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Post by trashcanman on Mar 11, 2010 3:32:08 GMT 2
Times are pretty tough. Go to the big city and you will be assailed by aggressive panhandlers. I saw this redub of Henson's clasic The Dark Crystal and it was almost too true to life to be funny..... Almost.
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Post by The Curmudgeon on Mar 11, 2010 20:49:05 GMT 2
We were actually planning on going to L.A and San Fransisco next year. Is San Fran as bad as all that?
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Post by trashcanman on Mar 11, 2010 23:18:20 GMT 2
Well, when we arrived we were at a long stoplight where a crazy homeless lady was screeching at this dude waiting to cross the street for a few minutes for no apparent reason. That's when I knew we'd arrived. When I pulled up by Amoeba Music (do NOT miss going to that place under any cirmumstance, it's possibly the best music store in the world) a homeless lady informed me that after 9 PM I didn't need to feed the parking meter so I should give her the change instead. I already had it in my hand and it was mostly pennies anyway, plus she seemed friendly so I gave it to her and this other dude she was talking too goes apeshit and starts shouting. I walked away laughing while he berated and threatened me for about two blocks. Still not sure why he wanted to kick my ass. Either because my offering was so paltry or because I didn't give him any, I figure. Fuck him. The streets are pretty much littered with bums hunkering down, aggressively begging like in that video, or preferably just classically sitting with a sign and a can. Some of the signs even say they need money for weed. I appreciate the honesty, but no. It's always been bad in Frisco, but now it's REALLY bad.
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Post by The Curmudgeon on Mar 19, 2010 12:34:24 GMT 2
Fuck, that's too bad. And the police can't do anything about that? Begging for money is one thing, but how many times is that dude going to go around threatening and yelling at people in the street before something bad happens?
It's the same story in Rome; one of the most beautiful places in the world and it's littered with people pestering you for money. Some are stooped over and in rags, and all you can see is a gnarled old hand at your face. I sometimes felt like throwing them in front of a car to actually do them a favour. And fuck, don't even get me started about the pyramids in Egypt...
It's a shame that some of the most beautiful places in the world are ruined by poverty. Yes, these people are starving and trying to survive, but some major changes need to be made so that people can walk down the streets without fear of being mugged or worse.
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Post by trashcanman on Mar 20, 2010 8:54:36 GMT 2
No laws against asking for a favor or acting like a jackass. As long as they don't get physical, it's their right to be a public nuisance. It's a pain, but it beats the Gestapo alternative.
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