CMV: It is totally acceptable and not at all rude to ignore panhandlers

It's not just asking for what they need (and they don't need money, usually, most cities have resources for them to engage with for basic necessities)

I can understand why someone who has never been in that position might have that kind of attitude, but as someone who has been in that position I can tell you it's far from that simple. I live in an extremely liberal area, and thankfully there are a lot of kind people who donate their time and energy helping out the less fortunate. There are at least 4 shelters in my town, but there are a LOT of homeless people.

When I was in that position it was in the middle of a very cold winter, and every single shelter was booked up- with a several month log wait. I had to sleep out in the freezing cold anywhere I could find where the cops wouldn't be likely to see you.

There are an unfortunate amount of homeless people who are in the position they are in because of mental illness, but even 'crazy' people want to sleep in a warm place. The reason you see a lot of homeless sleeping on the streets isn't because they refuse the help that's offered them, it's because the help that is available isn't enough to help everyone who needs it.

/r/changemyview Thread Parent