I live in Minneapolis. We have a noticeable yet small amount of homeless people here. And they all hang on out on the same street -- Nicollet Mall -- because that’s where it’s legal to do so. This main thoroughfare is pretty much unavoidable if you go downtown. So everytime I take Harriet (my powerchair) out for a spin down on said street, I encounter these folks. And, of course, they ask me, just like anyone else, for money.
Here comes the “deep” part. Everytime this uncomfortable interpersonal communication happens, I always think same thing: Is it wrong for someone with a physical prowess much more able than mine to ask mine to ask me for money? Is it somehow ethically wrong on some level for someone who’s able-bodied, essentially someone who has access to a lot more jobs than me, ask me for money? They could do anything, wait tables, wash cars, strip at bars, etc etc, and me, I can do phone/PC/people work. That’s it.
I realize they could have a mental disability that is much more debilitating that my paralysis. No question. And I probably do have more money than all of the homeless people who cross my path. But does any truly believable excuse exist that makes it ok for someone who can walk ask someone who can’t, for money? I dunno. Also, am I thinking too hard about this?
Last year, there was this homeless guy, a Vietnam vet, who laid his sign down when I passed by, silently telling me he wasn’t interest in my money. I was fascinated by his behavior. I looked back after I passed and sure enough, he had instantly out his sign back up once I was gone.
What’s your opinion on all of this? Does the wheelchair even matter?
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