March 26, 2006

Shocking New York Thing #1

So, I love New York, but this is really taking some adjustment for me. The first thing that really, actually SHOCKED me about New York is this:

People actually give money to beggars.

I'm not kidding. I was on a train a while back and this woman came into our car with a sign saying how her husband left her and she has no job and all that. Then, she made herself cry and then proceeded to deliver a monologue of her woes and asked everyone for money.

About a half a dozen people in the car stood up and gave her DOLLARS. Not change, but dollars. I'm not even kidding, she made almost $10 on my car alone.

Then, last week, I was in San Francisco with some New Yorkers and this obnoxious woman in a wheel chair came onto our train in the airport and asked for money and BOTH of them gave her some dollars. She made $4.50 off of our car.

I can't believe this.

I regard beggars with open disdain. It's not that I'm uncharitable, it's just that I hate beggars. I don't mind the people who play songs or rap for me as much, but I don't give them money either.

Although, I was in the village earlier today and I heard a group of people singing "Why do I fall in love" and they sounded really great and I was tempted to go find them and give them a dollar. I didn't of course, but I thought about it.

But why in the name of all that is good in this holy land of mine are people giving money to beggars? This kills me.

Posted by Flibbertigibbet at March 26, 2006 04:37 PM | TrackBack
Comments

It gets worse: family beggars. Every summer (when school is out, presumably), a mother in her 30's begs for money out in front of one of my company's buildings (or in the nearby subway stop when we kick her off our property) with her three children.

She pretends to be blind, as he props her young children up on her lap and shakes her coin cup. Her children are quite obviously well taken care of. They're clean and usually dressed in what looks like GAP.

She's been there at least the past four years and I always see people giving her money. Just makes me sick.

Posted by: Matt Chancellor at March 27, 2006 01:12 PM
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