Victim Treats Mugger Right

[Newby]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89164759

[rabbit]

Haha...that's great.

[Sidoh]

Admirable. :)

[CrAz3D]

I read that via Fark earlier, cool!

[Ergot]

I read it on Digg... but... where does that guy live... I'd like to try mugging him ;).

[iago]

Haha, that's awesome!

I've actually been making a point to carry around change lately, in case a homeless person asks me. Or, if I don't have any change, I offer to buy them a coffee if I'm going to be passing them when I return. I sort of came to realize that my arguments against giving money to people were pretty flaccid, and they can use that $2 or $3 more than me. :)

[rabbit]

Today on my way home I saw a beggar.  I would have given her money (probably not, but it makes the story better), but then I saw that she was smoking.


True story.

[iago]

Heh, when I was living in Calgary I had a big bag of change I wanted to get rid of (I couldn't be bothered rolling all my pennies/nickles/dimes, and I was moving and didn't want to pack them), so I offered them to a homeless guy. He said something like, "Well, I was hoping for smokes, but that'll do".

I sort of have mixed feelings about that, though. If I give money to a homeless person, they'll probably use it to by alcohol/cigarettes/drugs, but does that really matter? I mean, if it gives them a little pleasure in their crappy lives, then maybe it isn't so bad, but if it's the reason their life sucks, then you aren't doing them any good.

*shrug* dunno. I'd rather give money to a beggar who's smoking than one who's drunk.

[CrAz3D]

*shrug* dunno. I'd rather give money to a beggar who's smoking than one who's drunk.

Weird preference.  Both smoking and drinking are equally a waste of money, ESPECIALLY when you're homeless (unless homeless by choice)

[iago]

*shrug* dunno. I'd rather give money to a beggar who's smoking than one who's drunk.

Weird preference.  Both smoking and drinking are equally a waste of money, ESPECIALLY when you're homeless (unless homeless by choice)

Well, smoking is a whole lot less destructive to a person than drinking. I mean, people who addicted to cigarettes tend to lead normal lives, but people who are addicted to alcohol (ie, drunks) often don't. Cigarettes probably won't cause you to lose a job, but drinking easily can.

[CrAz3D]

True enough

[Armin]

Heh, when I was living in Calgary I had a big bag of change I wanted to get rid of (I couldn't be bothered rolling all my pennies/nickles/dimes, and I was moving and didn't want to pack them), so I offered them to a homeless guy. He said something like, "Well, I was hoping for smokes, but that'll do".

I sort of have mixed feelings about that, though. If I give money to a homeless person, they'll probably use it to by alcohol/cigarettes/drugs, but does that really matter? I mean, if it gives them a little pleasure in their crappy lives, then maybe it isn't so bad, but if it's the reason their life sucks, then you aren't doing them any good.

*shrug* dunno. I'd rather give money to a beggar who's smoking than one who's drunk.

For a while, I thought giving beggars money was the right thing to do. Now I pretty strongly believe that you make your own way in life. I don't buy into the whole "down on your luck" excuse. Everyone has bad luck at times, what matters is how you deal with that luck. If a homeless person doesn't know how to deal with the cards they've been dealt, giving them new cards (money) will only prolong that life lesson.

Don't confuse the way you get something done with what you're getting done. This guy's goal was to send a positive message by getting the kids attention with unusual behavior, IE: offering your robber a free dinner. Offering the free dinner was not the message itself, yet the tool used in which to deliver the message.

[rabbit]

I don't know about where you guys live, but around here I usually give homeless people some money.  Most of them are people that were in mental institutions until the 80s, which is when a LOT of the mental institutions around here closed.  Literally thousands of insane people (ranging from schizophrenia up to total delusions) were dumped onto the streets.  They don't get the care they need and are pretty incapable of caring for themselves.  It's the sane ones I tend to avoid, as half the time they are just panhandlers.

[trust]

I don't give money away, especially to beggers. If you want to give money away, give it to somebody you know who is in a spot of misfortune so that you know what the money is being used for.

[iago]

That's why I like to offer to buy them a coffee, especially when it's -40 out and they're standing on the street. That's tough! :)