BEGGARS OR BURGLARS?

By Alexander Burukin

“… Truly, it is annoying to give to them and annoying not to give to them.” (Friedrich Nietzsche)

For sure, every person living in this world has at least once in their life met a beggar. Of course, everyone has different reaction: some people give them some change, others give the go-by. But for me it’s not a usual thing, as every time I see a beggar I feel some sort of hesitation. May be I am ungenerous, but I would rather not say so. The problem comes to give or not to give.

Probably and evidently begging appeared when people began to live in groups, as they got an opportunity to ask for food being unable to obtain it themselves. And that was natural because everyone tried to survive. But through centuries that phenomenon has metamorphosed.

"Give a beggar a dime and he'll bless you. Give him a dollar and he'll curse you for withholding the rest of your fortune. Poverty is a bag with a hole at the bottom." (Anzia Yezierska)

What can we see on the streets nowdays? Today in every city and town you can observe beggars in different places: underground stations, underpasses, near churches, in every crowdy place in one word. But why are there so many of them? Answering this question we should take into account the classification of people in need.

“Is an artist much more than a beggar?” (Clara Schumann)

Erving Goffman, famous American sociologist and writer, studied this problem in the second part of the 20^th century. In his works he described different types of beggars, who were acting according to a chosen role, for example, “disabled soldier”, “an old woman” or “a woman with baby”. Every “actor” in this play selects certain attributes, like dark modest wearing or crutches to show the absence of the leg. All these things are to help to differentiate a beggar from the ordinary folks, cause their aim is to make people feel pity and guilty for their well-being. Then an action starts, in which all passers-by play their own roles by giving alms or going by.

“There are people who can never forgive a beggar for their not having given him anything” (Karl Kraus)

Of course one should admit that some people are really unable to make their living and the govemental support doesn’t make much difference. But in present days the situation has become so complicated that it is impossible to find the distinction between a real beggar and a fake one. However, I’m sure that the majority of alms-asking people are either swindlers or fallen into criminal’s hands victims. In Russia it seems that the second ones are dominating. More and more various internet sources write about professional beggars, who are “owned” to certain “beggar-managers”, who take the least necessary care of their people and beggars’ earnings. That’s why I tempt myself to consider a person vigorously yearning for my money to be a tactical burglar, who swimmingly and without breaking the law succeeds in misappropriating one’s change, which one kept to pay a fare. By the way, the average income of a professional beggar is about 40,000 rubbles per month – the normal salary of the subway driver, once reported “Vesti-Moscow”. Isn’t that a good point one should thoroughly think over before giving alms to another beggar?

“Beggars should be entirely abolished!” (Friedrich Nietzsche)

So, the matter is that something should be done with this actual problem and the sooner the better, because leaving things as they run now ruins our aesthetic and moral aspects of living. I insist on the fact, that people in need’s troubles should be solved by governmental or social structures and not by those who make fortunes by controlling beggar points.