4 ms·
Giving money enforces and condones the behaviour of begging. I'm sure people's intentions are good, but by giving money directly you're keeping them on the stre
by jasoncartwright 12y ago
Giving money enforces and condones the behaviour of begging. I'm sure people's intentions are good, but by giving money directly you're keeping them on the streets.
- lclarkmichalek 12y agoHow will not giving money encourage them to get off the streets? It's not like the proportion of beggars who are in it for the money is particularly high...
- jasoncartwright 12y agoGive the money to a charity that will be able to aggregate it, and use it better - as they understand the problem more fully. Single datapoint: there is a beggar near my house who people give money to. He's been there for /years/. Is his problem being solved? I presume not.
- onion2k 12y agoThe long term solution (getting someone off the streets) is irrelevant for most homeless people. They're homeless now. What might be done to fix their situation in the future isn't something they spend much time thinking about. Unless you have a way to get someone of the streets right there and then, giving them money is by far the best thing you can do.
- jasoncartwright 12y agoIs getting people off the street and helping them lead productive lives not the aim of many charities? I prefer to give to them (and for them to use their judgement) than whoever I randomly find on the street.