Nah, I'm Good Brutha
Where I come from, the homeless are a dime a dozen, and beggars are as common as the neglected pennies of college students. It sounds harsh, but it’s true. While growing up, it was not uncommon for me to run into a crackhead who literally asked for a quarter everyday. It was no secret, everyone knew it, these beggars (and im pretty sure that term is very un-politically correct) were buying drugs with the money people gave them for whatever object or lie they could conjure up to get someone to give them spare change.
I remember being in a barbershop as a high school student in East Cleveland and a homeless man—I only assume his homelessness due to the cardboard sign he was carrying—came into the shop asking if anyone wanted to buy a 3 piece Popeye’s meal. This was obviously a meal that someone had bought him in hopes to help, but also not wanting to supply him with drug money. And here he was, attempting to sell a plate of food, for cash. Due to situations and experiences like this, growing up in the hood desensitized me to the homeless and the reaction to anyone asking for money on the street has been transformed into an automated message system: Nah, I’m good Brutha. This is my response, not really saying no, adding a positive word in the middle of the sentence, and concluded the statement of rejection with a term of endearment. It’s been my response to the homeless asking for money since I was in 9th grade.
I would like to take this time to look a bit more in depth about how I interact with homeless people (or people who I ignorantly assume to be homeless) and how society as a whole generally looks down on these people. Why do we look down on them?
Well, it’s the age-old American value system that labels these individuals as being lazy leeching deviants that would rather beg hard working “Americans” for money than get a job and work hard. Subconsciously, every time I responded with “Nah, I’m good brutha” it became the remnant of a stereotyped over-simplified judgment of these individuals who were asking for money.
It is too easy to say that these men (and women) are just lazy. It is too easy to say that they are just a part of a deviant culture of people who don’t care to work hard and be “upstanding Americans.” And it is too easy to judge and dismiss them for the life they live. While I know agency is always a factor in people’s life, I also come to notice that institutional barriers are far too often (and conveniently) swept under the rug , so people that are marginalized become the sole blame for the life they live and the environment that they inherited to live in.
Three homeless men approached me in the last 24 hours (once again I am assuming they are homeless, I know, I need to stop). The first was a man who was selling stolen movies and the second was trying to sell me a Motorola charger for one dollar. (I can’t make this stuff up). The first two men got sent straight to my automated message system: Nah, I’m good Brutha. But the third was the one that got me. I was in a McDonalds, and a man asked me “aye dude, can I get some money for me and my son.” Right when I was going to send him to the automated message, I looked down and saw a boy about 3 years old with no shirt on and I don’t know what hungry looks like, but this little guy was it.
This situation caused me to internalize every judgment I have been making since high school when people ask me for money on the street. I’m not saying that I will be giving up some change every time I’m called upon, but I am saying that not only myself, but people in general should question how they interact with homeless people and not fall into the trap of categorizing them as something just because it’s easy to do and furthermore a cop-out for what the real problems are. And yes, I gave the man and his son money for food.
Great blog. I wish there was honestly some way of REALLY finding out what these (seemingly) homeless people’s situations are, because you really don’t know. I know my grandmother, a retired Chrysler employee who is schizophrenic sometimes (when her mental state is particularly bad) wanders the streets and asks people for money. She easily gets over 1500 a month in pensions and social security. So you never can know.
Once downtown I saw a woman with no legs and a small baby in her arms asking for money. Not that it’s a competition, but I gave her money, and until a “homeless” person “tops” that they won’t be getting anything from me.
Again, though it’s not a competition.
Great blog. I wish there was honestly some way of REALLY finding out what these (seemingly) homeless people’s situations are, because you really don’t know. I know my grandmother, a retired Chrysler employee who is schizophrenic sometimes (when her mental state is particularly bad) wanders the streets and asks people for money. She easily gets over 1500 a month in pensions and social security. So you never can know.
Once downtown I saw a woman with no legs and a small baby in her arms asking for money. Not that it’s a competition, but I gave her money, and until a “homeless” person “tops” that they won’t be getting anything from me.
Again, though it’s not a competition.
Nice post, Jonathan. I try not to give people money because I never know how they’re going to spend it and I would be concerned about contributing to someone’s drug habits. Strange, I know. But instead, if I see a person asking for money I’ll offer to go and buy them something to eat. If they’re truly hungry/thirsty, they’ll have no issue with it.
Nice post, Jonathan. I try not to give people money because I never know how they’re going to spend it and I would be concerned about contributing to someone’s drug habits. Strange, I know. But instead, if I see a person asking for money I’ll offer to go and buy them something to eat. If they’re truly hungry/thirsty, they’ll have no issue with it.
This reminds me of one time on the A train when this homeless crackhead ran through the car into the next car, then slowly walked back to explain how she just woke up, how the crack was really good, and how she would really like some money to eat.
I always have to question what to do with homeless people because there are so many different variables. We have those who are in truly shitty situations like the father in your blog. Then there are the drug addicts who need help more than anything (unfortunately recovery isn’t a public priority). There are the child prostitutes who will turn a trick just for a bed. And then there are those that choose to be homeless, like gutter punks, burnt-out hippies, artist in the Bay Area, social activist trying to make statements (the latter two being the most annoying type of homeless: the fake homeless).
Generally I’ll give food if I have enough to give. I was with my friend Shannon about a year back in Union Square, and there was this guy who homeless and freezing asking for food. We gave him a carton of orange juice and half a loaf of bread; that little contribution made his night a little better. As far as money goes, I do have a rule: you must either make make laugh or put a smile on my face. It sounds messed up, but in a city where everyone is a performer, even homeless people have an act.
Though I will admit, I did give a homeless man a dollar because he had a sign that read “Haven’t smoked bud in a year. What about you?” Something about guilt…
This reminds me of one time on the A train when this homeless crackhead ran through the car into the next car, then slowly walked back to explain how she just woke up, how the crack was really good, and how she would really like some money to eat.
I always have to question what to do with homeless people because there are so many different variables. We have those who are in truly shitty situations like the father in your blog. Then there are the drug addicts who need help more than anything (unfortunately recovery isn’t a public priority). There are the child prostitutes who will turn a trick just for a bed. And then there are those that choose to be homeless, like gutter punks, burnt-out hippies, artist in the Bay Area, social activist trying to make statements (the latter two being the most annoying type of homeless: the fake homeless).
Generally I’ll give food if I have enough to give. I was with my friend Shannon about a year back in Union Square, and there was this guy who homeless and freezing asking for food. We gave him a carton of orange juice and half a loaf of bread; that little contribution made his night a little better. As far as money goes, I do have a rule: you must either make make laugh or put a smile on my face. It sounds messed up, but in a city where everyone is a performer, even homeless people have an act.
Though I will admit, I did give a homeless man a dollar because he had a sign that read “Haven’t smoked bud in a year. What about you?” Something about guilt…
Nice piece dealing with how our reactions to tragically ordinary situations become almost invisible to ourselves, as invisible as the people we pass daily.
I’m interested in how both your piece and the comments that follow dig into some of the assumptions we make about how people asking for money should best spend the money they are given (i.e. food for son, rather than bus fare to get out of state, money to pay off a debt, etc etc). I’m seeing this in the context of our societal attitudes about social welfare: as a microcosm of how the social service system treats low income folks: e.g. YOU may say that you need to stay home to take care of your children, but WE THE SYSTEM decide you need to go to work in order to receive your food benefits. These are the impossible choices people are forced to make…
Nice piece dealing with how our reactions to tragically ordinary situations become almost invisible to ourselves, as invisible as the people we pass daily.
I’m interested in how both your piece and the comments that follow dig into some of the assumptions we make about how people asking for money should best spend the money they are given (i.e. food for son, rather than bus fare to get out of state, money to pay off a debt, etc etc). I’m seeing this in the context of our societal attitudes about social welfare: as a microcosm of how the social service system treats low income folks: e.g. YOU may say that you need to stay home to take care of your children, but WE THE SYSTEM decide you need to go to work in order to receive your food benefits. These are the impossible choices people are forced to make…
I think it is a horrible situation to be in. I honesty couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be homeless or to have to beg for money.
However, I am convenced that the majority of the people begging for money are junkies or con-artists.
I used to rent this house and it was close to the interstate. Bridges like that are great for spangers (spare changers). There was this one girl who was cool. I used to give her a couple of cigs everytime I saw her. But I could tell she was a total junkie.
My heart goes out to these people but there are programs. If they wanted to get off the street, they could.
Toni says the system says that you need to work to get food benifits. Actually I have had to get stamps before, they ask that you look and they will pay for day care for the kids.
I don’t by any means think it’s the government’s job to take care of us. We need to take care of ourselves and each other. But supporting someone’s habbit isn’t helping. There are tons of FREE programs from both the government and from privite people, mainly churches, that will help people get off the street and off drugs.
I think the main problem is people don’t want to change. As humans we get used to things too quickly. Yeah, it’s hard begging that first time but it becomes too easy. I don’t think they are lazy, I think they get comfortable. You can get comfortable in missery, and they believe the lies that they won’t ever be better than they are now. That’s what needs to change.
I think it is a horrible situation to be in. I honesty couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be homeless or to have to beg for money.
However, I am convenced that the majority of the people begging for money are junkies or con-artists.
I used to rent this house and it was close to the interstate. Bridges like that are great for spangers (spare changers). There was this one girl who was cool. I used to give her a couple of cigs everytime I saw her. But I could tell she was a total junkie.
My heart goes out to these people but there are programs. If they wanted to get off the street, they could.
Toni says the system says that you need to work to get food benifits. Actually I have had to get stamps before, they ask that you look and they will pay for day care for the kids.
I don’t by any means think it’s the government’s job to take care of us. We need to take care of ourselves and each other. But supporting someone’s habbit isn’t helping. There are tons of FREE programs from both the government and from privite people, mainly churches, that will help people get off the street and off drugs.
I think the main problem is people don’t want to change. As humans we get used to things too quickly. Yeah, it’s hard begging that first time but it becomes too easy. I don’t think they are lazy, I think they get comfortable. You can get comfortable in missery, and they believe the lies that they won’t ever be better than they are now. That’s what needs to change.