Homeless People with Mobiles

adonis

Ok,
so im gonna sound like a nazi...but do you think that homeless people / beggars should have mobile phones?
i mean its a luxury item really, and over the last two days i have seen to irish guys sitting down begging on their mobile phone!!!! its a little rich in my eyes...
surely they could put the money towards getting themselves a foothold in society as we know it, and not be begging on the street?
or maybe it just goes to prove that homelessness / begging is actually a state of mind and not a compulsion!

biko

Yes, they should have mobiles and yes, you do sound like a nazi. Homeless people need to ring their mates too...

Cianos

The situation is far from the black and white in which you are seeing it

i71jskz5xu42pb

adonis wrote:

Ok,do you think that homeless people / beggars should have mobile phones? i mean its a luxury item really

Having a mobile and being homeless seems paradoxical but most homeless/beggars people are not homeless because the cannot afford a place to stay rather because they spend their money on drugs/booze (both luxury items you'd agree) or have mental health issues. So yes they would be better putting the phone credit toward a roof over their head but they are not exactly thinking straight.

This does not make them any less deserving of sympathy or assistance (although personally I'd give the money to a recognised charity instead of direct to the individual).

MarinoMark

I have always wondered how homeless people charge up their phones

Blue Peter

They find it hard to get landlines

toffeapple

These people are know as "tappers"... even amongst junkies this is seen as the lowest thing to do...they dont tend to be homeless just junk bags who couldnt be bothered stealing...real homeless people despise them

BaZmO*

Blue Peter wrote:

They find it hard to get landlines

To the OP. Every homeless person's situation is different so you can't really generalise. If you've got a problem with a homeless person with a mobile phone, it's actually none of your business.
However, if you've got a problem with a beggar with a mobile phone there's a simple solution to that one......just don't give them any money.

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

maybe they were given the mobile phone from family or charities so that they can be contacted...

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

adonis wrote:

Ok,
so im gonna sound like a nazi...but do you think that homeless people / beggars should have mobile phones?
i mean its a luxury item really

no it isn't a luxury item ... you are SO 1980s

SouperComputer

When I was in Jamacia a couple of years ago it was pretty wierd to see seemingly impoverished people living in shanty towns but with mobile phones.

Entertaining nonetheless.

e38418

BaZmO* wrote:

To the OP. Every homeless person's situation is different so you can't really generalise. If you've got a problem with a homeless person with a mobile phone, it's actually none of your business.
However, if you've got a problem with a beggar with a mobile phone there's a simple solution to that one......just don't give them any money.

what he said:)

adonis

id consider it a luxury item if i was sitting on a street with a paper cup in my hand definitely!!
i dunno if they are homeless/ not homeless...but they arent deserving of a share of my weekly dole allowance!
im gonna start giving money to those romanians!!!

Blisterman

Why do beggers always have Starbucks cups?
Surely they could buy their coffee somewhere cheaper.

adonis

i am yet to see a beggar drinking coffee ---
generally they have bewleys cups which i think they get from centra's free...
i dont for one minute believe they buy coffee!

MarinoMark

BaZmO* wrote:

To the OP. Every homeless person's situation is different so you can't really generalise. If you've got a problem with a homeless person with a mobile phone, it's actually none of your business.
However, if you've got a problem with a beggar with a mobile phone there's a simple solution to that one......just don't give them any money.

If they have an apple in their hand...they are not hungry..dont give them any money....If they are in a porch they are not homeless...Dont give them any money....Jesus prepaid mobiles are easy to get, maybe you dont have credit but most hostels/agencies have a freephone number to get you a bed for the night....That has to be the most selfish uneducated remark I have read on boards in a long long time...Sad !

adonis

seriously, you think its cool for people to beg if they are able to afford mobile phones? i dunno, next thing u know it will be psp's..
it just ruins it now for the actual guys who are deserving of charity..thats all

MrSinn

Some of the ringtones homeless people might have

Momma im coming home - Ozzy Osbourne
Bring it on home - Led Zepplin
Please take me home - Blink 182
Nobodys home - Avril Lavigne
Sweet home Alabama - Lynard Skynard
Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant

adonis

lol @ mr sinn..
but its not nice to condescend...

would you give a guy money if he was sitting in a north face sleeping bag, in an armani suit with a briefcase beside him??
im not saying they should be denied mobile phones... but to be sitting there, on the phone yapping away with a cup in your other hand..its taking it too far.

judas101

MarinoMark wrote:

I have always wondered how homeless people charge up their phones

this should be a question in the mysteries thread

MrSinn

If they dont have phones how are they supposed to get their drugs in a hurry?

adonis

i dont think this is being taken as seriously as i would like it to be...

John R

adonis wrote:

i dont think this is being taken as seriously as i would like it to be...

<Throws 50c at adonis>

Go buy yourself a sense of humour mate.

adonis

some things cant be bought.... :-(

Executive Steve

well i used to know a guy who begged and slept rough. he had a mobile his mother gave him so he could at least stay in touch.

as far as i could gather however she wouldnt have him back in the house.

as far as the mystery of how they charge their phones, well, i used to go into mobile phone shops at lunchtime, smile at the pretty girl behind the counter, say i was a cycle courier and had to charge my phone but had forgotten my charger and could she please charge it for me? <insert charming smile>

and op grow up, mobile phones havent been a "luxury item" since they were only owned by the sort of people who owned helicopters etc... 25 years ago iirc...

ronbyrne2005

if you only turn on your mobile to make the odd call then you would get days outta a battery. then you can get it charged in the hostel you stay in.
i know a few homeless people with mobiles,some use them to call hostels and family/friends and some call dealers.a second hand mobile can be attained free or for little money and you can put a fivers credit in once a week or less. one guy i know got a mobile from his social workers as they couldnt find him on the streets.

adonis

[cm]tyranny wrote:

well i used to know a guy who begged and slept rough. he had a mobile his mother gave him so he could at least stay in touch.

as far as i could gather however she wouldnt have him back in the house.

as far as the mystery of how they charge their phones, well, i used to go into mobile phone shops at lunchtime, smile at the pretty girl behind the counter, say i was a cycle courier and had to charge my phone but had forgotten my charger and could she please charge it for me? <insert charming smile>

and op grow up, mobile phones havent been a "luxury item" since they were only owned by the sort of people who owned helicopters etc... 25 years ago iirc...

hey i dont mean a luxury item like diamonds or caviar, but surely they could spend their money on something better for themselves..
just in my case, if i was begging or homeless i know that a mobile would be one of the last things on my list...

just to point out a luxury is defined as:
# Something inessential but conducive to pleasure and comfort.
# Something expensive or hard to obtain.

So what i am saying is that these guys/girls, maybe they want to be homeless..thats its actually a choice that they have made, like your friend.. and that they are comfortable living like this..

John R

adonis wrote:

hey i dont mean a luxury item like diamonds or caviar, but surely they could spend their money on something better for themselves..

Exactly what business of yours is it what they spend their money on?

adonis wrote:

just in my case, if i was begging or homeless i know that a mobile would be one of the last things on my list...

just to point out a luxury is defined as:
# Something inessential but conducive to pleasure and comfort.
# Something expensive or hard to obtain.

FFS a new phone can be got for €50, a second hand or stolen one for a tenner. An o2 sim can be kept live indefinitely without buying any credit.

adonis wrote:

So what i am saying is that these guys/girls, maybe they want to be homeless..thats its actually a choice that they have made, like your friend.. and that they are comfortable living like this..

Living rough, better than a pad in the country any day. :rolleyes:

Enii

Who are you to judge what a homeless person has the right to spend their money on.

whiskeyman

a novel way to make more money...

Guy:Incognito

Enii wrote:

Who are you to judge what a homeless person has the right to spend their money on.

Who are they to harass me by sitting beside an atm begging while im taking out money. Im sure girls on their own feel pressured to give them money or would have to go out of the way to find somewhere else to take out money.