How do you treat a pan handler?

[almaty 19]

compassion is a vice to some people on vj

[chri'stina 190]

for my sweet compassionate Canadian sister.....dean

errr...that's the second time you've called me Canadian... now let me preface this with a "there is nothing wrong with being thought of as a Canadian....ahem", but Bro Dean, I'm no Canuck! LOL Not that there is anything wrong with that...

I'll take the flower though...

..sister fraces, i am such a chopf##k...

to my sweet british sister

strike two... pssst, hubster is a UKer... But fank you again for the posies.

[almaty 19]

for my sweet compassionate Canadian sister.....dean

errr...that's the second time you've called me Canadian... now let me preface this with a "there is nothing wrong with being thought of as a Canadian....ahem", but Bro Dean, I'm no Canuck! LOL Not that there is anything wrong with that...

I'll take the flower though...

..sister fraces, i am such a chopf##k...

to my sweet british sister

strike two... pssst, hubster is a UKer... But fank you again for the posies.

[Sister Fracas 5]

for my sweet compassionate Canadian sister.....dean

errr...that's the second time you've called me Canadian... now let me preface this with a "there is nothing wrong with being thought of as a Canadian....ahem", but Bro Dean, I'm no Canuck! LOL Not that there is anything wrong with that...

I'll take the flower though...

..sister fraces, i am such a chopf##k...

to my sweet british sister

strike two... pssst, hubster is a UKer... But fank you again for the posies.

isn't he cute....?

[chri'stina 190]

for my sweet compassionate Canadian sister.....dean

errr...that's the second time you've called me Canadian... now let me preface this with a "there is nothing wrong with being thought of as a Canadian....ahem", but Bro Dean, I'm no Canuck! LOL Not that there is anything wrong with that...

I'll take the flower though...

..sister fraces, i am such a chopf##k...

to my sweet british sister

strike two... pssst, hubster is a UKer... But fank you again for the posies.

isn't he cute....?

At first I thought he was jokingly calling you Canadian, like purposely spelling your name Fraces. Then I saw, nope he thinks she's Canadian! And then calling you british....

Sorry almaty I couldn't help giggling!

[mawilson 2,133]

I find it hard to believe, Marc, that you don't have anyone in your family that hasn't fallen on hard times.

Hard times? Sure.

Letting yourself go to the point of homelessness? No friggin' way.

I work for a homeless shelter. I also worked in a homeless shelter in London before I came here. I think you should go to a local shelter, volunteer a while, listen to their stories, see the men with mental illness, then tell them they have let themselves go.

I spoke to 20 or so bums in London a while back - I was genuinely interested

why they were homeless.

Some of them weren't even homeless - living in council housing.

Most of them were drug addicts.

Also, many of them had a criminal record at some point. One guy was only 19

and already had a criminal record with over 20 entries on everything ranging from

disorderly conduct to aggravated assault.

So yes, they have let themselves go. They are bums because they want to be bums.

And if they want to be bums, I'm not going to stand in their way.

[SteveLaura 0]

Most of them were drug addicts.

They are bums because they want to be bums.

Did they want to be drug addicts? You think they woke up one day and said, "I've got a great idea! I'm going to become addicted to something that will prevent me from working, put my health at serious risk, alienate me from my family and society, take all my money, put my housing in jeopardy and possibly lead me into crime. Brilliant!"

People make bad choices. No doubt about it. Give some dues for those trying to make things right. "They" are not all the same.

[mawilson 2,133]

Did they want to be drug addicts? You think they woke up one day and said, "I've got a great idea! I'm going to become addicted to something that will prevent me from working, put my health at serious risk, alienate me from my family and society, take all my money, put my housing in jeopardy and possibly lead me into crime. Brilliant!"

Definitely. They woke up one day and said, "I've got a great idea! Let's get high and to hell with the consequences!"

Bad choices? Give me a break. Everyone knows drugs are addictive and cause all those things you said.

[SteveLaura 0]

Never made any bad choices? Never done anything bad for you? Never thought, $hit, this isn't gonna be a problem for me?

I see people every day trying to rid themselves of the hell they put themselves and their family through. Trying to make right for the sometimes cocky and, yes, bad decisions they made. They're struggling with it. You think we should just toss them aside for that?

[Marilyn. 340]

they might now the drugs are addictive but they probably think they won't get addicted...

and that is not to say that all the homeless people are drug addicts...

i hate it when people lump everyone together....

[Chica Yeyé 41]

brother almaty,

Your story is indeed touching. I knew you were a real man, now this doubles my opinion. and yes, compassionate people do exist in VJ.

thanks for the inspiration!

L.

[almaty 19]

for my sweet compassionate Canadian sister.....dean

errr...that's the second time you've called me Canadian... now let me preface this with a "there is nothing wrong with being thought of as a Canadian....ahem", but Bro Dean, I'm no Canuck! LOL Not that there is anything wrong with that...

I'll take the flower though...

..sister fraces, i am such a chopf##k...

to my sweet british sister

strike two... pssst, hubster is a UKer... But fank you again for the posies.

isn't he cute....?

At first I thought he was jokingly calling you Canadian, like purposely spelling your name Fraces. Then I saw, nope he thinks she's Canadian! And then calling you british....

Sorry almaty I couldn't help giggling!

that okay sister stina.....

[Caladan 19]

Did they want to be drug addicts? You think they woke up one day and said, "I've got a great idea! I'm going to become addicted to something that will prevent me from working, put my health at serious risk, alienate me from my family and society, take all my money, put my housing in jeopardy and possibly lead me into crime. Brilliant!"

Definitely. They woke up one day and said, "I've got a great idea! Let's get high and to hell with the consequences!"

Bad choices? Give me a break. Everyone knows drugs are addictive and cause all those things you said.

But the bad consequences don't always follow. E.g., you can use cocaine and grow up to run any number of things up to and including the country, if you're well off to begin with and stay out of legal trouble, and, and here's the kicker, the drugs don't aggravate an underlying medical condition like a tendency towards schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (as has happened to a couple of my students. They're okay, though, because their parents can pay for treatment.)

And, what's the stat? The average drug user is a white suburban middle-class housewife in her forties addicted to painkillers? It's not so much 'get high and to hell with the consequences' but more 'get high and quite a lot of the time the only bad consequences are some cool stories to tell.'

Plus, the number of homeless who are mentally ill is non-negligible. Someone with unmedicated schizophrenia isn't going to be able hold down a job, and if their family isn't there as backup, they're probably not making the rent either.

[almaty 19]

brother almaty,

Your story is indeed touching. I knew you were a real man, now this doubles my opinion. and yes, compassionate people do exist in VJ.

thanks for the inspiration!

L.

thank you for your kind words sister len...

Did they want to be drug addicts? You think they woke up one day and said, "I've got a great idea! I'm going to become addicted to something that will prevent me from working, put my health at serious risk, alienate me from my family and society, take all my money, put my housing in jeopardy and possibly lead me into crime. Brilliant!"

Definitely. They woke up one day and said, "I've got a great idea! Let's get high and to hell with the consequences!"

Bad choices? Give me a break. Everyone knows drugs are addictive and cause all those things you said.

But the bad consequences don't always follow. E.g., you can use cocaine and grow up to run any number of things up to and including the country, if you're well off to begin with and stay out of legal trouble, and, and here's the kicker, the drugs don't aggravate an underlying medical condition like a tendency towards schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (as has happened to a couple of my students. They're okay, though, because their parents can pay for treatment.)

And, what's the stat? The average drug user is a white suburban middle-class housewife in her forties addicted to painkillers? It's not so much 'get high and to hell with the consequences' but more 'get high and quite a lot of the time the only bad consequences are some cool stories to tell.'

Plus, the number of homeless who are mentally ill is non-negligible. Someone with unmedicated schizophrenia isn't going to be able hold down a job, and if their family isn't there as backup, they're probably not making the rent either.

agreed..allot of people have a genetic code that leads to addiction more quickly..take American Indians...and there also, in America..that alcohol and certain drug addiction has a pshysical component..therefore., diagnosed as a disease...

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Reading some of these threads lately I nominate Kill the Poor by the Dead Kennedys as the VJ theme song