Get A Haircut and Get A Real Job
Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending a wedding and reception in downtown Calgary. The reception was held at a little restaurant called Escoba which is neatly tucked away on 8th Ave. Both the food and atmosphere were amazing. The service was top of the line and I'd highly recommend that you check it out if you get the chance.
Giving a plug to a restaurant isn't the point of this post however.
Being a stinky smoker (one of only 2 or three at the reception), and not wanting to stink the place up, I would occasionally excuse myself and wander out front where I would spark up. This little ritual happened 10 or 12 times over the course of the evening. But it wasn't the only ritual that was taking place.
After about the third trip outside, I started to notice that I was making new friends. Not by choice mind you. You see, every time I'd go outside some bum/beggar/drug addict would approach and say something like "Hey, buddy, can you spare some change?". Each and every time I went out for a smoke, there was a different beggar/bum/druggie who approached. I heard all kinds of stories that evening. Everything from someone needing to buy food to someone looking to scrape up enough cash to buy a bus ticket. One of the more memorable charachters was holding a can (with a plain white label that looked like it was hand-made) and proclaiming that he was with some organisation that was looking to stop police brutality towards the mentally handicapped street people. By this time I was pissed and told him that if he didn't move-on he would have to worry about my brutality instead. He moved on. After he was gone, my 9 year-old son, standing next to me, commented; "Dad, I think he was lying". I agreed.
This adventure got me thinking about another encounter that I had not that long ago. I had just pulled up in fron of my favorite pub and was approached by a young (25-ish year-old) woman. The conversation went something like this:
Young Woman: Excuse me sir, can you help me? My car's run out of gas and I need to borrow some money so I can get home.
Me (looking at the gas station next door): I hate it when I run out of gas. They've got a jerry can next door. Lets get you some fuel.
Young Woman: My car's not here. That won't work.
Me: Alright then where's your car?
Young Woman: (gives location 15 blocks away)
Me: No problem. I'll give you a ride back to it.
Young Woman: I can't. My kids at the Dr's office and I have to wait for him? Really, if you could spare 10 dollars I'd appreciate it.
Me: Your kid's at the Dr's office alone? How old is he?
Young Woman: (looking around nervously) 6
Me: Sorry. If you need fuel, I'll buy you some fuel but I'm not going to give you cash.
Young Woman: F**K YOU!
Me: What do you charge?
Young Woman: (flips the bird while walking away)
I was more than willing to give this woman help with the problem she said she had and it became painfully clear early into the conversation that she was lying to me in order to pull on the 'ol heart-strings...
There have been other ocasions still where I've offered individuals work. Not one has accepted.
Could I have given some cash to these people? Absolutely. But I didn't.
Why not?
Because of a concept called "enabling".
When you give money to a beggar/bum/druggie, you enable them. You validate their life choices and encourage them to continue their practices.
Is that a good thing? Of course not but some would tell you it is. Take our friend Polly Jones for example. Polly thinks that the beggars/bums/druggies should be able to bother anyone they want anywhere they want and at anytime they want. Instead of empowering these individuals and forcing them to become self sufficent, she want's to keep them begging. Why? Because she feels good when she gives cash to beggars/bums/druggies. I think she likes the idea of having others beholden to her. I think Polly may be a bit of a control freak. Maybe that's why she can't get a man. Well, that and the fact that she hates men but I digress. We're not discussing Polly's failed love life here.
Polly's even going so far as to fight measures taken by the Calgary Downtown Association (CDA) to limit the beggars/bums/druggies in our city center. Here's a quote:
The CDA has the right idea however. Instead of giving money to these individuals to spend on drugs or booze, give it to the agencies who help these folks out. Shelters. Soup kitchens. The Salvation Army. After the adventures from last Saturday evening, I'm inclined to fully support the CDA's efforts. If a fella can't spend 10 minutes standing on a sidewalk in downtown Calgary without being hit up for spare change (sometimes twice in that 10 min period), there's a problem.
Polly doesn't understand that in Calgary, the city with the hottest economy and lowest unemployment rate in the country, these beggars/bums/druggies, and their enablers, are the engineers of their own poverty. One feeding off of the other.
By enabling them, Polly keeps them as victims.
Poor Polly... I don't know who's worse off. Her or her victims...
Giving a plug to a restaurant isn't the point of this post however.
Being a stinky smoker (one of only 2 or three at the reception), and not wanting to stink the place up, I would occasionally excuse myself and wander out front where I would spark up. This little ritual happened 10 or 12 times over the course of the evening. But it wasn't the only ritual that was taking place.
After about the third trip outside, I started to notice that I was making new friends. Not by choice mind you. You see, every time I'd go outside some bum/beggar/drug addict would approach and say something like "Hey, buddy, can you spare some change?". Each and every time I went out for a smoke, there was a different beggar/bum/druggie who approached. I heard all kinds of stories that evening. Everything from someone needing to buy food to someone looking to scrape up enough cash to buy a bus ticket. One of the more memorable charachters was holding a can (with a plain white label that looked like it was hand-made) and proclaiming that he was with some organisation that was looking to stop police brutality towards the mentally handicapped street people. By this time I was pissed and told him that if he didn't move-on he would have to worry about my brutality instead. He moved on. After he was gone, my 9 year-old son, standing next to me, commented; "Dad, I think he was lying". I agreed.
This adventure got me thinking about another encounter that I had not that long ago. I had just pulled up in fron of my favorite pub and was approached by a young (25-ish year-old) woman. The conversation went something like this:
Young Woman: Excuse me sir, can you help me? My car's run out of gas and I need to borrow some money so I can get home.
Me (looking at the gas station next door): I hate it when I run out of gas. They've got a jerry can next door. Lets get you some fuel.
Young Woman: My car's not here. That won't work.
Me: Alright then where's your car?
Young Woman: (gives location 15 blocks away)
Me: No problem. I'll give you a ride back to it.
Young Woman: I can't. My kids at the Dr's office and I have to wait for him? Really, if you could spare 10 dollars I'd appreciate it.
Me: Your kid's at the Dr's office alone? How old is he?
Young Woman: (looking around nervously) 6
Me: Sorry. If you need fuel, I'll buy you some fuel but I'm not going to give you cash.
Young Woman: F**K YOU!
Me: What do you charge?
Young Woman: (flips the bird while walking away)
I was more than willing to give this woman help with the problem she said she had and it became painfully clear early into the conversation that she was lying to me in order to pull on the 'ol heart-strings...
There have been other ocasions still where I've offered individuals work. Not one has accepted.
Could I have given some cash to these people? Absolutely. But I didn't.
Why not?
Because of a concept called "enabling".
When you give money to a beggar/bum/druggie, you enable them. You validate their life choices and encourage them to continue their practices.Is that a good thing? Of course not but some would tell you it is. Take our friend Polly Jones for example. Polly thinks that the beggars/bums/druggies should be able to bother anyone they want anywhere they want and at anytime they want. Instead of empowering these individuals and forcing them to become self sufficent, she want's to keep them begging. Why? Because she feels good when she gives cash to beggars/bums/druggies. I think she likes the idea of having others beholden to her. I think Polly may be a bit of a control freak. Maybe that's why she can't get a man. Well, that and the fact that she hates men but I digress. We're not discussing Polly's failed love life here.
Polly's even going so far as to fight measures taken by the Calgary Downtown Association (CDA) to limit the beggars/bums/druggies in our city center. Here's a quote:
I will be posting new ad busting examples, ideas and strategies soon. In the meantime, I encourage people, especially Calgarians, to partake in a counter-campaign against the Calgary Downtown Association's victim-blaming strategy. Let Calgary know that you believe in fighting poverty, not people.
The CDA has the right idea however. Instead of giving money to these individuals to spend on drugs or booze, give it to the agencies who help these folks out. Shelters. Soup kitchens. The Salvation Army. After the adventures from last Saturday evening, I'm inclined to fully support the CDA's efforts. If a fella can't spend 10 minutes standing on a sidewalk in downtown Calgary without being hit up for spare change (sometimes twice in that 10 min period), there's a problem.
BACKGROUND :
Research gathered by the CDA’s Outreach worker indicates 85% of money given directly to panhandlers feeds their addictions. These results and an increasingly aggressive panhandling population have encouraged the Calgary Downtown Association (CDA) to launch a public awareness campaign to address the issue of panhandling on Downtown streets.
The campaign encourages people to support agencies not addictions.The campaign will be brought to life using ‘street teams’. The teams will be located at high (pedestrian) traffic locations, dressed as professionals, holding signs asking for spare change for their addiction. In this setting, the juxtaposition of supporting a better dressed individual’s alcohol and/or drug addiction versus supporting a lesser fortunate individual’s is obvious. Additionally, campaign posters will be in various restaurant, bar and office tower bathrooms throughout the Downtown as well as on LRT trains for six weeks.
- The primary objective is to redirect people to give to agencies and charities able to develop programs to help panhandlers off the street.
- The secondary objective is to decrease the number of panhandlers on the street.
The CDA encourages people to give to agencies instead of to panhandlers directly. The choice for people to change their giving habits is up to them. If they choose to redirect their generosity to agencies, EVERYONE benefits.
Calgary is one of the most generous cities in Canada. There are over 30 agencies set up to help those in need. There is no need for anyone to go without, unless it is by addiction or by choice.
Polly doesn't understand that in Calgary, the city with the hottest economy and lowest unemployment rate in the country, these beggars/bums/druggies, and their enablers, are the engineers of their own poverty. One feeding off of the other.
By enabling them, Polly keeps them as victims.
Poor Polly... I don't know who's worse off. Her or her victims...
posted by Richard at 07:32
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