On my way home from work, a homeless man in a wheelchair who's fingers were terribly disfigured, went up and down the train car asking for money. At the next stop, a magician came on the train and did a magic act at the same time this homeless guy in a wheelchair was asking for money. Guess who won? The guy in the wheelchair, obviously. You couldn't feel disgust towards this guy...you felt something closer to pity. Didn't matter though--this obese woman on the train practically laid out on the seat afraid his diseased hand would give her some type of deadly disease....or at least warts.
On my way to my LSAT Kaplan course, I was sitting with a friend on the train, and this blind dude came on the train asking for money. My friend told me he wasn't really blind though. Apparently, when he first entered the train, his eyes were looking up, and then for the rest of the time, they were looking straight ahead. Plus, he was walking too straight and he didn't once bump into anything. On a train car no less!
On my way to the train station, there's a black man sitting on a crate asking for money. But I don't really think he's homeless. His sneakers cost at least $100.
Another homeless guy came on the train asking for money--but I don't remember his ailment. I gave him money anyway.
This black kid came on the train selling candy. He said he needed money to help pay for his college education. I gave him $2.
Two kids came on the train, a sister and a brother, asking for money. I had my headphones on so I couldn't hear what their story was.
A dancing troupe came on the 4 train on my way back home--four black boys, all of which did stunts like cartwheels and rolls with two people up and down the train car. With poles in the way and people's feet! It was quite entertaining.
A middle-aged black man with a car wash business came on the train collecting money for other homeless people since alot of them can't beg for money on their own. Looks like he's a good friend and wants to give back to the community. I gave him a dollar.
Another girl came on the train, Latina/o, Hispanic, Spanish, whatever you want to call them, came on the train asking for money to help her mother feed her children.
Whenever a homeless person or a beggar comes on the train, eyes are averted so as not to make direct eye contact with the piteous figure on the train. Feet are shuffled and people visibly close up in hope that the homeless person won't come their way. As the beggar passes, eyes land on him/her/them to see if they're not faking or to figure out what their story is. Noses are held so that you can't smell the obscene scent of dirt and of being dirty.
Then the story is told, or the person has made their first round up and down the car. Some people take a dollar or some change out--never looking into anyone else's eyes, not even the homeless person, as if what they're doing is wrong or weird in some way. And then the train stops and the homeless person gets off, or goes into the next car, ready to subject another full car to his/her propensities.
Many things strike me odd--why are the homeless homeless? Are they homeless because the bills they had to pay became too much? Is it because, besides the weather, being homeless is actually alot more easier than living in a hole? I mean, think about it--you can live wherever you want to when you're homeless. There's an endless list of prime real estate available to the homeless. Being homeless is like the best form of independence really--and independence is what this country is all about. You're not tied down by mortgages or rent checks.
And, what makes a person, who isn't homeless, beg? What makes a person say to themself, I would rather beg for money on the train or the street, rather than get a job? Is it because they are lazy? Is it simply another mode of entrepreneurship? Is it because that is their only option left? That begging is the only job that they applied for that would accept them regardless of their background history?
I'm not being sarcastic in asking my questions. Nine times out of ten I encounter a homeless person on the train and I always see a homeless person on my way to work. I even budget a certain amount of money a week to give out to the homeless if I see them. Irrespective of the fact that there isn't enough beds to house all of the homeless of NYS, alot of homeless people don't want to live in shelters. Why not? Because it's a cutthroat world even inside a shelter, where your stuff can get stolen the minute you blink. Because, although you may smell, living in a room with people who smell more than you do, altogether, would most likely cause you to die of suffocation, or of a bad smell.
And it's not like the government is trying to help these people out. For instance, when you get out of jail. depending on your conviction, you could be without public housing for up to 5 years. Now. unless The Home Depot (who by the way, until recently, was adamant about making sure "No Criminals" was plastered all over their applications...criminals still won't be hired, but it's just not in writing anymore) will accept:
James Johnson
Corner of 86th and Lexington Street
New York, NY
Phone #: 000-000-0000
as an appropriate dwelling space, you can't really get a job without someplace to call your own. In the subway cars, there are posters that say "If you see a homeless person, DON'T give them any money." In fact, there are places where they can get the things they need in-kind.
Yea Right.
But, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?
I think the one thing that's going to undo me is the day I see a child asking me for money. In that case, I think I would give them my PIN number, and my wallet with all my credit cards and tell them to move to Cuba. I would then tell them that everything will be okay.
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