homeless people or bums, so that they now understand, and will collect that understanding in its entirety at the end of their life. Or that these people exist to teach other's compassion, understanding and wisdom. There is a reason for all this.

From a purely scientific or atheistic perspective, we are the sum of our experiences, genes, social environment upbringing etc, so using the rules of science, where there is cause and effect, if anyone of you were placed in the same family, with the same genetic makeup, and the same environment, then you would be just like them. You could not say, you would not be like that, because your thinking that from your perspective and not theirs.
If you believe that we are nothing more than a chemical reaction with stimuli mixed in, then you would be like them exactly because of the way we currently look at science.

Life to me is about the experiences we go through and what we learn and how we treat others.
It is also a personal journey, filled with our own views and thoughts, sharing like views along the way though.

A good example to illustrate how much it is our own personal journey is to compare it to lab you had to take in a science class.

One such example involved the acceleration of gravity.

The instructor could have made us read a book on it, or taught it in class, but each individual also set up a chute on a track that sparked against a wax paper backing as it fell to the ground. The spark would ignite at the same interval as it fell, and measuring the increase in distance, plus the time it took too fall gave 9.81 m/s sq.

The whole purpose of the lab was to VERIFY for ourselves and have first hand witness to experience the validity of experiment and acceleration.

Likewise, we all our living our own experiments that not everyone is sharing and cannot understand.

I guess I understand the expression even better, "judge not least you be judged" because it could be you on the receiving end the next time around.

Originally posted by lifeform11
there are obviously some people who work corners for change who do not want to change their circumstances, there are some who are not even homless but do it as a means of income to feed their habits, so i am not shocked. the problem is there are some who are there who do want help and do want to get out of the mess they got into but have no way out. finding these people and offering help would of got a different result, the problem is you cannot tell any off them apart from appearence, you have to talk to them like you did, its just a pity you did'nt find the one who wanted help and would of appreciated it.

by the way i think it was a awesome gesture you made.

edit to add: i believe the places you will find the ones who want help are at places where they have already took steps to seek it out... charities/homeless programs etc.

if i was homeless and i wanted help i would be using and be in contact with everthing that was put in place to help the homeless, i would not spend everyday begging for change.

edit on 9-4-2011 by lifeform11 because: (no reason given)

I saw an example of that myself. Had to be at physical therapy same time every day for a week and several times saw the same panhandler getting dropped off at the same intersection. He got there in a Cadillac Escalade, kissed the woman goodbye. so it wasn't bumming a ride, got his sign and waved bye. No way in hell this guy was homeless.

I'm guessing its not illegal because lets face it, these are the people that the government doesn't have to worry about draining the system, heck its nice people that are relied upon to pay these people. I don't give to them any more. They are making great money, way more than most hard working citizens do.