It is a beggar's pride that he is not a thief.
- Japanese proverb
Ok guys... I found a "how-to" for panhandlers! How cool is that? I find it interesting that "panhandling" seems to have a better connotation than "begging" even though as far as I can tell they are one and the same.
What is a panhandler?
A panhandler is a person who depends on the spontaneous charity of strangers for their survival. In some parts of the world, begging is the only alternative to starvation, especially in the context of a poor economy or an oppressive government; in other parts of the world, panhandling is illegal because of its association with addiction and irresponsibility.
Need a good reason to learn the successful panhandling techniques?
You never know when you might have to ask strangers for help, whether you've been mugged in a foreign land, and need enough money to make it home; or life deals you a particularly harsh hand of cards (like abuse, disability, illness, war); or you become so dissatisfied with your existing options that begging seems like a better alternative.
You can read this article at WikiHow, or watch the video below:
That was fun, wasn't it?
Interestingly, back in my hippie days, I lived by panhandling. I'd ask for "spare change" and most people would cough up a couple of quarters, maybe some nickles and dimes. Sometimes, though, I got a hot meal instead. Another thing I used to do was go to concerts and look for dropped money. The most I ever found in a night was $47. That was a lot of money back then! Still to this day I look for dropped money, but very rarely find more than a penny here and a penny there. How fun to remember the "good old days" of being young and reckless!
Appropriately, the post on our original project, Praying For Prosperity, is called Something Scary.
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4 comments:
Interesting article and video! I'm not sure I agree with all of it, though. Especially the part where they say to dress nicely, but purposely misspell words on your sign. If the person is dressed nicely and looks clean, teeth brushed, etc, I am doubtful they are homeless. And if they misspell things, that bugs me - I hate that!
Good point Cindy - I wonder how successsful it would be to... for example... go panhandling with a dog, and a sign that said: "I sure wish I could have $7.50 for a bag of dog food."
Or... I dunno... "I sure wish I had a car so I could get a job. I only need $1500."
My daughter and I see panhandling with a dog differently, too. She says it makes her mad that someone would be selfish enough to subject a pet to homelessness. But I told her that I assume they had the pet before they became homeless and love it so much that they kept it with them instead of giving it away or to the pound, etc.
I think if they had a sign wishing for 7.50 for dog food, I would be very tempted to give them the money. But what I would probably really do is go buy some dog food and give it to them. That way I know that the money is really going for dog food and not a bottle of wine!
Actually, if you have a dog your chances of finding shelter are slim to none. There are no homeless shelters that allow pets - so what do you do if you find yourself homeless and love your dog?
Last year I remember seeing a thing on TV about a homeless couple who couldn't bear to be parted with their dog and were living under a bridge rather than give her up.
Stuff like that is really sad! And I agree - I'd get the dog food too. And maybe some people food to go with it.
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