Living downtown, when you go out of your house, you see and meet all sorts of people. Now that I don't have a car (gone a week ago, since I work withing 100Meters of home, figured driving would over do it) I'm walking around quite a bit more, and I'm noticing that people are following me!
Now, I'm use to people asking me for some spare change, and I usually don't give change, but have bought the occasional cheese burger or coffee when someone really seems to need food. When they turn that down, they usually want cash for drugs and hey let's face it, I can't even afford to keep myself at an acceptabel intoxicated state let alone others.
Lately though, I'm not being asked for change, i'm just beeing followed with a cup. Take tonight for instance. I walked up granville from smithe, this girl on a bmx bicycle was following me on her bike with a cup in her hand. She was a couple of steps behind me, so I could only see her if I looked to my left, but she was holding the cup in my direction.
Now, I did not want to be rude (I am Canadian after all) but I had my ipod turned up and my earphones in, so I chose to pretend I did not notice her. Afte a block and a half she stopped to ask a group of teenagers for change - actually, she stopped because she saw this old guy walk up to one of the teenagers and take their lit cigarette from them and then walk away smoking it; it was pretty funny.
So I went to london drugs to pick up new headphones (the ipod ones always fall out of my ears, and they bug me), and then walked back down granville to Davie St. Down Davie I saw this woman who I see all over town asking for money. Almost every time I'm walking around I see her, and she just looks at me pitifully and put a white styrofoam cup in my direction. Now, I proably gave her change once or twice, but common, I can't do it every time. So I walk buy, again with the ipod on choosing to ignore the advance. A minute later I glance to my left and she is right next to me about a pace behind with her cup in my direction!
Was there some kind of begging convention on that tought them to use this following technique or is this just me?
Maybe I just look like I'll cave in and give them a buck, I don't know.
If I were needing change, I would find some way of earning it through entertainment. There was a guy in gastown a few years back that would tell you an original poem that he made up on the spot. That I will pay a couple of bucks for.
While on the topic, there is this one guy that stands outside of the London Druges on Robson at Bute who my wife and I both agree has the MOST annoying whiny begging voice in the city, if not the country. He is there almost every night, and has been for a couple of years. He says to every single person walking by: "Please sir/miss, can you spare some change", and this web page does not do it justice, you have to hear it to beleive it.
Ahhhhhh... the joys of living downtown.
Now, I'm use to people asking me for some spare change, and I usually don't give change, but have bought the occasional cheese burger or coffee when someone really seems to need food. When they turn that down, they usually want cash for drugs and hey let's face it, I can't even afford to keep myself at an acceptabel intoxicated state let alone others.
Lately though, I'm not being asked for change, i'm just beeing followed with a cup. Take tonight for instance. I walked up granville from smithe, this girl on a bmx bicycle was following me on her bike with a cup in her hand. She was a couple of steps behind me, so I could only see her if I looked to my left, but she was holding the cup in my direction.
Now, I did not want to be rude (I am Canadian after all) but I had my ipod turned up and my earphones in, so I chose to pretend I did not notice her. Afte a block and a half she stopped to ask a group of teenagers for change - actually, she stopped because she saw this old guy walk up to one of the teenagers and take their lit cigarette from them and then walk away smoking it; it was pretty funny.
So I went to london drugs to pick up new headphones (the ipod ones always fall out of my ears, and they bug me), and then walked back down granville to Davie St. Down Davie I saw this woman who I see all over town asking for money. Almost every time I'm walking around I see her, and she just looks at me pitifully and put a white styrofoam cup in my direction. Now, I proably gave her change once or twice, but common, I can't do it every time. So I walk buy, again with the ipod on choosing to ignore the advance. A minute later I glance to my left and she is right next to me about a pace behind with her cup in my direction!
Was there some kind of begging convention on that tought them to use this following technique or is this just me?
Maybe I just look like I'll cave in and give them a buck, I don't know.
If I were needing change, I would find some way of earning it through entertainment. There was a guy in gastown a few years back that would tell you an original poem that he made up on the spot. That I will pay a couple of bucks for.
While on the topic, there is this one guy that stands outside of the London Druges on Robson at Bute who my wife and I both agree has the MOST annoying whiny begging voice in the city, if not the country. He is there almost every night, and has been for a couple of years. He says to every single person walking by: "Please sir/miss, can you spare some change", and this web page does not do it justice, you have to hear it to beleive it.
Ahhhhhh... the joys of living downtown.
posted by Adam C at
11:07 PM
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