# "The 'Professional Homeless' make me rage"



## wizehop (Oct 6, 2014)

Came across this thread on Reddit today while wasting time. To many comments to copy and paste so click the link

http://www.reddit.com/r/rage/comments/2igkip/the_professional_homeless_make_me_rage/

Thoughts?


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## scummy1990 (Oct 6, 2014)

Aren't we all professional homeless isn't definition of professional getting paid for something?


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## Kim Chee (Oct 6, 2014)

Screams more like "I'm lazy and entitled" than "I'm poor and would appreciate a meal."


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## scummy1990 (Oct 6, 2014)

I really have no problem whatever u gotta do to hustle money whether u come from a more privileged background or not


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## Jef138 (Oct 6, 2014)

There were some good comments but whoever started that thread is an idiot. If we were to assume that person was "professionally homeless." Who cares. Being economically destroyed is not the only reason to be homeless (something that most of the narrow minded capitalist think). Some do it out of protest, lifestyle and etc. If a homeless person flys a sign under whatever circumstance and you don't like it, don't give em money. If they're hanging outside of your favorite restaurant and you expect law enforcement to give em the boot off of public property, well not only are you a capitalist asshole, you're also fascists.


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## TheWindAndRain (Oct 6, 2014)

I dont have a problem with it other than that Kind of blatant behavior desensitizrs people and makes it less profitable. Probably thereason i have such a difficult time just spanging up enough for bus fair in portland


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## skitter (Oct 6, 2014)

I don't use them when we are flying signs OBVIOUSLY but it sucks that I occasionally feel a pang of guilt over using my nintendo ds, or my outmoded smart phone. Shit I paid for, take care of, and enjoy. Like people judging me because I didnt pawn my electronic crap for crack rocks or I am not allowed to have something fun to do that isnt spending my money on booze 24/7... cos I sleep outside.

You try keeping this shit dry, charged, and functioning through a week of rain!!

2


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## Jef138 (Oct 7, 2014)

TheWindAndRain said:


> I dont have a problem with it other than that Kind of blatant behavior desensitizrs people and makes it less profitable. Probably thereason i have such a difficult time just spanging up enough for bus fair in portland


 
Sorry to hear about that... Yeah I wish people knew that spanging, busking, or whatever hustle way one might make money on the streets is harder than the majority of the coporate jobs out there.


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## Tude (Oct 7, 2014)

sigh, looks like people came out of the woodwork to tell their story of when they had someone try and beg from them.


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## Skit (Oct 7, 2014)

Jef138 said:


> There were some good comments but whoever started that thread is an idiot. If we were to assume that person was "professionally homeless." Who cares. Being economically destroyed is not the only reason to be homeless (something that most of the narrow minded capitalist think). Some do it out of protest, lifestyle and etc. If a homeless person flys a sign under whatever circumstance and you don't like it, don't give em money. If they're hanging outside of your favorite restaurant and you expect law enforcement to give em the boot off of public property, well not only are you a capitalist asshole, you're also fascists.



The real problem here is that these people can potentially kill sympathy for the homeless people who actually NEED help. If you find out that you've been giving money to someone who is nowhere near needing it then you would be less likely to give it to others in the future. Likewise, junkies give spangers a bad name as well because I've seen those bastards follow people and bother them more times than I have fingers and toes. Asking for money should only be done as an emergency/last resort type thing.


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## Kim Chee (Oct 7, 2014)

Reddit: Where karma is king and a buncha housies are gettin' ready to become street dwellers. 

I see a several commenters who'll need to give something daily to the real homeless to ward off the bad karma generated.


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## Raskolnikov (Oct 7, 2014)

I'm don't know why everyone is so sure this is a 'professional homeless' person. Could just be a student or maybe someone protesting - they are carrying a sign that says 'All you need is love'.


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## Tude (Oct 7, 2014)

Raskolnikov said:


> I'm don't know why everyone is so sure this is a 'professional homeless' person. Could just be a student or maybe someone protesting - they are carrying a sign that says 'All you need is love'.



Or it might be just a canned photo - but one carefully chosen to illustrate the rager's points of the nicer clothes and phone


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## Kim Chee (Oct 7, 2014)

Raskolnikov said:


> I'm not sure why everyone is so sure this is a 'professional homeless' person. Could just be a student or maybe someone protesting - they are carrying a sign that says 'All you need is love'.



Sure, the faceless picture could be a doctor, attorney or other good wage earner who isn't homeless at all. Even so, the professional homeless do exist and it wouldn't be difficult to find more examples. The post has very little to do with the person in the image and more to do with a nice smartphone, nice clean clothes, a freshly showered body and what looks like a Bose music player of some sort. The things in the image require money, upkeep and probably shelter if they are to remain in that condition very long.


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## Dameon (Oct 7, 2014)

It's entirely possible that pic was staged. But really, some people just don't realize we've reached an era where even homebums have smartphones because they're ubiquitous, cheap, and people just give them away. Not to mention supremely useful when you're homeless. Some people just assume that if you possess anything more valuable than a shopping cart full of useless crap you should be selling it for a meal.


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## Raskolnikov (Oct 7, 2014)

Dameon said:


> It's entirely possible that pic was staged. But really, some people just don't realize we've reached an era where even homebums have smartphones because they're ubiquitous, cheap, and people just give them away. Not to mention supremely useful when you're homeless. Some people just assume that if you possess anything more valuable than a shopping cart full of useless crap you should be selling it for a meal.



Agreed on the smartphone bit, but why do they have a $300 bose speaker?


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## Dameon (Oct 7, 2014)

Because the photo was staged?

Although it could still have been a kickdown, or stolen, or from before going homeless, or even dumpster dived. Judging from the stuff they've got in the picture, they're not even homeless. If I saw that person in real life, I'd think "another oogle that ran away from home because they didn't want to do chores and thinks being homeless is cool."

Really, what all this ignores is that person is not the majority of homeless people you see. The huge majority are visibly mentally or physically ill, and their possessions consist mostly of nondescript lumps in garbage bags. One asshole who doesn't need the money flying a sign for fun doesn't invalidate millions who actually need help.


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## sucuri (Oct 7, 2014)

It's pretty easy to posses a $400 smartphone, a lot harder to pay a $900 rent each month. You think if I got evicted I would just leave my valubles in the apartment for the landlord? 

The photo is definitly staged, also. But that's besides the point.


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## Kim Chee (Oct 7, 2014)

Thanks, @wizehop. This is good.



Raskolnikov said:


> Agreed on the smartphone bit, but why do they have a $300 bose speaker?



Often, people who are new to houselessness bring their belongings that they think are important only considering that they paid good money for them or that they can't replace them easily later. 

I'm not making excuses for anybody who is faking homelessness, they are leaning on the financially weak.


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## Matt Derrick (Oct 7, 2014)

i definitely hate these people that are like "omg, i hate these people that ask me for money", but at the same time, they have some legitimate gripes. most of the valid complaints (in my opinion) revolve around sudo-homeless that spange for beer money every day. they're basically taking money out of the hands of the real homeless that have legitimate problems like mental illness, drug addiction, destitution, etc.

i know there's going to be a ton of kids pissing all over me cause they "don't want to participate in the system" or whatever (i know because i was one of them), but there's all kinds of things you can do to make money and not "sell out" and still travel and have a good time. you don't have to be a leech to have a good time.

i've been under the opinion for a long time now, that we need to discourage ooglish-spanging (ooglanging?) as a community. now that means, not saying "hey you can't do that" because, we all have needed to do that at some point or another. but rather just calling out people for being fucking lazy and asking the general public to support their booze habit (that isn't even a habit (like alcoholics), they just do it for fun). people need to be a little more responsible and see the big picture around them rather than just be concerned about themselves.

as for the iphone thing, the general public needs to realize that we live in the most privileged country on the fucking earth. the fact that homeless people have any of these things is just a sign of the times. like daemeon said, they're cheap, even free, and the internet is so pervasive in our lives that it's practically up there with other base needs like food, water, and shelter. if you want to get a job and _get off_ the streets, you _need _a phone, and you _need _the internet to find and get a job.

and just like others have said, we're not in a third world country, and we should be able to have a few nice things without being fucking shamed about it. even a nintendo ds isn't that fucking luxurious, it's a game system that came out like 7 years ago (and retails for about 50 bucks used).

overall i hate people that pass all kinds of judgement on others because they're committing the crime of not having a box surrounding them and their stuff.


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## Odin (Oct 7, 2014)

I've kicked down maybe half a dozen times in the last year. And every time It has been someone I visually thought really needed it. (everyone I have seen flying a sign around looks like they need it here... ) So in that respect I suppose I may be guilty of stereotyping who I believe deserves the kickdown. Then again I work... and if you didn't see the beater car I drive but just saw me walking and the way I dress you would think I'm a major homebum. I guess it might be good for a person to just help those that ask sometimes because they ask and not jump quick to judge. You might need some bussfare and just be a kid from some privileged place with an iphone and clean clothes but that does not change the fact that you need help. 

I don't think on it much really. I just kickdown when I kickdown. I would hope to get the same if I ever need it.


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## wizehop (Oct 7, 2014)

The only gripe I ever had was when I was volunteering at a local soup kitchen back in the day. A lot of the people I gave food too on a daily basis were right before and after eating spanging on the street. Not a block away, saying they needed money for food. Food in most places is remarkably easy to come by. So in a way a lot of times its a straight up lie..even for the real down and outers.


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## professorjpj (Oct 7, 2014)

There is a MAJOR difference between homelessness, and being a fcking BUM!! Homeless DON'T beg, or lower themselves.. they keep their dignity and find other ways to get by without begging, signing, etc.. BUMS dont give a shit, and beg, borrow, steal, and sell their own mother if needed! Big difference between the 2 types!! Unfortunately, portland is FULL of BUMS!


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## skitter (Oct 7, 2014)

Ehhh we gonna play semantics now? I don't buy those definitions. I busk and spange and fly signs but I am also constantly on the move, so I guess I feel a little morally superior to the homebum sitting on the same corner for fifteen years bitching "this is my spot!!"

Go somewhere in an offseason, let's say NYC... You'll see kids all decked out in punk rock train crap or carrharts or whatever the hell who *never fucking leave*. Bums, all of 'em!! 
I lovingly poke fun at friends who get trapped in the "West Coast Shuffle"... Go from Washington to Oregon to California to Oregon to California, stay in California, maaaaybe end up in Nevada for a moment, back to California, go to Oregon, go to Washington, wash, rinse, repeat.

(..........i am totally homesick for the east coast... and I am not even from there, haha).

Your post has a touch of hyperbole. Steal and sell my own mother cause I flew a sign? Damn. We're all kind of in the same boat anyway.
I would say a bum never. fucking. leaves. As in a homebum. As in burn out good fly spots and sleep spots with your greed and rampant wastoid alcoholism.

Honestly unless you are gonna spange me over and over or be a fucking creep, I don't care if youre a homebum. I have met some decent homebums. I have gotten great help from homebums. I don't care. If bums want to post up in Portland or San Francisco for freaking ever, thats cool, cause its just better pickins for those of us that get our happy asses up and out of the same routine.

Sorry if that comes off as self-righteous... We are posting on a forum after all. Some of my most beloved friends never fucking leave places and as long as they are happy then that is okay with me.

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## professorjpj (Oct 7, 2014)

I only write what I see.. Since I am very "anti low-life", I guess I have a strong opinion about them.. And yes, I also speak from experiences.. Ive been homeless MOST of my life, with no income, and yet I survive without begging, without alcohol or drugs, and I keep my looks clean as well as my clothes.. So yes, Im homeless, but no, I am NOT a bum or low-life.. However, most are!! And yes, that's my opinion...


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## spectacular (Oct 7, 2014)

people on the street need to be starving filthy and insane to deserve donations. no ipod. no soap. no cell phone.


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## spectacular (Oct 7, 2014)

skitter said:


> Ehhh we gonna play semantics now? I don't buy those definitions. I busk and spange and fly signs but I am also constantly on the move, so I guess I feel a little morally superior to the homebum sitting on the same corner for fifteen years bitching "this is my spot!!"
> 
> Go somewhere in an offseason, let's say NYC... You'll see kids all decked out in punk rock train crap or carrharts or whatever the hell who *never fucking leave*. Bums, all of 'em!!
> I lovingly poke fun at friends who get trapped in the "West Coast Shuffle"... Go from Washington to Oregon to California to Oregon to California, stay in California, maaaaybe end up in Nevada for a moment, back to California, go to Oregon, go to Washington, wash, rinse, repeat.
> ...


how's sparks, still there?


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## Odin (Oct 7, 2014)

bizzolizzo said:


> people on the street need to be starving filthy and insane to deserve donations. no ipod. no soap. no cell phone.



I'm filthy and insane... and when I'm to dim to feed myself.... I starve. (good reason to find a good woman).... :ompus::
I'll give you soap... and a smart phone...(mebbe... it might just have txt)... and if you want music... I'll blow on a jug for ya.::cat::

if you pull on my heartstrings and I don't catch on to a scam.... I'll prolly help ya. ::woot::
No reason to regret it. Some day I'll be eating drit too. ::drinkingbuddy::


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## professorjpj (Oct 8, 2014)

bizzolizzo said:


> people on the street need to be starving filthy and insane to deserve donations. no ipod. no soap. no cell phone.


 Nope.. I just see no point in begging.. Besides reducing your self-esteem even further and making others uncomfortable.. Whats wrong with collecting cans? Or labor pools? Or selling something homemade instead of begging? Hell, break open a parking meter if your that desperate(id actually have MORE respect for people doing this, it takes WORK to steal).. hehe


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## Odin (Oct 8, 2014)

And it takes strength humility and honor to ask for help. Don't think everyone that's willing to give you a helping hand has an agenda or is gonna shaft ya. 
I'll bleed to feed ya. ~ said the homeless hermit.


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## Odin (Oct 8, 2014)

And if you want to sing me a song for your dinner... easy peasy... I'll keep time with my chopsticks.


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## Odin (Oct 8, 2014)

But first... lets have a sip of this rotgut. :ldman::


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## NomadicHobo (Oct 8, 2014)

.


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## creature (Oct 8, 2014)

you know...
seems to me that there are two things that suck..

the first is that people who want to exist at a minimalist level really don't have much in the way of options or choices..

generally speaking (please note the conditional there, because yes, if you want play lawyer, i imagine you could create some theoretical scenarios where the following are possible, but only in an absolutely bullshit context) it's illegal to or impossible to forage, at will, or to hunt, at will..
illegal to ride a horse across what used to be open plains, camp for more than 14 days upon what should be productive lands for people to use as resources for self-subsistence, etc.

that means that folks who would prefer that type of lifestyle, where they extract only so much as they need for daily existence, have no means to do so, except in the context of the existing... cough.. cough.. uhhgh.. barfff... uhg.. "rule of law"...

where the *fuck* can people go to work 2 or 3 days a week, asking fo no more than a place to pitch a tent without harassment, a place to defecate & a place to wash..

all it takes for a person to earn their way is about 15-20 hours of work per week.

the law, however, mandates that if certain economic criteria are not met, an individual can be punished.
at the same time the law does not guarantee that the opportunities to meet those requirements will be available.

it takes about 15 hours of work a week to provide the minimum necessities for existence, so long as an individual uses a portable shelter & the majority of their earnings for subsistence.
At $10 per hour, that is $400 take home per month (& the 200 in taxes should provide a reasonable place to crap & shower, like, say Planet Fitness, at $20 per mo or less) , and I know for a fact that I can live easily on $400 for food.
That's just 2 fucking days a week, basically, at a reasonable minimum wage..

if society wants to get the homeless off the streets, then give them an opportunity to earn & remain at least clean, so that those of us who are down with doing a little work & moving on can do so without fear of reprisal from the industrial police state.

that being said, i have little patience for people who don't *do* anything with the generosity given between those like us & those whom are not..

if someone throws down for you?

Go!! explore!! see good things.. enjoy...

but christ jesus fuck.. be honest & be fucking real & do as much for yourself as you can...

do *not* be a fucking leech..

a lot of people who *would* work wind up on soup lines & stagnant not because they *want* to, or even because they are overly lazy, but simply because the opportunity to provide for themselves does not exist..

i didn't ask to be born in this fucking civilization, & frankly?

well.. we all know what frankly is..

this civilization is a shithole that kills people whom do not conform to it.

& *it* deserves to fucking die.

sooo...

you get a bunch of people who don't do anything, because they *can't* do anything...

day labor is not easy to find, & just getting to it can be a bitch, *plus* the prerequisites just to get a fucking day job mean you are fucked to begin with..

it's all fucking absurd...

i have a *lot* of respect for buskers & street musicians...

there's a lot more that could be said, but basically?

if you don't work when you *can* work, to pull your weight when you *can* pull your weight?

fuck you.. 

go crawl & die with the fucking lawyers & the cops, because you are exactly that kind of scum & you need to figure it out *before* you become one of the poor assholes who blew their life away & really *do* need the pity & resources, because you have thrown yourselves into an early death of destitution, uselessness & pain... 

y'all know who you are & who you aren't, & if you don't, it's because you don't want to.

my advise is that people stay clean, keep a smile & ask for work, instead of a handout.
you might find that folks who will give you a day job will give you more than money..

it sucks that day work is such a bitch to find.. if it wasn't, there would be a fuck of a lot less "homelessness", because most folks on the road *welcome* good work, so far as i can tell..

& folks that want to stay in an area would probably day labor, if they could throw a damn tent, safely...

anyways..

bitch bitch bitc, ramble ramble ramble, rant rant rant...


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## professorjpj (Oct 8, 2014)

Good Point!! I actually would work, but no one would even hire me to scoop dogshit, so I don't! Makes sense to me..


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## wizehop (Oct 9, 2014)

Ya the government cant have free people, it fucks the system. It was pretty blatant up here in Canada when the British came in. The government and their henchmen the RCMP, went out and wrangled up all the nomadic hunters like the Inuit and forced them to live in towns, dress and live like the British, work and contribute to the economy. Basically take away everything they where.
In other parts, in order to claim some of the northern lands over Russia, they shipped people way up North and left them there to fend against the harsh elements, and on top of it all they told them they could only hunt one caribou per family per fucking year. Most of what people think "Eskimos" are, was created. They Intuit never lived way up there...but that leads to a whole other thing.
Trust me, if history (and this is recent history, as early as the 1950's this was going on) shows us anything, were just pawns in corporate games. Most people don't even realise our Provinces and States are corporations. Ontario, where I'm at was started by "The Hudson's Bay Company" which was a British fir trading company. This isn't some land started by the people and run by the people.

All that being said, it doesn't necessarily mean that any one living off the grid or outside the machine is justified in the act. If you fly a sign saying your broke and cant get food, but you have an expensive phone which many hard working people cant afford, and your dressed and eating pretty good, and your managing to get drunk and stoned every night off of hard working peoples donations. I don't think your any better than the governments who rip people off. Its the same action on a personal scale, its selfish.

The majority of kids who claim their hard done by in north America are full of shit, plane and simple. I've been to many developing countries, and Ill tell you there's a huge difference between the kids who really are struggling to survive and the kids who chose it and bitch like whiny little fucks about the system, like its the reason their on the street.

If your not making an effort to survive or contribute to the society your begging from, then you don't really deserve a kick down. Kids are way to entitled these days. Fucking the other month I go to get a coffee and there are these two street kids chilling in the coffee shop. I get my coffee and as soon as I get my change one of them asks me if they can have it for food.
I look up at him and I tell him there is the Shepherd of good hope, the salvation army, and the Mission near by. All three have good food and I've eaten there many times. His response, "I'm sick of their fucking food". The cunt actually raised his voice at me. Its skids like these man...and I hate to say it but they are the majority.
Just as slimy as the governments they hate. Their like lazy mini governments who will never get anywhere. At least governments offer a reach around from time to time to create the illusion that its a dual venture.


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## Raven1998 (Oct 13, 2014)

Ive always been really anti spange. 

I dont believe in anything absolute so obviously there are some times where it is probably the right thing or the thing you need to do but for the most part I am not about it.

I dont understand why, especially people who are trying to escape or live outside of the money and capitol exchange, think it should just be given to them for nothing. Especially young able body traveler kids. Its so easy to stand on the corner and ask for money and it pays pretty well but i think its just a lazy way to get by.

I never understood why peeps say they need money for food or even beer. To me this means theres still a huge disconnect from what these people think they need. They need money because money gets them food. Fuck money, You dont need the money! Why would i give out money to buy food, Im down to give people food. Ive got ebt and I know you can eat free everyday somewhere here in the east bay. We all need to be deemphasizing the role money has in acquiring resources and necessities.


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## Art101 (Oct 14, 2014)

Is there a pic of the front of the sign? I guess my take on it is that when I became homeless there weren't cellphones easily available, so it never was important. I survived just fine then. If I needed money there was day labor around. the main issue I have is (for example when I was in Boise) the renting of street corners or prime spots, the attitude of you owe me your money and the general crappy attitude that seems much more prevalent today then there was say 5 years ago. Just my 2 cents for whatever it was worth.


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## Xan (Oct 17, 2014)

this is the funniest shit. I've probably seen Dave.


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## Johnny P (Oct 21, 2014)

I'm a professional. I will fly signs when I'm passing through town, make some money, resupply and then leave. It's not up to you to judge weather I'm right or wrong...if you don't like it...don't give me money.

Will I work? Of course I will, if there is an opportunity to do so.
Will I busk? Of course, if there is a good venue for such. 

Flying a sign makes way more money per hour than working or busking...yes I am living off of the kindness of others, ut I have respect. I go up to the corner expecting NOTHING, and every kick down should be treated as a blessing. 

Only God/The Universe or whatever you want to call it can judge me...

It is the oogles and homebum kids that sit in the same spot for weeks on end holding a "Traveling, Broke, Hungry" sign. "Bitch you ain't traveling anywhere but from that spot on the sidewalk to the beer store and then maybe to the shitty doorway you sleep in. 

I'm a tramp and I beg, but I definitely ain't no Bum


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## Johnny P (Oct 21, 2014)

Oh yeah, and these days I'm usually just holding a sign that says "SMILE" and then just stand there and try to get all the sour puss faced people in their cars to smile. It's fun and can uplift your spirits. Getting on a corner with a cardboard sign can be extremely humbling in my opinion. Never had any luck holding a sign asking for work. When I'm holding a "Looking for Work" sign I never get any work or any money. Then where does that leave me.


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## daveycrockett (Oct 26, 2014)

scummy1990 said:


> Aren't we all professional homeless isn't definition of professional getting paid for something?


no its not the definition dummy...pro means pro get it right....


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## Odin (Oct 26, 2014)

pro·fes·sion·al
prəˈfeSH(ə)n(ə)l/
_adjective_
adjective: *professional*

*1*.
of, relating to, or connected with a profession.
"young professional people"
synonyms: white-collar, nonmanual
"people in professional occupations"
antonyms: blue-collar
*2*.
(of a person) engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.
"a professional boxer"
synonyms: paid, salaried
"a professional rugby player"
antonyms: amateur
having or showing the skill appropriate to a professional person; competent or skillful.
"their music is both memorable and professional"
synonyms: expert, accomplished, skillful, masterly, masterful, fine, polished, skilled, proficient, competent, able, experienced, practiced, trained, seasoned, businesslike, deft;More
_informal_ace, crack, top-notch
"a thoroughly professional performance"
antonyms: amateurish
worthy of or appropriate to a professional person.
"his professional expertise"
informalderogatory
denoting a person who persistently makes a feature of a particular activity or attribute.
"a professional naysayer"

_noun_
noun: *professional*; plural noun: *professionals
1*.
a person engaged or qualified in a profession.
"professionals such as lawyers and surveyors"
synonyms: white-collar worker, office worker
"affluent young professionals"
antonyms: blue-collar worker

a person engaged in a specified activity, especially a sport or branch of the performing arts, as a main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.
synonyms: professional player, paid player, salaried player;
_informal_pro
"his first season as a professional"
antonyms: amateur
a person competent or skilled in a particular activity.
"she was a real professional on stage"
synonyms: expert, virtuoso, old hand, master, maestro, past master;More
_informal_pro, ace, wizard, whiz, hotshot, maven, crackerjack
"she was a real professional on stage"
antonyms: amateur


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## skitter (Oct 26, 2014)

If you wanna get down to the nuts and bolts of it, the term "professional homeless" is a gat dang compliment. If you are able to get by, not getting arrested, not starving to death, etc etc etc cos you aint no AMATEUR then sure.

Posting this from the phone I didnt want to pawn for ten bucks... suckaz. 

That whole thread turned into "one time an asshole spanged me!" stories and if you want to let one experience with one person color your whole perception of an entire group of people you sound pretty dumb to me.

imagine if you met one bar-cruising financial bro asshole in the east village and then assumed all of new york was like that.
Dumb.


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## Desperado Deluxe (Oct 27, 2014)

I find myself in a similar predicament. Once you've been travelling for a while its hard to switch back to a "conventional" way of life. Its almost as if travelling is a career. Its hard to live a normal life after travelling for an extended period of time due to not having a normal job for a long period of time, criminal record, etc. But I wouldn't trade my experiences for the world. And unfortunately I have a lot of resentment towards other people because if we all lived more autonomously we would be in better shape as a societal whole. But due to the way our society is we all probably wouldn't have the opportunity to live this way. So double edge of the sword.


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## ancienttoes (Dec 3, 2014)

I have never spanged. I try not to use money at all. In the book Evasion, it talked about the courage to take from the real hoarders and how the donators of spangers are usually of the lower economic class. But I've never stolen either. But sometimes you need to dependent on the situation. I try to find places that have work and save up. I also think thought that it could be told that spanging does provide a service because it is connecting people to humanity and giving back and giving them another reason to feel good about themselves. If I spanged, I would maybe try to give them something in exchange. Like you can dumpster little things and say gets something in my grab bag for something from your pocket since I don't know if the sign can straight out ask for money but that's just cuz I see anything helps and haven't seen please give money. I might also write something radical too that gives the people something to think about outside of the mainstream culture to connect that you actually believe in something and if it's a choice, not pretending it isn't a choice and give them a reason why maybe they might want to think or live outside the box. Or just to connect on some level. Or say everyone meet at this place at 7 pm and have a party. Spare change and I will give you my number and talk to you. Just creative stuff. Using the public forum to engage people and make connections with people, rather than just utilitarian need of what you want from them. I say this in no judgement of regular spanging or people who do it. I think everyone made very interesting and thought-provoking points on both sides. Thank you for reading.


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## VikingAdventurer (Jan 4, 2015)

Johnny P said:


> I'm a professional. I will fly signs when I'm passing through town, make some money, resupply and then leave. It's not up to you to judge weather I'm right or wrong...if you don't like it...don't give me money.
> 
> Will I work? Of course I will, if there is an opportunity to do so.
> Will I busk? Of course, if there is a good venue for such.
> ...


Well fucking said, Johnny P. I approve.


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