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This guy won the prize.
Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows my position on the "homeless." In short, I divide this demographic into two groups: The truly homeless, people who have fallen on hard times and are working like hell to improve their situation; and the bums. The bums are the ones who don't seem to care that they live in filth, the ones who will sit begging for quarters ten feet from stores with "Help Wanted" signs in the windows.
I will move heaven and earth to help the first group when I can. The second group can go to hell.
This attitude means that I ignore most beggars. The exceptions are the guys selling the Street Sheet, since they are working for the money - the homeless write, layout, deliver, and sell the paper themselves. The next exceptions are the street musicians. again, they are doing something for my money.
The final exception are the guys who are so original, so startling in their approach that they stand out from the crowd. The first guy with a sign that said "Why Lie? I Need a Beer." got a quarter from me. But the homeless guy at the CalTrain station after the game last night has set the bar very, very high. His entire shtick was a neatly lettered cardboard sign reading
FAMILY KIDNAPPED BY NINJAS
NEED MONEY FOR KARATE LESSONS.
He got two bucks from me. That's probably a record.
I will move heaven and earth to help the first group when I can. The second group can go to hell.
This attitude means that I ignore most beggars. The exceptions are the guys selling the Street Sheet, since they are working for the money - the homeless write, layout, deliver, and sell the paper themselves. The next exceptions are the street musicians. again, they are doing something for my money.
The final exception are the guys who are so original, so startling in their approach that they stand out from the crowd. The first guy with a sign that said "Why Lie? I Need a Beer." got a quarter from me. But the homeless guy at the CalTrain station after the game last night has set the bar very, very high. His entire shtick was a neatly lettered cardboard sign reading
NEED MONEY FOR KARATE LESSONS.
He got two bucks from me. That's probably a record.
no subject
"No place to clean up"? I could show you a dozen places in SF that will, for free, let the homeless bath, clean their clothes, even provide free haircuts and shaves. Glide Memorial provides suits for interviews and a set of work clothes for free to people trying to get off the streets.
I was never rejected for "no reason." I was rejected because another person was better qualified, or made a better impression at the intetview than I did.