me, 2010: no, I don’t give money to panderers. It’s illegal, besides, they’re probably going to spend it on booze anyway

me, 2020: sorry dude I don’t have any cash on me but don’t worry, I’ll just buy you that Colt 45. need anything else?

I don’t know if it’s The Times or just regular old maturation, but I’ve reached a point where if someone is desperate enough to beg for money, I don’t care what they need it for

And there is a *lot* of propaganda lingering from the 80’s and 90’s that frames it as just this, same as the concept of “welfare queens.” Like someone surviving off food stamps is living the high life https://twitter.com/pancake_dinners/status/1300273318130454529

right, like even at my lowest (the ‘08 crash) worst that happened to me was having to move back to Tennessee to live with my parents for a month. Even if I lost that, I have a big extended family + I’m white + x-many privileges—I’m not one to judge someone without that safety net https://twitter.com/nevermindjody/status/1300277770325553152

I’m just going to end this thread with this — if someone asks you for money, and you can’t or don’t want to give it to them, that’s fine. But it is puritanical classist nonsense to withhold it because you’re afraid they’ll use it for something you don’t approve of.

You think you’re helping someone by refusing them money with which they *might* buy drugs or booze? Please. You don’t have the slightest clue what their life is like. Giving (or not) is your business, but if you are in a position to give, you are not in a position to judge.

Coda — I don’t give as often as I could because I rarely have cash on me, but if I do, it’s almost always to buy weed