Whoa, yeah, I think your comment brings significantly more thoughtfulness to the comment chain. But personally I don't know if it's only about angling for beneficial relationships. I think people can also be generous with their time, and even if they aren't inclined to be that way, will usually feel happy and rewarded to see that they helped someone. Realistically though, that's not always the result when someone comes to them for help, and it can just be a time sink, so we have to gauge the risk profile of building a one-sided relationship even if we are open to helping others without personal gain.

That's an area where I think fb/gchat/etc diminish opportunity costs relative to a world where they don't exist, because they mediate our interactions with people with whom we'd otherwise care about to some real extent, but who wouldn't be worth the investment of a more personal interaction. It's a gradient that gives us a noncommittal option. We can keep the risk profile low but still invest in the relationship (or manage it) with likes/comments/occasional chatting or whatever, and we can rightfully question whether that's meaningful, but that's the option it appears to give us.

Just being from NYC it's sad to see homeless turning to the kindness of anonymous individuals for help. There's very little anyone can do as just a commuter on the train, but it's not beyond our imagination to build a functional safety net -- universal healthcare, mental health coverage, basic food and housing, rehabilitative drug policy, even basic income.

I probably wouldn't call the guy back either. I'm not going to be able to fix someone's life if they contact me on facebook, but I'd happily be taxed more to build a society that would help them in my place. Something as impersonal and distant as possible, please.