Would you give cash to this fellow?
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So a few days ago, a total stranger rings our door bell. He has some sob story, saying that his girl friend has his credit card and for some reason he could not get cash out of his bank account and he has to drive to another city some 100 miles away. Could I help him with the necessary cash to buy gas (petrol). When confronted by a total stranger whose credit cards are likely maxed out and who has no cash in the bank, and who desperately needs cash, a "likely drug user" flag goes off in my head. So I declined to help him. What would your reaction be? Would you hand him cash, knowing that you can probably kiss it goodbye?
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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Him? No. There's just something about that, that puts me off. Have I given cash to people knowing I wouldn't get it back? People who might be using it to buy drugs, but who have told me they are hungry and just want something to eat? Yes I have and I will do so again. Why? I have been lucky in life. Very lucky. I am well aware that others aren't so blessed so if I can do something, anything, to, even for a moment, bring some happiness into another persons life, then that makes me happy. Does this make me a liberal? Possibly. Do I care? Nope.
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
Does this make me a liberal?
No. It makes you a super sensitive man. Is that a bad thing? who knows. ;) Do you still care? Probably not.
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If I had a fuel station near, I would have gone with him and payed the fuel he would tank. I do the same with people asking for food (note: food, not money to buy food). If someone tells me "I am hungry, would you mind to buy me something to eat?". I do it in 99% of the times (once I had myself no cash with me, so I couldn't). If they ask for money... then I usually don't give it.
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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I've given money a handful of times _and_ followed up. FYI - My experience is that every time it has been a scam. Here's a few stories... story 1 I'm eating lunch in my car (as I often do) a man approaches and asks for money -- it is thursday -- and he explains he has to be in a city north of where we are by Monday for an important job interview. I give him $3. Cut to Monday, I'm in another parking lot on other side of city eating lunch. Man approaches asks me for money. I say, "Hey, you had to be in North-City by Monday for the important job interview, right?" Man runs away. story 2 Man approaches me in my car with my family pulling out of parking lot. He says, " My car caught on fire and now I need money to get a cab to AnotherCity." I ask quickly, "What color is your car? What kind of car?" Man: "Uh, well, uh...it's orange and it's a mustang." Me: "Ok, where is the car?" Man: "It's right over on the other side of that gas station." Me: Okay, I will go look at car and if it is there I will come back and give you $5. We drive over and there is no orange mustang and no car over there. I have many stories like this. Ask Yourself In what case would someone need money just one time? It would be a very rare situation indeed. That is why when someone asks you for money it is probably always a lie. Unfortunately.
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So a few days ago, a total stranger rings our door bell. He has some sob story, saying that his girl friend has his credit card and for some reason he could not get cash out of his bank account and he has to drive to another city some 100 miles away. Could I help him with the necessary cash to buy gas (petrol). When confronted by a total stranger whose credit cards are likely maxed out and who has no cash in the bank, and who desperately needs cash, a "likely drug user" flag goes off in my head. So I declined to help him. What would your reaction be? Would you hand him cash, knowing that you can probably kiss it goodbye?
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
No I would not help him. I have helped people knowing that I would not get it back but someone coming to my door asking for money...NO!
Someone's therapist knows all about you!
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So a few days ago, a total stranger rings our door bell. He has some sob story, saying that his girl friend has his credit card and for some reason he could not get cash out of his bank account and he has to drive to another city some 100 miles away. Could I help him with the necessary cash to buy gas (petrol). When confronted by a total stranger whose credit cards are likely maxed out and who has no cash in the bank, and who desperately needs cash, a "likely drug user" flag goes off in my head. So I declined to help him. What would your reaction be? Would you hand him cash, knowing that you can probably kiss it goodbye?
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
This happened at my house on Christmas eve around 11pm. Got the late night knock, guessing he could see by the lights that we were up and about. Gave him some money "for gas" and wished him a happy holiday. I was too tired to validate his claims, and worried about the stuff sitting out after we went to bed.
Hogan
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So a few days ago, a total stranger rings our door bell. He has some sob story, saying that his girl friend has his credit card and for some reason he could not get cash out of his bank account and he has to drive to another city some 100 miles away. Could I help him with the necessary cash to buy gas (petrol). When confronted by a total stranger whose credit cards are likely maxed out and who has no cash in the bank, and who desperately needs cash, a "likely drug user" flag goes off in my head. So I declined to help him. What would your reaction be? Would you hand him cash, knowing that you can probably kiss it goodbye?
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
Yes on a few occasions and only one outright negative experience: I was taking a walk during lunch. A car pulls up and in it are a middle aged man with a young family. The man opens the door, steps out and in an Irish accent tells me his wife and children have not eaten, cue the big doughy moist eyed act from the young woman and children. So I dig in my pocket thinking I want to be rid of this chap. I give him £1 after feeling a £5 note in my pocket. He looks at me and as though psychic says "Come on you can do better than that!" I lie and tell him that's all I have, walking away fairly quickly thinking that was a lucky escape.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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Him? No. There's just something about that, that puts me off. Have I given cash to people knowing I wouldn't get it back? People who might be using it to buy drugs, but who have told me they are hungry and just want something to eat? Yes I have and I will do so again. Why? I have been lucky in life. Very lucky. I am well aware that others aren't so blessed so if I can do something, anything, to, even for a moment, bring some happiness into another persons life, then that makes me happy. Does this make me a liberal? Possibly. Do I care? Nope.
This space for rent
If they honestly tell me it is for drugs... then I give it too. What I don't like is being fooled.
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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So a few days ago, a total stranger rings our door bell. He has some sob story, saying that his girl friend has his credit card and for some reason he could not get cash out of his bank account and he has to drive to another city some 100 miles away. Could I help him with the necessary cash to buy gas (petrol). When confronted by a total stranger whose credit cards are likely maxed out and who has no cash in the bank, and who desperately needs cash, a "likely drug user" flag goes off in my head. So I declined to help him. What would your reaction be? Would you hand him cash, knowing that you can probably kiss it goodbye?
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
Something very similar happened to me at the central train station. A guy with a suitcase asked me for money. He claimed to have fallen asleep in a train, missed the station he wanted to get out and slept all the way to Munich, where he was woken up by the train's conductor and fined for having no valid ticket. Poor sob. He wanted cash, nothing else. Perhaps we can go over there and buy you a ticket? No? Why? You know what? Let's go over to the police office. They will help you when you are stranded. Suddently he had something important to do - somewhere in the opposite direction. A few months later, same place, he comes and tells me the very same story. This time I needed only two words to send him running: "What, again?"
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
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If they honestly tell me it is for drugs... then I give it too. What I don't like is being fooled.
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
To be fair, no one has ever told me they need the money for drugs.
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Quote:
I would have gone with him
Trust him enough to go with him? No sirree!
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
I would've driven in my car and met him there...
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt
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I gave money to a guy begging in front of a gas station and holding a gas can. Before I drove off, I saw him walking out of the convenience store with a brown bag (at the time - the way malt liquor was purchased and carried) and no gas can.
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To be fair, no one has ever told me they need the money for drugs.
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Once: "I need money for drugs before I get my abstinence syndrom and things get ugly for me, I don't want to rob anyone" Other: "Hey, do you have any cash? I could tell you it is for whatever, but the truth is that I want it to buy me something to drink" and a couple of times more... My answer to all was something like "You could have lied to me but didn't. That's something I respect. Here you have" and gave them what I had on that moment.
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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So a few days ago, a total stranger rings our door bell. He has some sob story, saying that his girl friend has his credit card and for some reason he could not get cash out of his bank account and he has to drive to another city some 100 miles away. Could I help him with the necessary cash to buy gas (petrol). When confronted by a total stranger whose credit cards are likely maxed out and who has no cash in the bank, and who desperately needs cash, a "likely drug user" flag goes off in my head. So I declined to help him. What would your reaction be? Would you hand him cash, knowing that you can probably kiss it goodbye?
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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Something very similar happened to me at the central train station. A guy with a suitcase asked me for money. He claimed to have fallen asleep in a train, missed the station he wanted to get out and slept all the way to Munich, where he was woken up by the train's conductor and fined for having no valid ticket. Poor sob. He wanted cash, nothing else. Perhaps we can go over there and buy you a ticket? No? Why? You know what? Let's go over to the police office. They will help you when you are stranded. Suddently he had something important to do - somewhere in the opposite direction. A few months later, same place, he comes and tells me the very same story. This time I needed only two words to send him running: "What, again?"
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
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That guy is seriously industrious. You know where the gas can was? The next guy had it and he was acting out his drama now. :| "All the world's a stage." ~The Bard
My wife used to say if there was a beggar around, he would find me. I used to help a lot of folks, just because I could. I've since learned to give to specific charities instead of guys on the street. Now if someone wants money, I can offer to help them by directing to said charity. If learned a lot of people don't really want help!
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Quote:
I would have gone with him
Trust him enough to go with him? No sirree!
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
Did you read the "near"... I would just meet him at the gas station.
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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My wife used to say if there was a beggar around, he would find me. I used to help a lot of folks, just because I could. I've since learned to give to specific charities instead of guys on the street. Now if someone wants money, I can offer to help them by directing to said charity. If learned a lot of people don't really want help!
Pualee wrote:
learned a lot of people don't really want help!
Yes and it is unfortunate. I (and many others) have learned the same thing. Here's another story. When I was 20 I went to a Music College right in Boston -- in the middle of the city. One time I went into the Store 24 and there was another music student in there. We happened to walk out at the same time and the student (who obviously had some kind of problem) pulls a sub sandwich out of his shirt and says, "I don't know why but I just stole this sandwich. I'm not even hungry." I had no words. Then there was a beggar to our left who said, "Change? Any money?" The music student said, "Hey, you want this sub?" and he tossed it to the beggar. The beggar caught it, threw it onto the sidewalk and said, "Give me money. I don't want your f#@!ing food." Quite educational.
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So a few days ago, a total stranger rings our door bell. He has some sob story, saying that his girl friend has his credit card and for some reason he could not get cash out of his bank account and he has to drive to another city some 100 miles away. Could I help him with the necessary cash to buy gas (petrol). When confronted by a total stranger whose credit cards are likely maxed out and who has no cash in the bank, and who desperately needs cash, a "likely drug user" flag goes off in my head. So I declined to help him. What would your reaction be? Would you hand him cash, knowing that you can probably kiss it goodbye?
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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So a few days ago, a total stranger rings our door bell. He has some sob story, saying that his girl friend has his credit card and for some reason he could not get cash out of his bank account and he has to drive to another city some 100 miles away. Could I help him with the necessary cash to buy gas (petrol). When confronted by a total stranger whose credit cards are likely maxed out and who has no cash in the bank, and who desperately needs cash, a "likely drug user" flag goes off in my head. So I declined to help him. What would your reaction be? Would you hand him cash, knowing that you can probably kiss it goodbye?
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
No, not like that. This is a known scam and he/she will continue doing that to other people.
I'd rather be phishing!
