April 12, 2005
Humanitarian Dilemma 2
I'd previously written about my efforts to help the homeless of San Francisco in a real and meaningful way.
I've wrestled with the dilemma of figuring out who deserves help more, but I've missed an even more crucial question.
Should homeless people be helped?
Of course I am referring to the age-old maxim, "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime."
Of course, I entirely disagree with giving cash to a homeless person, as you cannot be sure the money is not used to buy drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, or something else that may harm instead of help them. I instead give out brown bag lunches. In cosidering the consequences of my actions, I've myself asked two questions. Is giving them food any better? Is it any worse?
By giving someone a lunch, I am providing them with something that will most likely not harm them. Presumably, the person will eat the lunch. Not only will this alleviate the short-term need to beg, but it will keep them from begging as they eat it.
If I give a person a lunch however, then money they may already have can be spent on something other than lunch. They could purchase drugs, cigarettes or alcohol with money which I have freed up by alleviating their immediate need.
Realizing that a helpful gesture could enable a potentially harmful result is troubling, indeed.
Richard
Posted by Richard at April 12, 2005 11:32 PM
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Comments
It's a thorny problem. I'd much rather give food to someone who is asking rather than money any day. Yes, it means that the money they would have spent for food is now freed up for something like drugs, but I can't control what they do with what they have.
I ask people if I can get them a burger, but I won't give them the $5 for one. I wrote up my own wrestlings on this at http://www.captainscomments.com/comments/138.asp.
Posted by: Captain Midnight at April 13, 2005 4:55 PM