Quote:
Originally posted by Bad_Rich_Chic
While understanding your point (without necessarily agreeing), what about giving said homeless person the card for a shelter to which you donate, in lieu of spare change?
BR(just wondering - I haven't done this but have been very tempted and am not sure if the gesture is patronizing or not)C
By the by - I've also tried handing over food (bagels, usually) in lieu of change, which has about a 50/50 success rate - a surprising number of people refuse food. I had a much higher success rate when offering smokes back in the day.
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I wouldn't take food from strangers, would you?
I usually didn't give when I lived there. A major problem with giving in DC was the volume of homeless. 2$ to each could have broke me. The other thing was the ones working the crowds seemed the less needy. If you look around at the average DC subway stop you'd see healthy young people approaching people for money. Somewhere back against a wall would be truly fucked up people who didn't seem capable of standing let alone bothering people- when I would give it would be to them.
When I really thought to give would be after a $100 dinner, I couldn't see taking too strong an attitude about a few bucks after that. I'm not rich guilty, its just the perspective- if I had bought my dog a party I'd have to give the homeless a bunch of money.
