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I travel all over the country and it seems like the Raleigh area has more beggars walking up and down the medians at stop signs asking for money. They are everywhere! Yes, I see these beggars in other cities but not nearly as many as here in Raleigh. What's up with this?
Most appear to be mentally ill or on drugs. Their signs are usually too busy with 100+ words describing their challenges. Too many words for us bleeding hearts to read. (Whatever happened to the short and sweet statement "Will Work for Food!?")
Recently I have rolled down my car window and asked the beggar why they are there and what happened to them that forced them onto the highway median asking for cash with a sign. Needless to say, none of them are great communicators because no one so far has given me a straight answer. I would give someone the shirt off my back if they told me a convincing story about how life's challenges forced them onto the highway's median. (Such as: "I used to be a corporate executive for a Fortune 500 Company but age discrimination and office politics sent them to the unemployment line.")
So anyway, why are there so many beggars standing at highway medians with a sign asking for money in Raleigh?
While many of the homelessness have mental / drug issues, I am not so sure about those on the side of the road. I have seen too many stories where many people are recruited to do so, often moving from location to location.
Only place I see this on a consistent basis is Page Road and South Miami by the on and exit ramps of 540 and 40....the Triangle pales in comparison to other states and countries depending on how much you travel. Ever been to a railroad in France or Italy?
I travel all over the country and it seems like the Raleigh area has more beggars walking up and down the medians at stop signs asking for money. They are everywhere!
Please tell me your definition of "everywhere".
And no, you don't travel "all over the country". One who does would not say beggars are "everywhere" in Raleigh. LOL
a. Asking the guy/gal on the street corner for a life story, and expecting to get "I used to be a corporate executive for a Fortune 500 Company but age discrimination and office politics sent them to the unemployment line"
b. The "everywhere" statement about Raleigh and beggars. There are certainly US cities where they are more prevalent and aggressive, and that pales in experience to my travels in Central America or North Africa. Some of those places take aggressive pan handling to a whole new level. If your reference is rural Arkansas, then yes, beggars are "Everywhere" here.
I travel all over the country and it seems like the Raleigh area has more beggars walking up and down the medians at stop signs asking for money. They are everywhere! Yes, I see these beggars in other cities but not nearly as many as here in Raleigh. What's up with this?
Most appear to be mentally ill or on drugs. Their signs are usually too busy with 100+ words describing their challenges. Too many words for us bleeding hearts to read. (Whatever happened to the short and sweet statement "Will Work for Food!?")
Recently I have rolled down my car window and asked the beggar why they are there and what happened to them that forced them onto the highway median asking for cash with a sign. Needless to say, none of them are great communicators because no one so far has given me a straight answer. I would give someone the shirt off my back if they told me a convincing story about how life's challenges forced them onto the highway's median. (Such as: "I used to be a corporate executive for a Fortune 500 Company but age discrimination and office politics sent them to the unemployment line.")
So anyway, why are there so many beggars standing at highway medians with a sign asking for money in Raleigh?
Just because you are in your air-conditioned car and happened to stop at the stop light doesn't mean they have to entertain you with their life story. Do you have a Likert scale that rates homeless people's story from "the most compelling" to "well, dude, that's not worth a dollar!"? I mean you said yourself "Most appear to be mentally ill or on drugs." Do you expect them to have excellent control of their language skills and have a flawless elevator pitch for you? I mean get off your high horse, dude. However they ended up there, drugs, abuse, mental illness -- they do not owe you a story. Give them money if you want, don't if you do not want to. They aren't asking you to tell them a compelling story about your life -- just your money, which again you are free not to give.
I am just responding to your weird "tell me a compelling" story attitude here. Not issues of homelessness, mental health and/or drug abuse.
Nothing wrong with the OPs observation and responses. They belong to him. And perhaps waiting for a quick response to his question to the beggar shows that he thinks of the panhandlers he sees as people not objects. People with a back story? Or simply fakes.
While begging kind of creeps me out since it seems prone to exploitation and demonstrating of potential mental health problems, I accept that some people may think this is all they can do. But those panhandlers at intersections are putting themselves and drivers in danger. There are better remedies.
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