Begging seems to be an acceptable pofession in Italy AND Spain. People dress up as fictional characters, spray paint their bodies with glitter paint and stand perfectly still for hours. All this for coins.
Musicians play on the street or in the Metro also for coins. There are the assorted palm readers and fortune tellers around the major churches, as well as the visibly handicapped.
One of the more unpleasant views in Italy and Spain.
None of this is seen in America. Certainly not on Hollywood Blvd. in front of the Chinese Theater...