A focus on charity

1. The text “The advert that beggars belief” is about whether or not you should give money to beggars or not. First, it gives a view on how beggars are being looked at in India where they can earn a lot of money as it’s a part of their culture to give money to the beggars even though they are not rich themselves. The text then turns to view on the British beggars, and how the government tries to stop the begging. The text criticizes how the government uses actual money to prevent people from giving money to the beggars instead of actually handing that money out and let people decide themselves. With slogans like “Killing With Kindness” they say that nobody needs the money and people only do harm by donating money. It is said that 86 % of the beggars use the money on drugs, but then what about the last 14 %? Are they dying because you are not donating money? 2. First sentence would be “A clever beggar, it is often claimed, can earn more in a month than a bank clerk does”. This is said about Indian beggars that live on other people’s hard earned money.
Secondly, “We are always looking for reasons to justify our lack of charity”. This is about us citizens in the western civilization always being selfish and don’t want to spend money on other people.
Third sentence is related to the above and is about the campaign ran by the government: ”This is a disgraceful advertising campaign”.
The fourth sentence is also related to the second and third: “…Discourage spontaneous generosity when there is already so pitifully lithe of it around?” With the other two sentences this also criticises the campaigns by the government. 3. I completely agree on the sentence. Who wants to live a place where you might feel good yourself but everyone else lives in misery? I can easily understand that people without much money don’t want to donate a lot of money, but there is always people lesser fortunate than you. I myself have literally just donated a bit for Christmas-presents for kids in the Danish hospitals. I don’t have any income, going to spend quite a lot of money on my own family etc. but I will always be able to find some money somewhere that I can donate for kids less fortunate. Might mean that my brothers get smaller presents this year or I have to stay home when my friends are going downtown, but with the satisfaction I can get from donating money I honestly have no problems with that.
That’s why I don’t like when the British government makes campaigns to prevent people from giving money to beggars. Often I’m annoyed when I see beggars on the streets as most looks like drug-addicts and alcoholics, but some people looks like honest and good people that just lack money. It’s rare that I give money to beggars, but when I do I feel like doing a difference. 4. Hi Alexander,
I must say that I very much agree in the views shown in your article.
Beggars are not people that sits on the street for fun and because it’s easy money. At least not in England, that is. Story might be different in countries like India which you also mention in the article.
It is a disgrace that the government uses taxpayers’ money to tell the very own people who to give money and who they should stay away from. Both because the money could have been used significantly better elsewhere by the authorities, but also to support the beggars.
Probably not to fund the drugs and alcohol for the beggars but to help them out of their addiction and prevent others from getting in the same problems.
So I very much support you in this case. We cannot give the money straight to the beggars, but it’s wrong-doing when the government are trying to control who we help and who we don’t.

Best regards,
Sune Christensen