What A Wonderful World? 4.14.2007 | 5 Comment(s)

This afternoon I was approached for money in the Hampton Village parking lot. The man was armed with a story about being from out of town and that he needed money for transportation to reach Kirkwood, where the guy he'd been working with had been put in jail.

"I don't have any cash. I just have my card," I said, and it was the truth.

"Everybody says that. I find it hard to believe no one carries cash anymore."

"Asshole," I thought.

I apologized that I couldn't help him and walked into Schnucks. As I made my way up and down the aisles filled with plenty, I couldn't help but think about the guy outside. I typically really hate it when people approach me for money. I find it a bit offensive for someone to ask me for something I've worked hard to get. Most of the time it's pretty obvious that if you hand over any spare cash you are feeding the beggar's addiction, but this time it wasn't so clear to me. The guy was sort of clean cut and seemed genuine...but that could have been part of the scam.

It stinks that we live in a world where you have to think about being nice or helping someone out. If I have some money and I can spare it, and someone else needs it for a bus ride or a meal, I'd like to help with that, honestly. Before you suggest giving money to a charity, I'm focusing more on random acts of kindness here. I wish I didn't have to worry about whether or not the person was going to drink or smoke my generosity away.

As I finished my shopping and made my way out the door, I decided to give I'd give the man the two dollars I had stashed away in my glove compartment, the left overs from this week's parking allowance. I wanted to do something nice and trust a stranger. But when I got outside the guy was gone, he either got what he needed or moved on to location that offered better pickings. I couldn't help but wonder if I had lost the opportunity to help someone in need, or if I prevented someone from getting their fix.

By  Anonymous, at 2:35 PM

Maybe you should try giving to the person based on whether you would want to be treated that way, if God forbid, you happened to be penniless and desperate. If they use it for the "wrong" purpose, at least you gave it to them with the right intention.

By  Dustin, at 9:01 PM

I agree with the post before mine. People always say in blogs and posts about St. Louis that we should stop giving them money because it only makes the problem worse and such. While I can understand this arguement, if I have a dollar or something to spare then I'll usually give it to them. I mean, I can go without a dollar, but maybe this guy can't. And if he uses it for something else, then it's his problem. It's not my place to judge.

By  equals42, at 11:47 PM

It's too bad that so many people ruin things for everyone else but that's life. Don't feed the ducks. You see the signs at some parks. You just help overpopulate the area with ducks and keep them from learning valuable lessons on how to survive without handouts. It's really scary how much that rule applies to people as well. That guy could have walked to Kirkwood (only 10 miles by Google Maps) or in the conversation he had with you asked you to buy him a bus pass in Schnucks. [They still sell them, I checked.]
If you give them money they will keep asking for it. If enough people keep doing it you will get more panhandlers. It's just that simple. I can't count how many times I offered to buy the very thing a panhandler was asking for but was refused because they really only wanted the money.

By  DeBaliviere, at 9:51 AM

If it makes you feel any better, I had a guy give me the same story in the Hampton Village parking lot about three weeks ago. Pretty clean cut, well-spoken guy.

By  Anonymous, at 5:44 PM

In response to his comment of "I find it hard to believe no one carries cash anymore," you could have replied, "Well, you don't either."