I try to give homeless people money whenever I can, which now is virtually never, because like everyone I rarely carry cash. The pandemic made everyone go insane—I think it’s the main reason you see more homeless people freaking out on the trains and streets in New York. But I’ve also been thinking, what if another aggravating factor is that panhandling is much harder now, because almost no one carries cash?
May 16, 2023·edited May 16, 2023Liked by Tana Ganeva
Other common objections:
5. "You're not helping them, you're enabling them!"
6. Any variant of the "don't feed the bears!" or "don't feed the animals!" meme about creating "dependency" on "handouts"
7. "You're treating them like zoo animals rather than actually helping them!" (Often said almost in the same breath as #6, without a hint of irony)
8. Any variant of "undeserving poor".
The best response to all of these:
At best, you are making the perfect the enemy of the good. You can't see the irony in your own beliefs, it seems. Also, define "undeserving". Go on, and spell out exactly what you are too craven to state openly. Then check your privilege, look in the mirror, and say, "There but for fortune, may go you, or I".
One of the things I hate most about late-stage capitalism is how it eats everyone's time. When I'm frantic myself, I don't have time to stop and talk or buy someone a sandwich. (I commute on foot...)
This is a good reminder to keep cash on hand. I kinda downsized my wallet without thinking about it post-pandemic, and I no longer carry cash like I used to. OOPS.
I am lucky enough to have reached a point in my life that giving away one or two fivers a week is not an issue. There are organizations that can do plenty of good work with the money, and I make regular donations to them. Regardless, giving the person sleeping in a doorway $5 is often the right thing to do.
Dollar coins! I give dollar coins to panhandlers, and that both provides a little money to the panhandler and advances my lost cause of getting enough dollar coins into circulation that they will seem normal and will someday replace paper. I have a special leather coin purse for my dollar coins.
Hey, I *said* it was a lost cause. But it's my lost cause.
Other common objections:
5. "You're not helping them, you're enabling them!"
6. Any variant of the "don't feed the bears!" or "don't feed the animals!" meme about creating "dependency" on "handouts"
7. "You're treating them like zoo animals rather than actually helping them!" (Often said almost in the same breath as #6, without a hint of irony)
8. Any variant of "undeserving poor".
The best response to all of these:
At best, you are making the perfect the enemy of the good. You can't see the irony in your own beliefs, it seems. Also, define "undeserving". Go on, and spell out exactly what you are too craven to state openly. Then check your privilege, look in the mirror, and say, "There but for fortune, may go you, or I".
(Mic drop)
Amen, I try to keep some singles on me for just this purpose. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.
One of the things I hate most about late-stage capitalism is how it eats everyone's time. When I'm frantic myself, I don't have time to stop and talk or buy someone a sandwich. (I commute on foot...)
This is a good reminder to keep cash on hand. I kinda downsized my wallet without thinking about it post-pandemic, and I no longer carry cash like I used to. OOPS.
So true.
I am lucky enough to have reached a point in my life that giving away one or two fivers a week is not an issue. There are organizations that can do plenty of good work with the money, and I make regular donations to them. Regardless, giving the person sleeping in a doorway $5 is often the right thing to do.
Even better give them a twenty. Talk about lighting up. Come on, you know it won't break the bank.
Dollar coins! I give dollar coins to panhandlers, and that both provides a little money to the panhandler and advances my lost cause of getting enough dollar coins into circulation that they will seem normal and will someday replace paper. I have a special leather coin purse for my dollar coins.
Hey, I *said* it was a lost cause. But it's my lost cause.
Thank you. This is an important lesson in compassion.