Panhandling Oklahoma's Fasted Growing Trend
I can remember as a kid the first time I saw a man dressed as Santa standing in front of the grocery store ringing a bell. I really did not know what he was doing so I asked my grandmother, what he was doing, and she said, “ asking people for money,” I did not understand why, but I left it alone. A few years went by before I saw the firefighters for the first time standing at the intersection with boots asking for donations. Back then I did not see panhandling to often but now on any give day I can drive through Oklahoma City and see someone standing on almost every intersection holding a sign asking for money or food. I have noticed that one of Oklahoma's fastest growing trends is panhandling.
Dictionary.com defines panhandling as, “ to accost passers-by on the street and beg from them.” Have you ever driven by someone panhandling for money? What did you do? Did you grab some change out the ash tray and hand it out the window? Did you drop your head and try not to make eye contact? Did you ignore them because you just gave to the person at the last stop sign or you just did not have anything to give? Did you start questioning yourself about that person's position in society; wondering what could have caused them to stand in public with a sign asking for money and food. Are they lazy and do not want a real job or could it be that they can not find a steady paying job? Are they homeless or are they con artist just trying to hustle everyone? Are they members of a church or other agency trying to raise money for a good cause? Panhandling has become a real social problem in Oklahoma City and it's getting worse. There are four factors I wish to discuss that can cause a person lay their pride to the side and grab a cardboard sign to beg others for help.
First, reason for panhandling is not having a place to live or being homeless. When you are living day to day on the street and not sure of where you are going to...