I like to think that I’m a fairly decent person. I’m polite to everyone. I’m always available to help out a friend in need. One thing I rarely do though is give money to a homeless person. Living in the city long enough you become numb and immune the constant solicitations. I still feel bad when I pass by someone begging for change, so I at least try and acknowledge them instead of just blowing by pretending like they don’t exist. But too many times have someone asked for change to get a bite of eat only to turn down the actual food I’m offering. Beggars can’t be choosers homeless man, eat the damn sandwich.
Yesterday I may have crossed the line of being an asshole to a homeless man. I was walking down the street when a man asked if I had any change to spare. I gave him my usual response, “no sorry, brah, I don’t have anything.” I always add in a brah or bro or man or something like that, I have no idea why. Meanwhile the reason I was walking down the street is because I was finally heading to a Coinstar machine to cash in the hundreds of dollars in change that has been piling up in my bedroom for the last few months. A man simply asked for some change and I told him no when in reality I had like 2300 nickels in my bag. I think I may take a hit in the karma department for that one.
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9 comments:
Okay, now that's f*cking funny!
That was kind of mean Eric. It must have been obvious that you had a bag of change and he knew that you were lying.
I don't see many homeless people where I live so maybe I would react the same way that you did if I saw it every day.
It is so sad.
I think the bag of change is kind of irrelevant. You can go through your stuff (like open a bag, pull out your wallet, etc.). If I have loose change in my pocket I'll usually give it up, otherwise I won't.
The fact that you were carrying a ton of coins makes the lie enormous, though... and very funny.
I can just imagine you walking around with like a bazillion nickels in your pockets, puffing out your pants and weighing you down, then telling a brah that you don't have any change. That's priceless! (pardon the pun).
Are you sure he could even hear your answer over the clattering of your change?
Now THAT was funny. That's like carrying a case of smokes, and telling somebody you didn't have any.
E-Mack, not to worry. I think I am more of an asshole. My reply to the spare change question is always "Nah, man, I only have bills on me." I might get attacked one of these days like the homeless do out in San Fran.
forget karma. we're going on a super sweet vaca w/ all our change.
yeehaw!
ok, that is funny, but give money to a charity and Karma will be restored. I'm not saying give everything but maybe it'll relieve some of your guilt
The biggest dagger of it all was that there wasn't actually a coinstar machine there so I had to lug it all back home past the same homeless man.
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