Quote:
Originally Posted by Cirrus
Give them eye contact, say exactly "sorry no," and move on.
The only thing you owe them is a modicum of polite human interaction.
|
Yep, I always make sure to acknowledge them if they seem genuine. I probably give money less than 10% of the time because I usually have none on me, but a "hello," "sorry, no" or something else along those lines at least acknowledges their humanity. The isolation of being homeless must be devastating to the human psyche, and many (most?) homeless people are dealing with some kind of mental illness to begin with. Treating them with basic human dignity is not too much to ask.
Unless they are aggressive, rude, etc., then I ignore them as I would any other stranger being rude.