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You can always tell who the American tourists are in New York, because they are the only ones who give change to these folks. Southerners have a tendency to be the worst offenders for some reason.

DON'T FEED THE PIGEONS AND DON'T GIVE MONEY TO THE PANHANDLERS!!!

"Southerners have a tendency to be the worst offenders for some reason."

This is one Southerner who has had enough of the sob-story-spouting,
obviously-a-drug-or-alcohol-abusing,
and/or mentally unhinged,
scumbags & derelicts
who really only want your money so they can fry whats left of their brains even moreso than they are already fried...
And yes, I do get agressive with telling them to go away, f___ off, get in the wind, take it elsewhere, etc...
They ARE a plague....

You can always tell who the American tourists are in New York, because they are the only ones who give change to these folks. Southerners have a tendency to be the worst offenders for some reason.

That's because we Southerners are a soft touch. We don't mind helping people when they're down. Most surveys say Mississippians are the most giving percapita in the country. Many of us down south fully believe what Jesus told us, "What you do to the least of these, you do to me."

So, when a panhandler asks me for money for food, I offer to buy them a free meal. You'd be surprised how many panhandlers, drunks, welfare cheats, etc. "have serious medical problems" and "have to have a special diet", ie, they can't eat the food I get for them at McDonalds. Of course, I'm a pretty big guy so few try to get aggressive with me. If anything, I get aggressive with them...."WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU WON'T TAKE MY OFFER OF A FREE MEAL!?!?!?!?" to their face.

Literally EVERY time I've had a tire blowout or a breakdown on a road in Mississippi, I've had a stranger/strangers stop to offer me help, both black and white. If it's women/elderly/someone who looks like they need the help, I do the same.

You can always tell who the American tourists are in New York, because they are the only ones who give change to these folks. Southerners have a tendency to be the worst offenders for some reason.

I don't know many Southerners that are stupid enough to go to New York. :-)

The culture is different here. Neighbors help neighbors with everything. Beinging from a small communitity (pop. 500 or so) where doors are not locked and everybody knows everybody and their business is a blessing and a curse. Even people in the larger towns are more open and trusting than most places up North. We have no business going to places like New York on vacation. I have no desire or intention of doing so either.

Southerners have a tendency to be the worst offenders for some reason.

Meet the exception. I expect to see missing body parts and heavy arterial bleeding before I morph into the Good Samaritan; the rest of them are bums. I'm compassionate, but not a sucker.