I just had an inspiration, of sorts. I'm sitting here at my computer thinking about why some people take advantage of others. What kind of person lies and cheats someone else? I think it's pretty underhanded and deceitful to take advantage of another person's trust. Is it because of the way some people have been raised, or is there a “cheating gene” that the medical science community may not be familiar with? Then again, maybe it just has to do with how well one can manage to live with a guilty conscious.
Sometimes on my way home, I see a couple of younger people, probably in their late teens or early twenties, standing on opposite sides of a busy intersection. They are male and female. One of them works the traffic going in one direction, the other, the opposite direction. They probably spend hours each week doing the same routine; asking passing motorists for money. I think they are pretty successful at it too, judging by the number of times I have seen them return here.
Their method is pretty simple. They wait for the traffic lights to turn red, then step out on the road and walk along the line of stopped cars displaying a sign to each driver's side window. The words are written on a piece of brown cardboard using permanent marker. The message refers to something about being homeless and asking for change. Whether they are homeless or not is questionable. I somehow doubt it. What I really think is that they have found a way to scam people by making drivers feel sorry for them. At least with the Squeegee Kids” you knew you were being scammed, but at least you got something out of it; even if it was only getting half the windshield cleaned. You also thought there might be hope someday for these “quick change artists.”
Recently while riding my bike near the intersection where the “homeless” couple were selling their tale of woe, I had to stop for the traffic light. The male member of the team had to stop walking on the road as the light had changed and he approached me at the intersection. I thought for a brief moment he was going to ask for money because he was looking straight at me. Before he could utter a word I said to him; “Isn't it hard work doing this all day long? No response. Then I continued, “Wouldn't it be easier to find a minimum wage job rather than doing this?” There was a pause and before he began to say anything, the light changed, so I started off on my bike.
Just as I was leaving, he answered; "I would if someone would hire me" as I rode away. I laughed to myself and started thinking of what I could say to him. All I could come up with was “Right” in a sarcastic tone of voice. I was also thinking of saying, “If you spent more time cleaning yourself up and looking respectable you could get a real job.” I didn't have the nerve to say it to him, though, thinking that might upset him a wee bit.
As I passed through the intersection and on the other side of the road, I heard him give a really loud whistle. I looked back, thinking he was trying to get my attention, but I was wrong. He was whistling to get the attention of his female friend, and waved for her to come over where he was. I seem to think, now, that he felt their cover might have been blown and it was time to move on.
The point of the matter is; there are people who are homeless and really in need of assistance, I have seen them downtown and it is really sad. Then there are the others, like the ones I've described, who take advantage of good hearted people. By asking for money under false pretenses, and running a successful scamming business, they have ruined something which is sacred to most of us, our trust.
