street begging

[Fino]

That is an interesting observation! Is it actually seen as a dichotomy though? As one of the people saying I don't give much to beggars because I prefer to give to charities, it is not that I see a dichotomy there, they are both charity, it is just that giving to a effective charity organisation means that my money goes a lot further and will help a lot more people. Giving a beggar £10 will buy them lunch, giving the Against Malaria Foundation £10 will buy 5 children bed nets which could save their lives. It's simple maths.

Give to both. If not, it's been made into a dichotomy.

 

[Fino]

If someone has gotten to a point in which they feel the need to deceive strangers for a few bucks, is that person not in need?

 

[Crossbreed]

If someone has gotten to a point in which they feel the need to deceive strangers for a few bucks, is that person not in need?

Not if they drove to their begging spot in a BMW. (They are fraudsters, diverting funds from the truly needy.)

I saw him get into a large saloon BMW with 4 other men.

(I just learned a new use for the word, "saloon," today. )

 

[Hylian]

If I have a couple dollars on hand I'll usually give people asking for money it. I just figure if they're really in need they'll use it in a good way, and that also if they don't use it for something useful then they're an adult and can make their own choices. If they're looking for drugs or something someone will also probably just eventually give them the money anyways, so me not giving it to them doesn't make a difference.

 

[Fino]

Not if they drove to their begging spot in a BMW. (They are fraudsters, diverting funds from the truly needy.)

(I just learned a new use for the word, "saloon," today. )

Maybe it's different in different areas but here in L.A. I'd argue that a situation like that is in such a minority that it would be illogical to draw any conclusions based on it. Also, there's that dichotomy again. "Diverting funds." Every purchase you make isn't a diversion from the truly needy, just as this isn't.

 

[Crossbreed]

Every purchase you make isn't a diversion from the truly needy, just as this isn't.

Are you saying that the scenario in the OP is rare? I have relatives who choose their addiction [gambling] over groceries all of the time. (More money isn't going to help them.)

I have lived at or below the the poverty line for so much of my life so I am not foolish enough to suggest that all poverty is the consequence of addiction (or laziness), but a good chunk of it would be alleviated if those were de-funded.

 

[Juliettaa]

In the UK, a lot of the beggars are part of organised begging gang rings, so they're not in need of 'a few bucks'.

They don their dirty, scruffy clothes for the day, beg at selective lucrative spots, get picked up in cars and vans at the end of their shift and go home.

The problem is picking out the genuine ones.

So, rather than support organised crime, I give to registered charities.

 

[All-Rounder]

There are fraudulent charities too. And churches stuff charity funds into building tons of new churches like castles, driving toxic candle fumes into the lungs of believers. Unless they have legal papers for their charity case it's not certain.

In my country giving to charity is limited, there are very few such activities and if it's not online you'll have to travel to give, or send sms with charge which is a fixed amount, like 30-35? euro, not little. They sometimes walk through schools presenting their case but not many have legal papers.

 

[Juliettaa]

There are fraudulent charities too.

Oh, absolutely!

That's why I am very specific now who I support. Giving that beggar money outside of a supermarket was the tip of the iceberg for me getting 'stung'.

I've fallen for more 'sob stories' than I care to remember. Gullible was my middle name (probably still is, but at least now I'm more cautious).

 

[Crossbreed]

There are fraudulent charities too.

Two of mine are churches that I know and associate with. Their books are available to their congregations. The third has helped us in the past and has a very visible presence in our community.

In my country giving to charity is limited, there are very few such activities and if it's not online you'll have to travel to give, or send sms with charge which is a fixed amount, like 30-35? euro, not little.

If your on-line banking works like ours does, you can punch in the physical address to your favorite charity* as a payee and your bank will mail them a physical check whenever you tell them to. (That is free for us and it is great for record-keeping.)

*Call them first for details to make sure that you have their preferred address for donations.

 

[NothingToSeeHere]

Give to both. If not, it's been made into a dichotomy.

Not really. A dichotomy is "a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different". I don't see giving to a person directly and giving to a person indirectly via a charity as being opposed or entirely different at all. It's the same thing, just on different places in the scale of efficiency, cost effectiveness, and emotional "good feels".

There are fraudulent charities too.

Yep. I recommend that people look at GiveWell when choosing a charity to donate to. They research charities and rate them on how much they accomplish (lives saved or improved) per dollar spent.

Or if you prefer to do your own research then this is a good guide on what to consider from an Effective Altruism viewpoint.

 

[onlything]

I stopped giving the beggars after a few instances.

One I remember well was when children were going around the houses for food and money. We gave them a whole bag, including bread and apples. Later they were throwing these apples and bread around, crushing them on the pavement.

Another was when I observed the 'homeless and poor' I gave money to being taken by a van in the evening and then brought back again in the morning.

There were more times like these. People talking about naive idiots giving out their stuff and money. People asking for something else to eat because they already had it the day before. People going straight to the shop to spent money on vodka and cheap beer. There was an instance close to my flat where the police stopped a scam where begging women would use drugged infants to prey on empathy of others.

Children, adults, poor, homeless, I don't care. If they can walk, they can go to the closest helping center or homeless shelter and find help or a different job.

Because begging is a job. I have no interest in feeding this kind of a parasitic industry. I'm sorry for those that truly need help... But it's not worth feeding the whole business hoping to help one person...

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

I was homeless and also I've lived in apartments and had no food. When I was pregnant I panhandled. People were always so rude to me. I was even almost kidnapped twice. It's not funny. Not everyone is a heroin addict. Sometimes people really need money. And sometimes that money is not for food. Sometimes it's for rent or a winter coat or shoes or school supplies for their kids or something else like that.

 

[Juliettaa]

Not everyone is a heroin addict.

No-one has suggested that they are.

 

[Fino]

But it's not worth feeding the whole business hoping to help one person...

Here's where I disagree. I'll give 99 scammers my money if the 100th person is helped.

 

[Fino]

I'm not intending to imply you don't. I'm just genuinely curious. I certainly wouldn't be judging anyone. But do all of you who are talking about donating to charities actually donate regularly or is your argument more for the idea? And just to be clear, I'm not advocating for giving to the homeless in the place of giving to charities.

 

[Crossbreed]

No-one has suggested that they are.

Especially here. Statistically, autistics [1s & some 2s] have a higher incidence of unemployment & under-employment than the general public. And it isn't always apparent to TPTB why ASD1s & 2e's are so, particularly when they haven't been diagnosed, yet.

(ASD3s & most ASD2s usually go straight into a support system.)

 

[Crossbreed]

But do all of you who are talking about donating to charities actually donate regularly or is your argument more for the idea?

I do whenever I am not in debt. Right now, we are not in debt (except for our mortgage). We don't have a lot to spare but have found a way to give while covering our necessary bases.

 

[Crossbreed]

I'll give 99 scammers my money...

If it keeps them in bondage, you have only prolonged their suffering.

Charity includes accountability.

 

[Ezra]

A sad fact is that there are well documented stories of panhandlers making $200 tax free dollars daily.

It's not like they only collect enough money to buy a meal and then call it quits.

Panhandling an be a very lucrative profession. The person you are helping might be making more money than you do. There are umpteen news stories about this. I suggest looking them up on youtube.