Singer asks if you should save a drowning child. Obviously yes! And what if you were wearing a nice suit which could get ruined in the pond? Does not

Why shouldn’t you give money to homeless people?

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2024-11-05 14:30:05

Singer asks if you should save a drowning child. Obviously yes! And what if you were wearing a nice suit which could get ruined in the pond? Does not matter, you still have to jump in. And what if, on your way to work every morning, you pass by a homeless man who is cold, hungry and in need of help? What then?

Growing up, my dad gave me some version of this answer: They will just spend the money on drugs. He explained this to me in a nice way, as in “it’s too bad, and we would like to help, but unfortunately…”

Even as a child this justification did not feel sufficient. Sometimes I would see homeless people who had families, or signs that explained that they had fallen on tough times, or who just appeared particularly sympathetic and not prone to drug abuse.

On one occasion, a homeless man asked my dad for money, and my dad offered him our boxed leftovers from the restaurant we were exiting. The homeless man gave a grunt and walked away. I did wonder if he had taken offense at being offered half-eaten food, but mostly I took this as evidence that my dad was right, and the homeless man was just asking for money to spend on drugs.

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