Hi Everyone,
For anyone who hasn’t already guessed I strongly believe that Toronto does have a panhandling problem. This is what I mean?
One day, as I am waiting in line at a Beer Store, I see a woman who is holding the door open as she panhandles. As I walk towards the exit, I see another woman approach her with a bag of empty bottles which would be an indirect way of giving the panhandler money. Instead of taking the bag of empty bottles and walking less than 4 metres, the panhandler motions that she doesn’t want the bag by shaking her head. The woman has since stopped trying to give her the bag and looks at me. “She won’t take it,” she said to me. I, in turn said, “I will,” and I took the bag and the $1.10 it was worth. The panhandler was buying a beer in less time than it took me to exit the store.
When I told one of my friends about that I asked, “Have we, as a society, trained people to do absolutely nothing but stand there with their hand out until someone gives them money? Because that is what happened! She wouldn’t even walk from the door to where you cash in bottles! That is less than 4 metres!” In my opinion, we, as a society, have trained people to do nothing but stand there waiting for a handout. Some panhandlers do just that. Either they stand there holding something to put money in or they sit there behind something to put money in without a word or a sign.
I have even seen people deliver hotdogs to panhandlers with, I am guessing all of the fixin’s that they want. I am serious. I saw a young woman walk a hotdog with pickles, ketchup and mustard over to a panhandler who sat waiting. He was just there by himself with nothing for him to watch or protect. Why the young woman felt the need to deliver his hotdog when he looked able-bodied and all he had to carry was his body weight is beyond me, but she did. She even provided him with napkins and a smile! I guess if you are going to serve someone, you may as well go all the way!
And you know what, I get it. It makes people feel good to give to others who look less fortunate, but are panhandlers really less fortunate? The veil has been pulled on more than a few panhandlers who clearly did not need the money. Panhandlers are people. If some people take advantage of the kindness of others, wouldn’t a panhandler? One panhandler told me, “I should be living in a condo (in Toronto),” meaning that between the (free) money, the food, booze and cigarettes that person gets is more in one day than most people earn in two or three days. I of course know how much they told me and I have seen them in action. It is not a little.
Despite the growing number of people panhandling, they are getting more than you want to know. Why work, walk to the hotdog stand or less than 4 metres to take back empty bottles when people are literally going to hand you money for breathing, in some cases barely? I had to add the word barely to that last sentence because some panhandlers are so messed up on God and Budda knows what drug or drugs which may be in combination of alcohol that they can barely stand!
If you feel good giving a panhandler money, I would like you to consider how you would feel if they overdosed because they bought drugs with the some or all of the money you gave them.
Does someone give you money just for standing or sitting around. Being a panhandler in Toronto must be a pretty good gig. You start, go for breaks, go for lunch and finish whenever you want. You could take an unpaid vacation or sick day whenever you wanted too. And if you don’t like your location, or the people, you move.
I could go on but I won’t. If you don’t get the picture, you never will.
Thank you for reading, A. Rebel’s Rant!
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