Once I wrote a couple of posts, I realized that I had a lot to say about panhandling and homelessness. I even got contacted by the producer of the John Stossel Show when they did a show called "Freeloaders." We traded emails and I answered all his questions about panhandling and gave him a bunch of background info on how people wind up in that situation. In the show, John Stossel himself dressed up (ok, dressed down) and panhandled himself.
I started panhandling for food money in Orange County, California to simply survive. I soon found that with a funny sign, I could actually make complete strangers smile or laugh. Try it some time, it's really not that easy. I could actually give something to the hundreds of cars going by, even if they didn't give me anything. I was the homeless guy, but all the people driving to and from worked always looked way more depressed than I felt.
When I wound up panhandling legally in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, I could stand on the same ramp, day after day. I actually had fans. There were commuters and route drivers who told me they looked forward to my signs every day. You've never thought of panhandling that way, have you? I've come to see funny panhandling signs as a form of folk art. The same is true of protest signs. After a while, I didn't think of myself as a panhandler, I thought of myself as a homeless stand-up comic and performance artist. Some days I just mess with people, I'd hold a blank sign, or a sign that said, "Don't give to panhandlers," or I'd turn around with my back to people. A couple times when people rolled down their windows and talked, I gave them a dollar if they seemed to be having a bad day.
As a writer, I've spent my life learning about human nature, and panhandling turned out to be a really educational experience.
Don't panhandle unless you're really homeless or down and out, OK?
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