Beggars in Samarkand, 1905

Begging is the practice whereby a person obtains money, food, shelter or other things from people they encounter by request. It is also referred to as sponging, spanging (short for "spare-changing") or (in American English) panhandling. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Samarkand (Tajik: Самарқанд, Persian: ‎ , Uzbek: , Russian: ), population 412,300 in 2005, is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of Samarqand Province. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... Economics offers various definitions for money, though it is now commonly defined as any good or token that functions as a medium of exchange that is socially and legally accepted in payment for goods and services and in settlement of debts. ... Shelter can refer to several things: Look up shelter on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see American English (disambiguation). ...

In larger cities, it is common to see beggars asking for money, food, or other items. Typically, beggars often beg for spare change equipped with coffee cups, mugs, small boxes, hats, or other items into which monies can be placed and sometimes display signs with messages such as "Help me. I'm homeless."

Forms of begging

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A beggar asking for money.

Beggars will often share successful approaches or '"spange lines" which seem to attract more attention or to entice or entertain passersby. Examples include: Image File history File links Circle-question. ... Image File history File links Bum. ... Image File history File links Bum. ...

• Long stories of the mendicant's plight or some task they are trying to accomplish, such as obtaining money "for the bus," traveling cross-country, being stranded with an empty automobile fuel tank and needing to return home, etc.
• Approaching automobile fuel station customers in with an empty, 15L or 20L portable fuel can and asking them to fill it or part of it. The gas is then converted to cash by being resold at a discount below the fuel pump price. In many cases, despite the appearance suggested by the fuel container, the beggar in this situation doesn't actually own or have use of an autombile by which she or he would consume the fuel.
• A direct request for money for alcohol or drugs, in the hopes that honesty will gain sympathy
• Colourful approaches such as "I'll bet you a dollar I have your name tattooed on my ass" (where the beggar has the actual words "Your Name" tattooed), or lines like "Do you have change for a dollar?" (since people are more likely to trade change than give it away) followed by "Can I have it?" when the solicited shows he or she does in fact have change.
• Humourous requests for something other than expected, such as "Can you spare a kidney?"
• Stationing oneself either in or near vehicle traffic in order to peddle goods or solicit donations, for example walking between lanes at a red light; when this is done with a sign, it is often referred to as "flying". In these cases, beggars run the risk of being struck by passing vehicles.
• Requests or behaviors deemed as ostentatious or audacious, such as "I'll lick my tit for a dollar."
• Some beggars will pose as someone famous to beg. For instance, some innovative beggars in India paint themselves as Mahatma Gandhi in tableaux color.
• Speaking very softly so that the solicited needs to stop to listen to what the beggar has to say.
• Beggars can build a relationship with those they solicit by remembering their faces and greeting them when they pass. Ostensibly, this makes it harder for the solicited to walk away without giving anything.
• Setting up a "Free Information" booth or sign with tip jar, and then answering questions to the best of one's ability regarding information nearby, such as directions, amenities, etc.
• To maintain cover and inconspicuity, the beggar remains in an area for hours at a time selling newspaper subscriptions, or other such items, to sidewalk passerby, when offer is refused the beggar then asks: "Then how about a donation instead."
• Psychological manipulation: when a request for money is refused by passerby, the beggar makes a strong statement intended to induce shame and reproach in the passerby, and a possible future donation, such as "Thanks alot."
• Subliminal psychological interrogatories such as "do you have any change." While the beggar may in fact be asking if the passerby has "any change" for him, the beggar may also be challenging the passerby to confirm or deny that he has any change in pocket. Many passerby morally resistant to lying about coins in pocket, or resistent to stating "not for you," then decide to give their money to the beggar.
• Stationing oneself outside of a cash intensive retail market and using an entry/exit strategy: the passerby stating "I have no change" is then suggested by the beggar that the passerby might have change and give money "maybe on the way out" of the store.
• Youthful appearing or child beggars or their parents produce and print legitimate looking materials or posters related to a "little league" or youth sports program and ask for money "to buy equipment." The money, often times from an entire family of children, is then funnelled to a parent or other family member and not to the youth organization.
• Fraudulent Adult beggars produce similar materials for a legitimate religious or charitible orgainzation or program and solicit money for such an orgainzation on the spot. Subsequent investigations in telephone directories, internet searches, revenue authority records, and other public records of charitible organizations reveal the organization is non-existent or disbanded. The beggar then moves on to another area of the city or region, only to return with the same operation months or years later.

Tableau vivant, Folies Bergères c. ...

Aggressive Panhandling

Aggressive panhandling involves the solicitation of donations in an inappropriate and intimidating manner. This is not mugging, but rather a "borderline" activity which is often prohibited by law. Examples include: Look up Mugging in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

• Soliciting donations near ATM banking machines.
• Soliciting donations from customers inside a store or restaurant.
• Soliciting donations near or at religious or holy sites (such as in the Old City of Jerusalem or the Vatican City).
• Extending a hand, or even the head and both arms, into a car window to solicit a donation.
• Soliciting donations after dark, in a secluded area.
• Approaching individuals from behind, as they are exiting their vehicles, to solicit a donation.
• Soliciting donations in a loud voice, often accompanied with wild gesticulations.
• The use of insults, profanity, or veiled threats.
• Refusing to take "No" for an answer, and following an individual.
• Demanding more money after a donation has been given.
• Invasion of personal space, cornering, blocking, or inappropriate touching.
• A "team" of several beggars approaching an individual at once, often surrounding him.
• "Camping out" in a spot where begging negatively influences some other business (such as in front of a store or restaurant) in the hope that the business owner will give money to make the beggar go away.
• There have been reports of beggars who will have a limb amputated in the hope that that they can solicit more donations from sympathy.^[1]

... Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma or surgery. ...

Restriction of beggars

Canada

The province of Ontario introduced its Safe Streets Act in 1999 to restrict specific kinds of begging, particularly certain narrowly-defined cases of "aggressive" or abusive panhandling.^[2] In 2001 this law survived a court challenge under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. ^[3] The law was further upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal in January 2007.^[4] Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area Ranked 4th... The Safe Streets Act, 1999 is a law in the province of Ontario, Canada, not to be confused with the US Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. ... The Charter, signed by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1981. ... The Ontario Court of Appeal is headquartered in downtown Toronto, in historic Osgoode Hall. ...

British Columbia enacted its own Safe Streets Act in 2004 which resembles the Ontario law. There are also critics in that province who oppose such laws.^[5] Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo - Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 36 - Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area Ranked 4th - Total 944,735 km... The Safe Streets Act, 1999 is a law in the province of Ontario, Canada, not to be confused with the US Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. ...

United States

Beggar in Minneapolis, Minnesota

In many larger cities, such as Chicago, Illinois, peddling has been banned. In Chicago, there are a number of signs at regular intervals reminding people that peddling is banned. This rarely dissuades the beggar, and the constitutionality of such bans is questionable. In 2004, the city of Orlando, Florida passed an ordinance (Orlando Municipal Code section 43.86) requiring panhandlers to obtain a permit from the municipal police department. The ordinance further makes it a crime to panhandle in the commercial core of downtown Orlando, as well as within 50 feet of any bank or automated teller machine. It is also considered a crime in Orlando for panhandlers to make false or untrue statements, or to disguise themselves, to solicit money, and to use money obtained for a claim of a specific purpose (e.g. food) to be spent on anything else (e.g. wine). The potential for these latter restrictions to be enforced is minimal. Image File history File links Beggar1. ... Image File history File links Beggar1. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Nickname: The City Beautiful, O-Town, 407 Location in Orange County and the state of Florida. ... A glass of red wine This article is about the alcoholic beverage. ...

In Santa Cruz, CA, there are regulations for panhandlers on where they can and cannot "Spange". For example, they must be a certain distance away from the door of any business.

The Atlanta, Georgia, city council approved a ban on panhandling on August 16, 2005, and Mayor Shirley Franklin is expected to sign the ban into law. Hotlanta redirects here. ... August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Shirley Clarke Franklin (born May 10, 1945) is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and the current mayor of Atlanta, Georgia since January 7, 2002. ...

United Kingdom

Begging is also banned in the London Underground System, although there are designated "busking spots" that can be hired in some stations that allow musicians to entertain travellers. Busking is the practice of doing live performances in public places to entertain people, usually to solicit donations and tips. ...

Begging in various nations

Beggar in Pune India, May 2003

Beggar in Pune India, May 2003

In some countries begging is much more tolerated and in certain cases even encouraged. For instance in India it is considered dharma to give alms to a beggar and many sadhus also beg strictly for food as their traditional way of life limits any income. Even Shiva, the Hindu god is believed to have run his household by begging among rishis and sadhus. Some are even beggars for generations and continue their family tradition of panhandling. Many beggars in the subcontinent even have sizable wealth which they accumulate by "employing" other smaller and newer beggars. They can claim to have territories and then may engage in verbal and physical abuse of encroaching beggars.^{[citation needed]} Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (808x591, 465 KB) by: Lukas VanDyke, Lukas VanDyke Photography I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (808x591, 465 KB) by: Lukas VanDyke, Lukas VanDyke Photography I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (596x626, 422 KB) by: Lukas VanDyke, Lukas VanDyke Photography I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (596x626, 422 KB) by: Lukas VanDyke, Lukas VanDyke Photography I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...   (Sanskrit) or Dhamma (Pali) is the underlying order in nature and human life and behaviour considered to be in accord with that order. ... Alms Bag taken from some Tapestry in Orleans, Fifteenth Century. ... In Hinduism, sadhu is a common term for an ascetic or practitioner of yoga (yogi) who has given up pursuit of the first three Hindu goals of life: kama (pleasure), artha (wealth and power) and even dharma (duty). ... Shiva (also spelled Siva; Sanskrit ) is considered to be the supreme God in Shaivism, a denomination of Hinduism and one of the five primary forms of the Divine in Smarta tradition or Smartism, a denomination of Hinduism. ...

In Europe, women from the poorer countries of the continent (e.g. Bulgaria) are sent by organized gangs to beg in cities in Western Europe such as Barcelona, the proceeds being collected by the gangs.^[6] This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... A common post-WWII understanding of Western Europe Western Europe in its most common understanding is a socio-political concept coined and used during the Cold War. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Nickname Ciutat Comtal (Catalan) Ciudad Condal (Spanish) Postal code 08001–08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ...

In Malta, there is no noticeable incidence of begging.^[7]

Use of funds

A common criticism of beggars is that they spend money received on irresponsible or unnecessary items, particularly on drugs, alcohol or tobacco. This is often stated as a reason for not giving money to panhandlers. Also, in many communities in developed countries, various state and private charitable social services may be available such as welfare, soup kitchens and homeless shelters that may reduce any survival need for begging. Welfare is financial assistance paid by taxpayers to groups of people who are unable to support themselves, and determined to be able to function more effectively with financial assistance. ... A soup kitchen is a place where food is offered to the poor for free or at a reasonably low price. ... Homeless shelters are residences for people, the homeless, in urban neighborhoods to stay temporarily when they otherwise would have to sleep on the street, similar to emergency shelters. ...

A 2002 study of 54 panhandlers in Toronto reported that of a median monthly income of $638 CAD, those interviewed spent a median of $200 CAD on food and $192 CAD on alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs Income and spending patterns among panhandlers, by Rohit Bose and Stephen W. Hwang.^[8] The Fraser Institute, however, criticized this study citing problems with potential exclusion of lucrative forms of begging and the unreliability of reports from the panhandlers who were polled in the Bose/Hwang study.^[9] ISO 4217 Code CAD User(s) Canada Inflation 2. ... The Fraser Institute is a libertarian think tank based in Canada. ...

In North America, panhandling money is widely reported to support substance abuse and other addictions. For example, outreach workers in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, surveyed that city's panhandling community and determined that approximately three-quarters use donated money to buy tobacco products while two-thirds buy solvents or alcohol.^[10] In New York, similar workers report that substance abuse accounts for 90 percent of panhandling funds.^[11] Motto: Template:Unhide = Unum Cum Virtute Multorum (One With the Strength of Many) Location City Information Established: 1738 (Fort Rouge), 1873 (City of Winnipeg) Area: 465. ...

Because of this, some advise those wishing to give to beggars to give gift cards or vouchers for food or services, and not cash.^[12][10] Some shelters also offer business cards with information on the shelter's location and services, which can be given in lieu of cash.^[13]

Begging on the Internet

Main article: Internet begging

Begging like other activities has also adapted to the net taking on an "e-panhandling" role. Instead of begging on the streets, cyber panhandlers set up a website where they "beg" for money. Later variants tried to request money for their personal needs that were beyond their financial ability with some success. Begging has also become commonplace in the chatrooms of various gambling and poker websites. In poker sites, one will frequently see someone claiming that they are so good at the game that if someone lends them 10 dollars, that they'll have it back to the lender with interest in a very short period of time. These may be desperate gaming addicts who have run dry, or they may not gamble at all and simply withdraw the money for their own use. Internet begging is a cyber or e-version of traditional panhandling, asking strangers for money to meet immediate and other needs (money, food, and shelter). ...

History of Begging

Portrayal of a medieval beggar

There are few, if any, current techniques for begging which have not been used for hundreds of years, or are not based on older techniques, adapted to modern technology. Beggars rarely recorded their techniques, and often used Thieves' cant to disguise their own communication. What is known of them is largely from records of law enforcement, penitential or rogue literature. From early modern England the best examples are Thomas Harman, and Robert Greene in his coney-catching pamphlets. There is no reason to suppose that what he recorded was new. There are similar writers for many European countries in the early modern period. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1932 × 2576 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1932 × 2576 pixel, file size: 2. ... Thieves cant was a secret language (or cryptolect) formerly used by thieves, beggars and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain and to a lesser extent in other English-speaking countries. ... Thomas Harman was an Elizabethan author who lived in Kent, England. ... Robert Greene, BA, MA, (1558 – September 3, 1592) was an English playwright, poet, pamphleteer, and prose writer. ... Coney This page is a disambiguation for the word coney. ...

Famous beggars

• Bampfylde Moore Carew self styled King of the Beggars
• Margita Bangová
• Nicholas Jennings in Thomas Harman's "Caveat for Common Cursitors"
• Lazarus
• Omar

Lazarillo de Tormes anonymous picaresque story of Spain; the author may himself have become a bishop. Bampfylde Moore Carew (born 1693, died 1759), was an English rogue, vagabond and imposter, who claimed to be King of the Beggars. ... Margita Bangová (c. ... Thomas Harman was an Elizabethan author who lived in Kent, England. ... Dives and Lazarus or Lazarus and Dives is a parable spoken by Jesus in the New Testament Book of Luke 16:19-31. ... Alan Abel (b. ...

Panhandling in the Media

South Park aired an episode on 18 April 2007, called Night of the Living Homeless in which the town was overrun by beggars. The episode is a parody of several zombie films including Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, and Land of the Dead. South Park is an American, Emmy Award-winning[1] animated television comedy series about four fourth-grade school boys who live in the small town of South Park, Colorado. ... Dawn of the Dead, is a prominent 1978 zombie horror film which contributed to the rise of the so-called splatter craze in horror films. ... “Dia De Los Muertos” redirects here. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

References

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 153 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 3 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (216th in leap years), with 150 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 26 is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 66 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... December 4th redirects here. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further material

• Born Losers: A History of Failure in America, by Scott A. Sandage (Harvard University Press, 2005).

See also

• Beggarware, software authors ask that anyone using their software make a donation to the authors
• Bumvertising
• Homelessness
• Internet begging
• Poor law
• Vagrancy