During the holidays it is especially painful to see all the unfortunate people in the street and all the well-dressed people who look the other way. We might feel uncomfortable when a ragged, sorry-looking man pushes a cup toward us on the street. We may assume that he’ll be spending the money on alcohol or other drugs. This may be true in many cases, but if we always make this assumption, then hungry people will never get our help.
We might say, “He should get a job.” But how many employers would give such a person a job? Besides, we don’t know the reasons for his condition. No one can understand another person’s mental state.
Begging is a job. It’s not easy standing on a windy street corner hoping that one out of 100 people will drop a quarter in your cup. Or peddling newspapers that nobody wants. Or announcing your sad story to a trainload of skeptical customers.
It’s argued that giving money will just encourage more people to beg. But it’s doubtful that our generosity will spawn a thriving begging industry. These are, for the most part, people who have the misfortune to be poor. Other than that, they’re really not much different from everyone else.
