Have dog, will beg

There are many beggars that populate the streets of Bangkok. Unlike American cities, in which the typical beggar is unwashed and homeless, here there a range of beggars for your donating pleasure. For sure there are the underfed, wasted old men that have lost of their teeth already, that you see sleeping on the same sidewalk spot that they beg from. But you also see young men that should have the capacity to work for their living; young and middle-aged women with children; sometimes just children themselves. The young children are generally used by their mothers to get sympathy coin, but there's also a pack of about 4 adolescents that begs and sleeps on an overpass that I take to and from work.

There are men without limbs crawling along the sidewalk, blind women singing (usually poorly) into a portable sound system, and people with dogs... both male and female beggars that don't have kids will often get some puppy to sit with them in order to capture the hearts and coin of tourists. The pinnacle thus far of this tactic was on display last friday night, when I saw a girl, maybe 3 or 4 years old, asleep on a cardboard box with two puppies asleep next to her. The puppies had ribbons on their tails and ears to increase the cute factor.

It's easy to feel empathy towards these folks, until you hear the tails of how they catch a motorbike to and from 'work' each day. It's also to easy to be to cynical... unlike in the US, Thailand doesn't have much of a social safety net. It's not like the folks have shelters or better alternatives, or a welfare check coming each week.

I have to go now, the bossman and his son are waiting for me to each lunch. I'm sure I'll pass a couple of beggars on the way...

Thupt

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