Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘if.’ Start your post with the word ‘If.’ Enjoy!”
If you saw a lady in front of Walmart, holding a cardboard sign that read, “Homeless, pregnant, help” what would you do??
That was the situation as we entered our local Walmart this morning on a quest to find Dad some new clothes. It bothered me at first, seeing the lady there and no one was helping her in any way, not talking to her, or leaving her any money.
As we were leaving, I said to my husband, “Someone should take her to a homeless shelter.” I wished we had the time to do it ourselves, and the room, but the car was full of purchases. His response was one I won’t repeat here, but as we drove away, we noticed she had a cell phone, and those aren’t cheap.
What am I to make of all this? It still bothers me, obviously, as IF I don’t have enough problems of my own, but we as a society, are getting so sick of being swindled, I think it has hardened our hearts.
I sure hope if she really needed help, she got it, even though it was plain to see, she had made many bad choices in her life.
But then, that is being kind of judgmental isn’t it. Or is it??
What would you do???
Twisted Trunk Travels 
She had a cell phone… Well gosh. Might she have been a con artist? Perhaps. There are easier ways of doing that, though. She had a cell phone, and those aren’t cheap. Do you know that some people who are VERY poor qualify for free, limited access phones? Or maybe it was a gift. Or maybe it was a cheapie. Or maybe she bought that when she had a good job but COVID wiped her employment out. Or… any number of things why she could have legitimately been in need of help AND have a cell phone.
She made bad choices in her life? How do you know that? Because she was pregnant and panhandling? Yes, that could be bad choices, but it also could be the result of some really horrible events. Stuff happens. Lots of people get into bad situations because “stuff happens” and they were one paycheck away from disaster. Lots. Of. People.
IF you were concerned, you could have talked to her and asked her questions. Instead you chose to make a lot of assumptions about her, her situation, her choices, her truthfulness, all based on what? She had a cell phone.
She may have been as cagey as you feared. Or not. You’ll never know.
And I’ve had people make really wrong assumptions about me, too. For example when I’m dressed nicely (from when I used to work) and use my Food Stamps. I’ve had rude, loud remarks made about me because “obviously I didn’t need the help to buy clothes.” Or the rude remarks, again, when I’ve used the Food Stamps to buy a quality piece of fish, as a birthday treat, instead of loading up on… I don’t know what I was supposed to be loading up on. Or the rude remarks made when I’ve gotten out of my car with the handicapped “hanger” and not used my cane or even been accused of not being handicapped because I’m not in a wheelchair! So yup… I absolutely know of what I speak about people making really wrong assumptions about people they do not know.
I generally don’t leave long, annoyed comments on other people’s blogs. Write what you want to write, but this one of yours? Really touched a raw nerve.
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I appreciate the comment, that’s why I asked the question. You didn’t answer with what you would have done.
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I’m poor without resources and not in a position to help. However, between silently judging her, assuming she’s out scamming people, and making assumptions about her and talking to her, I would have picked “talking to her.” Maybe it isn’t fear of being swindled that has hardened hearts…
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I hope she got the help she needed.
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