I like to think of myself as a compassionate individual, someone who is able to show empathy for others, however, there is a question that really bewilders me. Is begging a respectable trade? Why would I ask such a question you might think? To that I have no clear answer, but even more questions, questions that easily could be raised as a response to the first.
Our world is not a perfect place, although someone would argue that Norway is fairly close, it is for the most of us far from the truth. I live in Bergen with approx. 250 000 inhabitants, a fairly big city in Norwegian terms, which is a city like any other city with its pros and cons, mostly pros mind you. That said, in these global days no one can protect themselves against everything, hence, we all tend to have the same challenges, although with a different scale. Having the same challenges we usually adopt the same “medicine” to meet and fix them. However, little is, in my ignorant mind, done to think new and “out of the box”.
Take the drug policies. Recently politicians, with the help of the media, put heroine as medicine for long-term drug addicts on the agenda. The idea basically was that long-term drug addicts would be better off if they could use heroine legally and in controlled forms, thus functioning and contributing to the society once more. Needless to say you have heard it before, and whether or not one agrees with such a policy or not, it does not change the fact that people with tougher challenges than you and I (taking that you live a so called “normal life”) need more than just a legalization of drugs in the name of medicine. Hence, one thing is the drug policies, another thing is what you do to get people back on their feet, and this is where my question should be answered by our “beloved” politicians: Can begging become a respectable trade?
Begging comes in many forms, however, I will refer to Wikipedia and say that Begging or panhandling is to request a donation in a supplicating manner. Beggars are commonly found in public places, such as street corners or public transport, where they request money such as spare change. They may use cups, boxes or hats to receive the donations [Wikipedia].
To further expand this I would like to add street newspapers (or street papers) or magazines that are sold by homeless or poor individuals and produced mainly to support these populations.[Wikipedia].
Now you may ask yourself; selling street newspapers is not the same as begging as they are actually selling something the public is in demand for. In demand is of course the essence and main motivation for selling something in the first place, however, that is not what I am questioning. What I am questioning is whether or not the way that street newspapers are being sold is similar to begging, and whether or not that way of “helping” someone, with enough challenges in their life already, is just another way of asking them to beg for money.
In my humble opinion I would argue, how much the thought may disgust anyone (including myself), that selling or pushing street newspapers is another form of begging. There are many times I have thought that people with such challenges would be better of if they would be protected against societies harsh reality and coldness. Ask yourself the following question; When did you last buy a street newspaper because you felt you had to out of pity for the person selling it? If the answer is Yes, I truly believe you should have politely said No.
The first, and last time, I bought our street magazine in Bergen (Megafon) I said to myself … hey, you just spent money on something you did not need or wanted to read just because you felt sorry for the guy selling the magazine in the first place. I felt I had to do it … it was my duty as a fellow citizen to support this guy, even though I felt he was begging me to buy it because he needed the money. I did not really care about the magazine so I could have just given him the money, but that would be treating him as a beggar and not as a respected fellow citizen selling me a much sought after magazine. Mind you, a lot of people buy the magazine because they find it interesting which is all good.
However, I would argue that magazines such as Megafon, no matter how good their intentions are, would be better off if they distributed and sold their magazines differently and spent their earnings on something that would integrate “their sellers” into society without being stigmatized by people like me.
Megafon ønsker på denne måten å gi medmennesker en mulighet til å skaffe seg en inntekt på en verdig måte. En måte som bidrar til å øke selvbildet, og som gjør at de kan føle seg som en del av noe større. Ved å kjøpe dette magasinet støtter du dette arbeidet.
[Megafon]
The above reference can be loosely translated into: Megafon wishes, by selling street magazines, to give fellow citizens an opportunity to make an income in a worthy manner. A way that contributes to increase their self respect, and that will make them feel as part of something greater. By buying Megafon you will be supporting this task.
To be honest, I do not think selling street magazines is a way to make an income, and at the same time keep your dignity. I am not blaming Megafon for doing anything wrong, because their intentions are good and honorable. The problem is that Megafon exists because the rest of us (aka society) could not care less about what happens to their next door neighbour. Hence, buying a magazine kind of clears my conscience … or?
I wonder why people that spend most of their lives going in and out of government institutions such as hospitals and clinics are not integrated back into society where they can make a difference. So, why are we not able to give our troubled friends something more, something that would give them their much needed self respect and sense of dignity? Why are we so cold hearted that we cannot give people something worth while to do, except selling street magazines that is? Something decent, something that would see them through and get them on track? Since when was a beggar unable to do more than selling a magazine?
To set the record straight; I for one do not want to buy a street magazine just to be able to brag about in front of my next door neighbour and say … “hey, I support this magazine because I care!”. I believe we as a society should be able to do more, and not just expect that a few good souls like the people running Megafon will fix all our “problems”. They should not be alone in taking the responsibility!
Not wanting to let the topic go I also told my wife, and after getting home I came to think of a smart thing … Garbage Collection! Why are we not doing garbage collection! Now you think; we are doing garbage collection. The municipality of Bergen is already investing heavily in garbage collecton and renovation as it is; however, this is where computer geeks meet everyday needs, and not just wishful needs such as iPhone (aka iPhawn).