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Beggers On The Streets


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There's some pretty harsh opinions on here which in some ways I can understand. The trouble is you can't tell who is genuine and who isn't.As an example, about 18 years ago I was working in London 5 days a week and staying in Earls Court in digs. There was a girl about the same age as my daughter that I used to see every morning and every evening on her pitch, a cheap prostitute that I basically ignored at first.She always said hello when I came out of the hotel but I usually ignored her. One morning when our lift was late I spoke to her briefly just passing the time of day, she scrounged a roll up from me and smiled for once. That evening she was outside the pub we were using regularly so I had another chat and gave her a few fags. We got used to her being around and often bought her a roll or a burger or just a coffee.I didn't see her for a few weeks and then when she did turn up she looked terrible, thin and dirty, obviously in trouble. This was at 6 in the morning in winter and she was sat on the ground by our digs in little more than a summer dress. Ok, softie I may be but I got her coffee and a bacon roll which she tried to eat but couldn't keep down. I and one of my mates took the day off work, we got her into the digs and plonked her in a bath to get warm and clean and put her to bed for the day. She was like a lost child. We got her some jeans, shirts and a jacket, fed her and looked after her for that week, paid for a bed for her and eventually she told us some of her background. Middle class parents, she did well at school but a family break up left her isolated from her dad. Eventually she picked up with an older bloke who left her when she got pregnant. Family disowned her so she left rural Oxfordshire to come to London. The rest is inevitable, she ended up with a bloke who introduced her to drugs and the prostitution, got lower and lower until she was struggling to get £10 a trick which went straight on heroin.Then I had 3 weeks working North and Scotland, a nice change? Yes it was, but when I got back to Earls Court I went looking for the girl, not in her usual haunts. She hadn't got out, she wasn't capable and didn't have the chance. She was dead from a deliberate overdose. Sheer desperation and loneliness and lack of care made a young girl end her life. Should I have left her to fend for herself in the first place? Should I have kept my money in my pocket and ignored her?I think I should have done more and regret that I didn't, I look at my daughter and think "there but for the grace of God go you" and I remember that poor kid.The authorities will never pick up and help the lost souls so it's down to ordinary people but the big question is how the hell do we tell the genuinely needy from the scroungers and shysters who need kicking into touch? Let your conscience guide you but ignore the problem and sooner or later you will feel guilty for doing nothing.

You can't do everything for them, lad. You could blame the parents but maybe you didn't hear the full story, but little acts of mercy would have meant a lot in bleak times, probably kept her going for a while.

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Always give them money, if they want to go spend it on drugs or booze that's up to them. Even give them a bit of green if I've got some on me.   I know I'd want something to help block it out if I w

Seen a paki looking man with a big round growth on his hand sitting in town begging as i walked past and he looks at me and says please please!! holding a cardboard cup the way he looked at me though

Only a jock would ask for something back in return from a begger !! Lol lol

Answer this 1 then. Years ago Paul McCarty was with his wife who had 1 leg. They were on celebrity who want to be a millionaire. At the time he was worth an estimated £500 million. They gave a wrong answer and basically lost. The money was for charity. You would think he would of said I will donate x amount to the charity. He didn't say a word and walked off. He had half a billion pound and wouldn't donate anything. MYbe the reason being he didn't want to part with his money. The same as I won't.

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Dont see many these days as im right in the sticks.. few year ago I went to a city to see a band, stayed over etc. In the morning walking to the car was a bloke begging while making notes on the racing pages with a tin of beer in his hand. Looked like he had his day planned lol

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I was watching the early bullseye reruns the other night and George best was throwing for charity, he said when being interviewed that he didn't throw so well he will stick some of his money to the total so the charity can get a better amount. I thought to myself, what a sound man, pity he couldn't overcome his own demons

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I don't mind buying a brew for some of the 'regulars' in glastonbury, a few years back my mates dog ran off and we scoured everywhere. Went down the high street and seen this fella (someone i had bought tea for in the past) walking the same dog on an old belt.

Now I admit I thought we were in for a row getting the dog back...

Turns out every Tom Dick and Harry had said the dog was theirs but he wouldn't hand it over to anyone who couldn't tell him what was on the tag on the collar.

My mate obviously could and got her dog back, offered him the reward she was offering but all he wanted was a hot chocolate from morrisons! Decided he liked having the dog for a bit for company and went and got his own.

See him still from time to time but since he had his dog i haven't seen him begging at all! Funny old world eh?

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Those who buy them food when you know its ale they want, who you doin a favour to? Its more to massage your ego than anythin.if you want to do a drunk bum a favour go and buy him a case of cheap plonk, least you know he, ll get some use out of it rather than bin it soon as your backs turned.personally I dont give anyone anything at least im consistant.

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Those who buy them food when you know its ale they want, who you doin a favour to? Its more to massage your ego than anythin.if you want to do a drunk bum a favour go and buy him a case of cheap plonk, least you know he, ll get some use out of it rather than bin it soon as your backs turned.personally I dont give anyone anything at least im consistant.

Does that also apply to buying kids toys when you know its a heart or liver they really want ?.....or does compassion go out the window when folk reach the age of consent ?

 

Much as i agree we often do it for ourself as much as for the other person its nothing to do with ego..........making positive contributions to society instead of negative,possibly...............massaging ego,s certainly not.

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Those who buy them food when you know its ale they want, who you doin a favour to? Its more to massage your ego than anythin.if you want to do a drunk bum a favour go and buy him a case of cheap plonk, least you know he, ll get some use out of it rather than bin it soon as your backs turned.personally I dont give anyone anything at least im consistant.

Does that also apply to buying kids toys when you know its a heart or liver they really want ?.....or does compassion go out the window when folk reach the age of consent ?

 

Much as i agree we often do it for ourself as much as for the other person its nothing to do with ego..........making positive contributions to society instead of negative,possibly...............massaging ego,s certainly not.

Not really the same is it if you could get the kid a new liver as easy aa you could a toy then obviousley get the liver, you cant get a liver though so you get a toy instead, plus why bring dieing kids into it, thats just an easy argument to tug at the heartstrings same as lefties spouting nazi anytime race is brought up. Like I said if someones hungry and you want to do them a good turn them buy them a burger, if someones an alki and you want to do them a good turn get them some ale.

to use your analagy if theres a kid waiting on a new heart, you wouldnt donate your liver to them would you.

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Within reason id do whatever it took to bring a moment of brightness into an otherwise sad hopeless life........like i say we do these things as much for ourself as for the other person......so call me heartless and selfish but i quite like seeing people smile old or young ;)

Edited by gnasher16
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It's as simple as this, doing good puts a little bit more good in the world......it's a positive thing and positivity is as catchy as it's opposite number.

BUT.......

Depends how you feel at the time, there's a black dude always outside the garage on the Highway out of London.....he is f***ing filthy and normally when I see him I have spent the day loading 25 tons of kit, so when I see him sitting there stinking, sitting on his arse with a can of super I'm not feeling that charitable if you get my drift.

 

Conversely if I was to see him surrounded and being bullied or assaulted I would go towards the situation and help him.

 

It's all about judgement calls, one thing IMHO he could do something about and the other he couldn't !!

 

In this day and age there IS help out there, you dont have to stink of 6 months of filth or suck cocks.....help is there if you want it bad enough.

And if you dont want to do something about your situation then no one can do it for you......there's homeless and then theirs helpless......one isn't the same as the other IMHO ;)

Edited by WILF
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So you agree then?

Like i said.............

 

 

Much as i agree we often do it for ourself as much as for the other person its nothing to do with ego..........making positive contributions to society instead of negative,possibly...............massaging ego,s certainly not.

 

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