Luas machine begging

theTinker

I feel the need to vent about this.
Everyday on my way from my new job in loughlinstown, I pass through town to get the red luas line home to the Drimnagh/Crumlin area. For the last 2-3 weeks however there is this begger standing right in front of the Luas ticket machines. Anyone that tries to use them he comes up to them and says "Hoooowiya mate, do yaaa got any change?" *waits 2 seconds* "god bless ya"

A few things that piss me off with this guy,
1: He says it in such a way that his tone never deviates and you just know he repeats this crap 1000 times a minute(it could happen!)
2: The way he waits on the ticket machine because everyone gets change from it, You cant say "sorry haven't got any" when its falling from it...
3: He goes STRAIGHT into the pub across the road(abbey street) after 10 or so minutes of collecting each time.
4: The god bless you part comes after 2 seconds each time, regardless of whether you respond with a yes, no, or are still speaking.
5: I think its so sleezy that they ask you while your change is falling. Its so putting pressure on the person. Its such a dirty way of asking.

His friend also repeats after seeing the first guys success but is much more intrusive, he practically stands in front of the machine and lets u reach around.

After the first week of giving the change, I just started saying "No" without giving reason. Its now moved to "No, stop asking". Next week i plan to throw a curse in there.

addition: ATM begging is annoying too, I feel like they could just jump up and rob ur cash when its coming out.

bbbbb

When people act like they're invisible, I find it easy to treat them the same way.

MrJoeSoap

theTinker wrote:

I feel the need to vent about this.
Everyday on my way from my new job in loughlinstown, I pass through town to get the red luas line home to the Drimnagh/Crumlin area. For the last 2-3 weeks however there is this begger standing right in front of the Luas ticket machines. Anyone that tries to use them he comes up to them and says "Hoooowiya mate, do yaaa got any change?" *waits 2 seconds* "god bless ya"

A few things that piss me off with this guy,
1: He says it in such a way that his tone never deviates and you just know he repeats this crap 1000 times a minute(it could happen!)
2: The way he waits on the ticket machine because everyone gets change from it, You cant say "sorry haven't got any" when its falling from it...
3: He goes STRAIGHT into the pub across the road(abbey street) after 10 or so minutes of collecting each time.
4: The god bless you part comes after 2 seconds each time, regardless of whether you respond with a yes, no, or are still speaking.
5: I think its so sleezy that they ask you while your change is falling. Its so putting pressure on the person. Its such a dirty way of asking.

His friend also repeats after seeing the first guys success but is much more intrusive, he practically stands in front of the machine and lets u reach around.

After the first week of giving the change, I just started saying "No" without giving reason. Its now moved to "No, stop asking". Next week i plan to throw a curse in there.

addition: ATM begging is annoying too, I feel like they could just jump up and rob ur cash when its coming out.

It just shows that they're good at what they do.

manonmir

if its bothering you so much go to http://www.luas.ie/document/index.asp?head=3 and look into the prepaid option, you might save some cash too.

phantom_lord

Yeah that really annoys me, but I find they go away fairly easily, I'm a poor student so they normally leave me alone when I mumble something about the bus home.

stepbar

MrJoeSoap wrote:

It just shows that they're good at what they do.

They could channel their energy into finding a job :rolleyes: , they are ****ing parasites

matrim

I refuse to give money to the ones who beg beside cash machines. I don't need to be guilted into giving change, if they aren't beside a cash machine about 1/4 of the time i will give something.
I also hate the ones who come up to smoking areas outside pubs, they are trying for the same thing.

One guy in particular who i will never give anything to is the guy outside the swan center in Rathmines. I was going in there one day and he asked me for a smoke, I gave him one and some change. While I was still there someone came out of a shop and gave him an unopened sandwich. As soon as they walked off he started to complain that they didn't just give him money. He threw the sandwich away and went back to begging.

simu

Begging seems to be a big problem in Dublin city centre in general, though. More than any other city I've been in. It's unpleasant because many of the beggars seem threatening too. In Cork, for example, they wait for people to give them money of their own accord but in Dublin, you actually get ppl coming up to you begging.

gerTheGreat

Is it not illegal to beg in the streets? If so, why isn't it enforced? It's a public nuisance

Faith

Aye, I hate the ones who sit/stand by ATMs. What do they expect to achieve from it? "Oh, sorry dude, I've no change but here, take this tenner that I just got from the ATM" ? Going to an ATM at all implies that you have no money on you, and no beggar can be stupid enough to think that people are going to give them notes.

neuro-praxis

Gosh, isn't it really hard to be middle class?

stepbar

gerTheGreat wrote:

Is it not illegal to beg in the streets? If so, why isn't it enforced? It's a public nuisance

Its also illegal to drink on the streets as well however the guards turn a blind eye to that too. However if it was me fein I would get a caution and maybe a sumance. In the 4 years that I have been living on Aungier St, i've only seen the guards having a word with the alco beggers once. And thats because I reported them for causing a nuisance.

Its hard to be a law abiding citizen all right.......

Degsy

I particlularly hate that romanian girl who sits at teh atm just in front of bruxelles holding up a picture of virgin mary,its to subliminaly trick people into thinking they're helping a religious cause or maybe you'd be less likely to say "f uck off " to the picture,i dunno,but it makes me sick anyway.

Sam Vimes

Faith wrote:

Aye, I hate the ones who sit/stand by ATMs. What do they expect to achieve from it? "Oh, sorry dude, I've no change but here, take this tenner that I just got from the ATM" ? Going to an ATM at all implies that you have no money on you, and no beggar can be stupid enough to think that people are going to give them notes.

i think you're over estimating the intelligence of the average beggar. ATM's rarely give out tenners anyway and there's no way they're getting a 20. i stopped giving beggars money after i gave a particularly pathetic looking girl a fiver and she immediately took it out of the cup and put it in her back pocket.

these people make more money than i do ffs. i don't have a job and i'm trying to scrimp my way through college with what little i've saved from my job over the summer. you don't see me begging on the streets.



one bloke was quite funny. i was at a bus stop and he asked me for bus fare. i gave him 2 euro, enough to get anywhere in the city and he went up to the next person and asked him for bus fare. he asked everyone at the bus stop, about ten people. i think he was getting the bus to cork or something

xebec

Begging at ATMs is a real nuisance, I've often been made feel uncomfortable by people sitting between two ATMs while getting cash. Experienced this far too often when I lived in Rathmines.

As a comparison, on a recent trip to San Francisco I was actually impressed by the attempts of the homeless on the streets. They actually smiled (or at least tried to) at you and often used humour to get you to give.

All that said, I don't actually give money directly to homeless people on the street. I've had too many bad experiences including being spat at on Dawson St because I didn't hear a guy begging. I do donate to charities that help them though, in particular the Simon community.

Another pet-hate of mine is the methods increasingly being used by Big Issue sellers, there's one guy who stands at the door of a major bookshop on Dawson St, shakes the magazine and says thank you and then there's the ones who come up to you on Grafton St and try to shove the magazine in your face to get you to buy.

crybaby

Gosh, isn't it really hard to be middle class?

yes aren't we all just absolute monsters for not wanting to give away the money that we earned through working, i mean really the cheek of us all is unreal.

Degsy

xebec wrote:

Begging at ATMs is a real nuisance, I've often been made feel uncomfortable by people sitting between two ATMs while getting cash. Experienced this far too often when I lived in Rathmines.

As a comparison, on a recent trip to San Francisco I was actually impressed by the attempts of the homeless on the streets. They actually smiled (or at least tried to) at you and often used humour to get you to give.

All that said, I don't actually give money directly to homeless people on the street. I've had too many bad experiences including being spat at on Dawson St because I didn't hear a guy begging. I do donate to charities that help them though, in particular the Simon community.

Another pet-hate of mine is the methods increasingly being used by Big Issue sellers, there's one guy who stands at the door of a major bookshop on Dawson St, shakes the magazine and says thank you and then there's the ones who come up to you on Grafton St and try to shove the magazine in your face to get you to buy.

Most of the big issue sellers are bums anyway,either roaring drunk or raving mad.Its lefty bloody rubbish as well.

LundiMardi

heh, i was paying for parking in temple bar and this ''bud'' asked if i had any change at which point i said no (i was using cash to pay), he then said in a cheeky ''bud'' voice ''i accpet all major credit cards''...

That brought a smile to my face and so i gave him a few euro, he deserved it for entertaining me for a split second.

xebec

There was also a time on Grafton St when a knacker holding a child tried to convince me that an ATM that I had just pulled my card out of and was waiting for €100 wasn't working and I should try the one up the street. She promptly disappeared when I pointed to a Garda standing about 20 yards away.

Degsy

There was one particular scumabg who used to operate around dame street who'd come up to ya and push a cup in your face saying "CHANGE for the hostel" in a really menacing way,if enough people at a bus stop refused him he'd throw a hissy fit shouting and roaring "ya mean nobody's gonna give me anything?".VERY intimidating for women at the bus stop.Anyway,he comes up to me one dayw ith his usual crap and i told him to piss off and he started roaring and shouting,with that some bloke about seven foot tall comes up and says "are you begging or mugging people?**** off before i arrest ye".Heh heh,the bloke slunk off but i did see him again a week or so later.

manonmir

wow, this board is full of snobby rich kids. you can just ignore them you know, unless you have been attacked or something in the past which i'm sure somebosy will say "well a friend of mine was attacked...." blah, lies..

LundiMardi

manonmir wrote:

wow, this board is full of snobby rich kids. you can just ignore them you know, unless you have been attacked or something in the past which i'm sure somebosy will say "well a friend of mine was attacked...." blah, lies..

holier than thou much?

theTinker

manonmir wrote:

wow, this board is full of snobby rich kids. you can just ignore them you know, unless you have been attacked or something in the past which i'm sure somebosy will say "well a friend of mine was attacked...." blah, lies..

Haven't the posters already been accused of having a time being middle class? so we are rich and middle class.
Also most if not all of the posters havent said they wouldnt give money, they have only complained about how some beggers have been sleezy, intimidating, guilting, or down right rude.

I do plenty of volunteer work for 2 different places each week to help my fellow disadvantaged men, What i dont need is to be made feel guilty or annoyed every single day when i buy a ticket for transport. Its not like they are starving, they always go straight into the pub across the road.

Pigman II

Just punch him in the stomach or stab him next time you see him. Problem solved.

Civilian_Target

neuro-praxis wrote:

Gosh, isn't it really hard to be middle class?

My thoughts exactly. Guess what: sometimes that homeless heroin addict needs his fix - if you try his life maybe it'd be easier to judge, but personally I'd just rather give him a little bit of my "hard earned" change.

Rb

Its come to the point that I now just ignore them. Sitting at the Luas machines and trying to guilt people into giving you their change which they know you'll have disgusts me. Smart tactics though, as there are people who will be guilted into it. I just act as though they aren't there though. Same goes for those who sit at ATMs.
However, I do often give homeless people a few euro if I'm around town and see them sitting in doorways in sleeping bags or generally just not hassling people for cash.

Theres a vagrant who somehow found his way to the outside of my local newsagent where he spends his days (though I haven't seen him in the last while). He'd either sit or stand with a few cans of cheap beer and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and approach EVERYONE who was going into the shop and then hassle them again on their way out.

The only people I've seen give him money are women who seem to be intimidated into it by his approaches, which I've then seen him take directly into the shop and buy 40 cigarettes with! I've called the Gardaí a few times about him sitting there drinking in public in broad daylight, but as you could guess they've done nothing about it. I don't see why the Gardaí let these people away with it.

There's one guy in town who goes around Grafton Street approaching people for money. Tall skinny guy with short hair iirc, says he needs the money for a hostel (I'm sure others have come across him). I made the mistake of giving him a few euro before, only for him to thank me, whip out a joint from his pocket and then ask did we want a few tokes! I was disgusted, and it very much(along with other stories I've heard and encounters I've had) influenced how I act towards these people these days.

Ignore them, simple as.

stepbar

Civilian_Target wrote:

My thoughts exactly. Guess what: sometimes that homeless heroin addict needs his fix - if you try his life maybe it'd be easier to judge, but personally I'd just rather give him a little bit of my "hard earned" change.

So its ok to have a heroin addiction??? Well done sir :rolleyes: all you are doing is feeding that habit

Sofaspud

Civilian_Target wrote:

My thoughts exactly. Guess what: sometimes that homeless heroin addict needs his fix - if you try his life maybe it'd be easier to judge, but personally I'd just rather give him a little bit of my "hard earned" change.

You, sir, are a saint. Not many people realise that feeding junkie's addictions is such a noble cause. Free heroin for all!

monkey tennis

I tend not to give anything to beggars anymore, as it's so hard to tell whether the money is going on food/shelter, or on booze/drugs. I'd recommend donating (money or time) to a trustworthy organization, e.g. the Simon community.

LundiMardi wrote:

holier than thou much?

funk-you

I've moved to london recently and the ones in Dublin are nothing compared to here. Complete nutjobs. You get an entire life story about methadone and having to give blowjobs for a fix while they keep moving in on you to try get you into a corner, funny thing is after i didn't give this particular one anything he pulled car keys out of his pocket and got into his ford focus and drove off.

Also i'm not going to feel guity for earning a good wage now like some posters are trying to do. I came from a very humble backround and i could of just as easily ended up like that but unlike some i worked damn hard and fought for everything i got. You make your own choices and have to be prepared to live with them. I give on my terms and wont be bullied by anyone.

-Funk

Faith

Civilian_Target wrote:

My thoughts exactly. Guess what: sometimes that homeless heroin addict needs his fix - if you try his life maybe it'd be easier to judge, but personally I'd just rather give him a little bit of my "hard earned" change.

Why don't you just go buy the heroin for him too, then? Save him that extra trouble too.

It's not my, or anyone elses, fault that he made the decision in the first place to try heroin. Nor is it my problem as to how he affords his next fix. Addicts being homeless is caused by their own actions, nobody else is responsible for it. Giving them money makes the situation worse, not better.

Ruu_Old

Buy them a sandwich and a cup of coffee (done once before) but certainly wouldn't give them any money. He didn't say a whole but was damn glad of it.

lostexpectation

so this guy doens't seem to blink an eye if you say no, good ignore him.

TwoShedsJackson

Degsy wrote:

I particlularly hate that romanian girl who sits at teh atm just in front of bruxelles holding up a picture of virgin mary,its to subliminaly trick people into thinking they're helping a religious cause or maybe you'd be less likely to say "f uck off " to the picture,i dunno,but it makes me sick anyway.

That fat Romanian kid who plays the accordion outside Dunnes on Sth Great Georges St really gets on my tits. He has one of those 'punch me' expressions on his face all the time. He's obviously eating well enough so I don't know why mangling an accordion in public trying to earn more.

Ruu_Old

Degsy wrote:

I particlularly hate that romanian girl who sits at teh atm just in front of bruxelles holding up a picture of virgin mary,its to subliminaly trick people into thinking they're helping a religious cause or maybe you'd be less likely to say "f uck off " to the picture,i dunno,but it makes me sick anyway.

This time of year is the worst for that type of thing. The parents of the child (or whoever looks after them) having them sit out beside them wearing a santa claus hat or something, quite sad.

stepbar

TwoShedsJackson wrote:

That fat Romanian kid who plays the accordion outside Dunnes on Sth Great Georges St really gets on my tits. He has one of those 'punch me' expressions on his face all the time. He's obviously eating well enough so I don't know why mangling an accordion in public trying to earn more.

Awe he's a gas man that lad I dont see him around much now, the guards always move him on nehow.

funky penguin

I'll never forget the time i saw a chap begging on the hapenny bridge while chatting away on his mobile phone. Quite funny.

stepbar

Talking to his "friend" no doubt ... <cough> his "dealer" :rolleyes:

DonkeyStyle \o/

I'm going to try asking a beggar for some change... that'd be fun.

FranknFurter

TwoShedsJackson wrote:

That fat Romanian kid who plays the accordion outside Dunnes on Sth Great Georges St really gets on my tits. He has one of those 'punch me' expressions on his face all the time. He's obviously eating well enough so I don't know why he's mangling an accordion in public trying to earn more.

Ever wonder if maybe he does'nt particularly like it either but may be afraid if he does'nt what might happen to him?

B

stepbar

FranknFurter wrote:

Ever wonder if maybe he does'nt particularly like it either but may be afraid if he does'nt what might happen to him?

B

TBH he doesnt look much of a kid........

Chucky the tree

rb_ie wrote:

The only people I've seen give him money are women who seem to be intimidated into it by his approaches, which I've then seen him take directly into the shop and buy 40 cigarettes with! I've called the Gardaí a few times about him sitting there drinking in public in broad daylight, but as you could guess they've done nothing about it. I don't see why the Gardaí let these people away with it.

I am delighted the gardai did nothing. No offence, but do you not think they have better things to do with their time then move on some drunk?

Always hear about how when peoples houses have been broken into there are always late. I can just imagine them turning around and saying "Some lad wanted us to move a drunk away from the shop". Yea, great stuff there lads.

As soon as the guards are gone he goes back there, what next? Arrest him and waste even more time?

Personnally i think chuggers are worse then the beggers.

The Gnome

/rant

If you think the beggars are bad here then try a visit to Romania. I was there during the summer and though I'd heard it was bad I wasn't prepared for children following you for a good 20 minutes asking for "the Moneys".

They don't take no for an answer, come into restaurants/trains/shops, follow you everywhere and have a penchant for stroking you hand whilst asking.

That said, most are actually poor and not on drugs (except for the one blatantly sniffing glue out of a bag) so it easier to hand over a few Lei.

rant/

So, yeah for moral dilemmas, bear attacks and cheap booze check Romania out.

Dooom

The Gnome wrote:

So, yeah for moral dilemmas, bear attacks and cheap booze check Romania out.

Rofl, image of a bear begging on a street pops into my head.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Pigman II wrote:

Just punch him in the stomach or stab him next time you see him. Problem solved.

Then you risk HIV, TB and a host of other virus's.

The Brazillians have the right idea, police death squads

On a serious note...

I try not to look down on anyone, but I do think firm action should be taken against street beggers. ie the guys you see begging on ATM's, traffic lights etc. While I'm not in the least bit afraid of their presense my partner is terrified of them. She's been harassed by a few, and even in my company they frighten her.

I really do try not to stand in judgement over people but I've absolutely zero tolerance for those who wish to infringe on my quality of life.

Civilian_Target

Faith wrote:

It's not my, or anyone elses, fault that he made the decision in the first place to try heroin. Nor is it my problem as to how he affords his next fix. Addicts being homeless is caused by their own actions, nobody else is responsible for it. Giving them money makes the situation worse, not better.

Life ain't that simple...

Faith

Really? Can you explain to me how I, or anyone else, is responsible for their actions then?

Rhyme

funky penguin wrote:

I'll never forget the time i saw a chap begging on the hapenny bridge while chatting away on his mobile phone. Quite funny.

Saw similar on Nassau Street during the summer, woman huddled with a cup begging while chatting on a pretty expensive looking mobile phone (you know that huge Vodafone flip-top phone that costs an honest weeks wages). Made me look twice.

stepbar

Faith wrote:

Why don't you just go buy the heroin for him too, then? Save him that extra trouble too.

It's not my, or anyone elses, fault that he made the decision in the first place to try heroin. Nor is it my problem as to how he affords his next fix. Addicts being homeless is caused by their own actions, nobody else is responsible for it. Giving them money makes the situation worse, not better.

Im with you on that one, poor me attitude doesnt wash with me and thats the attidute a lot of beggers have. If they cant even help themselves then how can they expect anyone else to?

Sam Vimes

Faith wrote:

Really? Can you explain to me how I, or anyone else, is responsible for their actions then?

ummm.......


are you asking how we're responsible for their actions or our own actions?

Chakar

Theres a woman who begs from the gates of a church in Rathfarnham, Dublin across from the Yellow House.She's been there for years think she's a alcoholic or something but ever since I was a youngster shes been there.Thats a pretty crap life isn't it?