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Mediation
Friends, how did this get so out of hand? I don't know if you read the "comments" portions of each posting, but the homeless post last week set off a firestorm of verbal abuse. Now people are bickering like this is some sort of OC message board. You'll have to read through those comments if you want to follow the next couple paragraphs. Otherwise, skip this entry. Make one of those Japanese paper cranes or something.
First, being homeless I have to imagine is absolutely miserable, no question, I think everyone can agree on that. Everyone would agree that homeless people have terrible lives and are treated poorly by The Man. HOWEVER, being homeless does not give you the right to be rude, and that is basically what I was rallying against in my post, which was completely inappropriate, but also misinterpreted.
Somehow this has now turned into a lot of fighting, and I won't get sucked into it now. I would like to address the bashing of the "prissiness" of New York. A lot of these posters do not live in New York, including every single person doing the arguing here, except for me. I personally hate New York, so it isn't like I'm sticking up for it, but I think the "prissy and unfeeling" tag that is being put on an entire city in the comments seems a bit rash. I would also like to point out that Gray's Papaya, far from prissy, is a filthy hot dog stand, and one of the only places in the city to eat for cheap. And my reasoning for purchasing a Coldbuster shake? I had a cold I wanted to bust. I don't see how that makes me some frilly fancypants.
I didn't sell out my Missouri ways upon moving here. Quite the opposite, I talk constantly about how much better, nicer, friendlier, cleaner Missouri is, much to the annoyance of my NY friends. But there are great things about New York, too, and great people. The people posting on this site, I think I know all of them unless someone is using an alias, are good people, and certainly not hipsters frequenting the "hipster hangouts" that exist on the homeless dime. Last week I posted about how much I hate hipsters. I am full of equal opportunity hate. What it basically boils down to is I hate rudeness, I think Rob hit the nail on the head there. And whether a hipster is rude or a homeless gentleman is rude, he or she is still being rude, and it is fucking annoying. I don't know what happened to manners. Homeless people are not exempt from being called out as assholes if they are being assholes.
I have never asked a homeless man or woman to "put on a show" for me. But to be honest, if they are singing or dancing or, God forbid at the very least friendly, they are much more likely to get the money that I worked all week for. I get verbally asked for money a minimum of 20 times a week here, no exaggeration, double or triple that when you count people with signs, cans, etc. It's not like back home. Where you are currently living, Mike, in Columbia, MO, unless things have DRASTICALLY changed for the worse, there is that one guy who offers to wash your windows for money when you get off the highway and that's about it as far as the homeless go. You are one grumpy man, Mike, that's what I love about you, and if you lived here for more than a week, you would not be skipping down the street preparing sandwiches for these people. MANY of them are very rough and agressive, and since I have been held up at knifepoint and burglarized since moving here, I am understandably a little on edge with them. It would be great if we could help every one, or stop and shoot the breeze and offer help but we can't, and when we do it is often unappreciated or questioned. I can't give 100 bucks a week to the homeless because then I wouldn't make my rent, and I'd be right there with them.
I'd rather not have anyone wishing death upon someone's family or calling names in these comment posts, I think (to a point) you both were being sarcastic, but c'mon. You all are obviously cool people or you wouldn't be reading this.
I'm not taking anyone's side here, everyone made interesting points, but the effectiveness of those points is greatly lessened when name calling enters the picture. You fucking dipshits.
Tomorrow's post will be movie reviews. Hopefully, that'll calm things down a bit.
Aw, you know you like it. ;)
I don't know where you live in NY, but rarely do "I get verbally asked for
money a minimum of 50 times a week." Maybe a few times a week - but 50?
Where the hell do you live? And, I guess I haven't been noticing either,
but I don't think I've ever seen more than a handful of people with signs
asking for money in the 3 years I've lived here.
You are correct there, I meant to write 20, and it has been corrected. I
have not been to San Francisco, but I stand by my estimates. Three to five
times a day is about right. I will say if I go straight home after work, it
is much less, but if I'm out walking the city, it is relentless. I will
count this week. However, if you've only seen a handful of people with
signs in three years, you've got to start looking around a little more. The
streets are covered with them.
And thanks for the compliment.
Pat,
To clarify, I don't put the homeless and the steady stream of people lining
up to rob me in the same category, I was only using that as an explanation
as to why I'm a little on edge when someone jumps out of the shadows asking
for money, however pure their intentions may be.
I would love to read that book, but it sounds like more of a Saturday beach
read, and summer is over.
Is this Mike Curry?
I realize now it is Mike Jostedt. Hello, friend.
Pat, this is dumb move on to something else, people are homeless, they ask
for money, I give it to them all the time. I just had a guy last night
after the baseball game say that he likes white people, and that he watches
all the cars, during the games. Do I believe that he likes white people,
absolutely, do I believe that he watches the cars, yes I do believe that he
watches the cars to find one with it unlocked so he can take out all the
change in the ashtray. It was worth two dollars that I would spend on
scabbies medication.
LOL, Scabbies medication. That ain't cheap, y'know. Actually that sounds
like a great name for a heavy metal group.