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Should you give money to people begging on the streets?
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I've got a related question: I often hear people talking about "organized beggers" which are supposedly organized structures with bosses at the top that place beggers throughout city centers. They then give a cut of their income to the higher-ups who make a lot of money off of this. Is this a real thing or is it just a rationalization for people to not feel bad about giving money to beggars? I'm tending towards the latter but thought I'd use this opportunity to get some more perspectives on this.
even if it is going on it's not a good reason to not give. an equivalent would be refusing to patronize italian businesses because 'they might pay money to the mob' or some shit. there's basic economic & legal relationships that lead to the creation of cartels from legally marginalized groups--it also leads to exploitation because they're not revolutionary--but it's not like its that much worse than regular capitalistic relationships
It is if you don’t have cash. In my experience they never accept anything other than cash, and I don’t carry cash on me so they never take any of the extra food I have. So if you have a fat wallet then go ahead
I'd say whether I've done it part of a group or just randomly when I had extra food and offered it to someone theyve accepted way more than not.
I've been asked if I could buy some chips multiple times. I've bought and ate meals with people.
Maybe it's different in the places I've lived.
Eh having said all that, I've also talked with some people who were able to get food okay but needed money for other basic necessities. You can find food in a dumpster but not a shower or a safe place to sleep.
Some people also need to be mobile and it's a lot easier to haul cash than food.