The Street Beggar’s Philosophy

by Tina Grazier

Warning: excerpted material contains x-rated language

In my reading yesterday morning I came across an article by Heather MacDonald published in San Francisco’s “City Journal”. It’s about the young beggars who operate in cities up and down the west coast and who land in the Haight-Ashbury when in San Francisco. The city is considering a proposal to overturn their vagrancy laws, a move that if successful, will turn the sidewalks of the Haight into a legal “home” where these vagabonds can hang, sleep and beg. MacDonald describes their philosophy as she conducts informal interviews on the street. I realized that the way these kids think had a very familiar ring:

The defining characteristic of all these “travelers” seems to be an acute sense of entitlement. “If you can afford this shit on Haight Street, then goddamn, you can probably afford to kick down $20 [to a panhandler] and it won’t fucking hurt your wallet,” a smooth-faced blond boy from Spartanburg, South Carolina, defiantly tells the camera in The Haight Street Kids, a documentary by Stanford University’s art department. I ask the group on the blanket: Why should people give you money? “They got a dollar and I don’t,” Cory replies. Why don’t you work? “We do work,” retorts Eeyore. “I carry around this heavy backpack. We wake up at 7 AM and work all day. It’s hard work.” She’s referring to begging and drinking. She adds judiciously: “Okay, my liver hates me, but I like the idea of street performance. We’re trying to get a dollar for beer.” More specifically, they’re aiming for two Millers and a Colt 45 at the moment, explains Zombie. Aren’t you embarrassed to be begging? “I’m not begging, I’m just asking for money,” Cory says, seemingly convinced of the difference. How much do you make? “In San Francisco, you don’t get much–maybe $30 to $40 a day,” says Eeyore. “When you’re traveling, you can make about $100 on freeway off-ramps.” (emphasis mine)

The operative words here are, “They got a dollar and I don’t”. Street wisdom in a nutshell! A “what’s yours is mine” philosophy that boggles the mature adult mind. How did these young people become such empty vessels? What are the conditions that have left them exposed to such a worthless existence? Though freed from the responsibilities of becoming contributing members of society, they have trapped themselves in an aimless and pointless lifestyle with only booze or drugs to comfort them and give their lives purpose.

It strikes me that these kids are a symbol of their more sophisticated cousins who play a similar game and derive similar gratification wherein the reward is a false sense of making a difference. The illusion that serves as alcohol for the soul is that the less fortunate have been helped and society made better. These big government anti-capitalists swear by the same general philosophy as the street kids, although they express it in a much more sophisticated form and implement it in a much more official arena. It takes shape as legislation made into law and backed by the progressive tax code. Votes to impose these laws are won with assurances that alignment means we are a caring and compassionate society. The immoral underlying justification remains the same, however, “those with money should just hand it over!” The only difference between the leftist progressives among us and the street beggars of San Francisco is their method, a very high tone style of working the streets to spread the wealth around.

Japanese Proverb – It is a beggar’s pride that he is not a thief”

The sad reality for our nation is that we have become a nation of thieves pretending to be noble. In one way or another we have all placed our feet upon the beggar’s path through our participation and acceptance of bigger government and runaway social programs and spending. In our hearts we know this is not the best way to resolve problems. We know it does not work on either moral or fiscal grounds. Social programs have failed to uplift the poor or set them on a path to self-reliance. The safety net is full of holes and weak from overfilling and it has placed and ever increasing burden on future generations. We are sapping the spirits of our children and robbing our society of vibrancy, aliveness, and dignity.

There is little hope for societies built on entitlement. We recognize this truth immediately in witnessing the degraded lives of these street beggars. But if we have the ability to recognize it in them shouldn’t we also have the courage to admit it exists in ourselves and shouldn’t we vow transform this thinking? Shouldn’t we wish more for our children than a life that expects someone else to provide? There is a better way to raise our children. We can still teach future generations the value of self reliance and charitable giving. We can still show them that begging and taking from a neighbor to give to others is unethical and degrading. We can still teach them that our own well being is heightened and sustained when only the few are dependant and the majority responsible, contributing citizens.

It will take years to undo what we have done, providing it is even possible. The task goes well beyond showing up on voting day, although this is an important place to begin again each election cycle. The task will require years of dedication and vigilance and a commitment that reaches across the societal spectrum. The first place to begin is within. We must ask what we can do and say within our immediate families and communities to shift thinking toward self reliance and contribution. We must learn to speak up in our churches, schools and community organizations. We must press for legislation that responsibly reverses or reforms entitlement programs. We must create a tax structure that encourages savings and investment. We must press for better outcomes in our schools and we must create educational institutions that prepare our children for adulthood. We must embrace and adopt mores that focus on our shared national identity, that celebrate accomplishment and contribution, and that create equality of opportunity for all. We must return to inclusive standards of manners and decorum that focus on the golden rule, rather than special considerations and accommodations and above all we must stress the importance of personal responsibility.

Too long have we embraced the notion that anything goes in our society. It’s time to create a mature expectation for our children and it’s time to leave the street beggar’s entitlement philosophy behind as we begin a revival of the American can do spirit that made America a strong country and a wonderful place to live.