Thanks for your post on the different types, and enabling compassion. Often people want to help, but go the wrong way about it, this helps clearing that up. Best of luck with your Masters.

Peace,

Wade

Pretty scary. So, I see your point. And I admire your objective of “teaching people to fish,” as they say.

But, I am a sucker. Especially for women. You never know if they really need it and a few dollars does not make any difference in my life. They may really need that “carfare” they speak of.

Almost any woman you talk to will tell you her greatest fear is ending up as a “bag lady!” At the end of the money there will be life left!

Some people make a business of being homless to beg money, because we as a society allow it. Perhaps it is our culture.

A few months ago my wife and I were fortunate enough to visit Paris. We would encounter street people from one of the slavic countries with a note in hand asking everyone they saw, “English? English?” If you responded, they thrust a note written in english in your hand explaining how tragic their life was and asked for money.

Why did they only target english speakers? I think its because our culture makes us more sympathetic.

Our own, “will work for food” sign bearers captialize on that because they know people who stop will not offer them a job, but merely hand them money.