Why do people give to beggars?

rorz0r

rorz0r

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WHY do people give money to beggars?
Guilt? Sympathy? Lack of any backbone? Fear? Obligation?

Seriously, those guys are too lazy to work, and frankly it makes sense to be a beggar because aside from the disabled ones they can make more money standing there begging than working as a labourer for R100/day or so.

Seriously if you just DONT GIVE THEM MONEY they will not be at every single street corner. I'm getting tired telling the exact same people NO twice a day, 5 times a week+
 
I get irritated too....but i dont know, sometimes i just feel this need to give to one of them.
I can drive past 3 or 4, and then suddenly have a need to give to one of them. Sometimes its money, usually its food.

I am not so sure I buy this, beggars and car cards make a fortune thing. Maybe the very few somehow make the money people talk about, but most of them i think dont.
You also get those guys who are super smashed / high / drunk on the side of the road, i wont give them anything...ever..
 
In Stellenbosch we have a strict policy regarding beggars - you do not give money.
We have two excellent night shelters and a day kitchen to give to anyone who is in need.

I have noticed that drivers from out of town, give money, and that angers me, because they
are disregarding our local welfare rules.

On occasion I buy a pie and cooldrink for 'resident' poor locals who hang out at the cafe on
the corner - but never ever money.
 
rorz0r said:
WHY do people give money to beggars?
Guilt? Sympathy? Lack of any backbone? Fear? Obligation?
Click to expand...

You left out Compassion and Entertainment.

There was this beggar years ago outside Norman Goodfellows in Illovo whose sign read "Are you going to give me money or should I fake a limp". At least, the picture that circulated the internet at the time had that caption - it could have been photoshopped. However, if I drove past him, I may be tempted to give him a loose 50c for that.

Now, besides these unique situations, most are layabouts who are being rewarded for their determination and laziness and that must come to an end.
 
wrathex said:
In Stellenbosch we have a strict policy regarding beggars - you do not give money.
We have two excellent night shelters and a day kitchen to give to anyone who is in need.

I have noticed that drivers from out of town, give money, and that angers me, because they
are disregarding our local welfare rules.

On occasion I buy a pie and cooldrink for 'resident' poor locals who hang out at the cafe on
the corner - but never ever money.
Click to expand...

If i was an out of town driver, how would I know not to give to these people (IE about your welfare policy rules)
 
We are not a welfare state, and if we don't adopt that line of approach, we will have an even greater increase in free loaders. Don't give to them. In fact, those guys in Joburg that walk around with the blind people, and sit on the road verges with children should be arrested. It's not a case of out of sight out of mind, it's pure human rights violation.
 
I don't give to beggars as a rule, because it is perpetuating/exacerbating the problem.
It helps people to stay on the streets, and those who are alcoholics or drug addicts - it makes their situation worse.

I'll give to a needy person if they are willing to do work for me / or actually do work for me.
There is a huge difference between the guy who comes to your gate asking to wash your car, cut your grass... and the guy who straight out asks for money.

I also have a problem with giving charity to people who have voted for the ANC. They should ask the ANC to help them as this government is partly to blame for their mess. :p

If I have a spare sandwich in the car... and I'm not going to eat it... then I will hand it out. But I never, ever, give money out.
 
tau1z said:
If i was an out of town driver, how would I know not to give to these people (IE about your welfare policy rules)
Click to expand...

Lol, yeah is there a big sign or something? I pay those chaps who carry rubbish bags around, the rest of my charity goes towards animals.
 
The begging thing also gets to me. If I do see a kid/person that looks desperate(not high) I will buy them food. If I cant, cos of time/traffic I will give them some money. The problem is that some people are not druggies, etc. and how does one differentiate/identify them.

A few years ago I gave a guy a lift. He gave me a pretty sad story of his life and that he is looking for work. When I dropped him off, I handed him R50 to get some food for his family cos he jumped off on a freeway not near any stores, where I could buy him food. A few weeks later I find out he is an alcoholic pulling this stunt. FFS!!!
 
I dont trust beggars with money, they usually just go buy alcohol with the money people give them
 
Garyvdh said:
I'll give to a needy person if they are willing to do work for me / or actually do work for me.
There is a huge difference between the guy who comes to your gate asking to wash your car, cut your grass... and the guy who straight out asks for money.

I also have a problem with giving charity to people who have voted for the ANC. They should ask the ANC to help them as this government is partly to blame for their mess. :p
Click to expand...

I agree.. While it's unreasonable to expect the government to provide everything for everyone, it's just so twisted and sick that this lot (beggars) vote to keep this government, which I despise, and which I have to give a significant portion of my income to, that doesn't give a **** about them or me, in power, and then come and ask me for money. The same goes for car guards. :mad:
 
I will give R50 to the first beggar I see who who has a perfectly clean intersection.

But I have never seen that, they are all lazy and useless bums.

If I had to pick up cigarette butts / matches / rubbish when I was in school / army / etc, then so can they.
 
Another thing, shouldn't it be/isn't it illegal for them to be standing at traffic lights or intersections? They are endangering themselves and everyone in the cars, many of them get hit.
 
I've had beggars swear at me cause I don't want to give them something, so I never give money to any of them.

I also see the same guy at an intersection as least once a week with an empty can because he ran out of petrol. So many scams going on, you never know who's really in need.
 
GreGorGy said:
You left out Compassion and Entertainment.

There was this beggar years ago outside Norman Goodfellows in Illovo whose sign read "Are you going to give me money or should I fake a limp". At least, the picture that circulated the internet at the time had that caption - it could have been photoshopped. However, if I drove past him, I may be tempted to give him a loose 50c for that.

Now, besides these unique situations, most are layabouts who are being rewarded for their determination and laziness and that must come to an end.
Click to expand...

Frankly I don't see where compassion comes in. Maybe for the blind/disabled etc but 90% of them are able bodied youngish men who have CHOSEN to be beggars over something else.

They are frankly a menace. They stand in the road and obscure your view, cause you to have to swerve to miss them sometimes etc. I know a lot of them are actually somewhat intimidating to single women drivers etc. This goes for people selling fake 32gb flash drives and whatnot as well. Roads are for cars, get the **** off them.
 
We have an old ballie I have nicknamed "Foul ole Ron".

The other day he bumps some black guy off the pavement as he is walking past (by accident or on purpose I dont know) any way they exchange words and the next thing they are in a fist fight. My neighbors workers (also black if it matters) witness this old man getting a bit of a hiding and try to intervene on his behalf. He then continues the fight with them. The first guy then scarpers. Then I walk out to see what this commotion is about and see Ron getting his hiding part deux.I try to intervene on his behalf and he almost trys to climb into me. If I hadn't been holding a largish piece of pipe I'm sure he would have.

Nuts I tell you
 
If you give money to beggers, you're part of the problem. If that sounds harsh to you, think about it. Don't give money to beggers. If you do, I hate you just as much as I hate them.
 
Give someone who's really destitute when they least expect it then you'll see the benefit of charity.
Having said that I think Zimbabwe has the biggest proportion of blind people in the world.
 
I do not. That will make them return and squat next to the road.
I do not buy from street corners, or side walks. (those wooden furniture and fences they sell ) It promotes squatting.
 
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