Does donating to beggars in the Philippines only multiply them so that there are more of them harassing us?

[Winston]

I have a question. How come the many beggars in the Philippines haven't been weeded out by Darwinism? (or the concept of it at least) I mean, I don't see how they could be getting enough free food and free cash everyday by begging to continue to survive and reproduce. Why hasn't evolution weeded them out ages ago? What keeps them reproducing and passing on their genes? How do they manage to live long enough to do that, since they are so non-functional in every way?

Mr S told me that it was due in part to the help of charities and churches. Is that so? If so, then aren't charities actually multiplying and spreading poverty by allowing the beggars and slum dwellers to survive and reproduce, so that 10 beggars becomes 50 in another generation?

Do charities ever really help the poor by raising them up to a higher status where they become functional, civilized and educated? Or do they just feed the poor so that they can live and reproduce more of themselves to continue in the same social status, thus multiplying the problem? If so, isn't it better not to donate to them, lest you increase the problem?

Aren't expats in the Philippines who give big allowances to their girlfriends/wives so that they can use it to support their family with free cash, doing the same thing as these charities?

I don't buy the excuse that beggars are poor because of lack of jobs or their corrupt government or cause of their economy. There probably is a genetic or inherent cause as well. Some people are just low class and everything in their behavior and body shows it too, not cause of their upbringing, but because it's just what they are in every way. I've never understood why the politically correct folks condemn the influence of genetics and religiously need to believe that all our behavior is learned and conditioned by our environment. I always ask that crowd, "If my behavior is all learned, then how come I was born with a fear of heights? How come when I was 4, I was afraid to go down slides while all the other kids my age went down them like they were nothing? Who conditioned me to fear heights?" That one stumps them every time. Idiots.

[momopi]

If a lazy person could live on charity, he has little reason to work. In absence of charity, he'd be forced to work for food, starvation is a good motivator. Either way, he may have children and pass on his genes.

You might be interested in reading this satire:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1080/1080-h/1080-h.htm

[gsjackson]

Social Darwinism is what you're thinking of -- Herbert Spencer coined the term survival of the fittest -- and it's nothing but academic fantasizing. If you want to see in what direction species Humanus North Americanus is evolving, watch the movie Idiocracy.

[Winston]

So can any of you answer the question of how beggars in the Philippines or other third world countries are able to are able to survive and reproduce, and not get weeded out by Darwinism?

[gsjackson]

So can any of you answer the question of how beggars in the Philippines or other third world countries are able to are able to survive and reproduce, and not get weeded out by Darwinism?

I don't think anybody has accepted your premise that poverty is the result of a genetic defect. The only way your question would make any sense is if it were.

And anybody who sees what's going on, at least in American society, as survival of the fittest, just isn't paying attention. You think there's some sort of evolution evident in human society? Devolution would be closer to the mark.

[gsjackson]

Just to add, Darwinism has never been shown to have any kind of predictive power whatsoever. That's why it doesn't even qualify as a scientific theory. Valid scientific theories help you to predict future events or trends. Darwinism is simply an account of natural history that strikes me as very half-baked and inadequate.

[Winston]

Well poverty is not all about circumstance, or a bad government/leader. There is an inherent element. Come to the Philippines and you will see, that some people are just born stupid and cannot think at all, period. Has nothing to do with conditioning. Remember that your ancestors pass their genes and traits on to you too, as well as their intelligence.

Plus many people here look like they were custom tailored or genetically engineered to live in slums. They look it, not just in clothes, but in their bodies, faces, skin and vibes. If you've ever tried training such types, you'd know what I mean.

But anyway, that's beside the point. What about my original question?

[Winston]

Does God expect us to give money to every beggar who harasses us?

[7/1, 8:11 PM] Winston Wu: U mean i have to give money to filipino beggars to prove that im good? Even if I don't like them?
[7/1, 8:11 PM] Winston Wu: Isnt it impossible to love everyone?
[7/1, 8:11 PM] Alex From Venice: it's not that "you have to", it's your choice
[7/1, 8:12 PM] Alex From Venice: your choices define who you are
[7/1, 8:12 PM] Winston Wu: Would u want a wife who loves everyone and you too? Or a wife who only loves you? Loving everyone makes love cheap and has no value. Its not special. It ruins the word.
[7/1, 8:12 PM] Winston Wu: But god expects me to give money to all beggars right?
[7/1, 8:13 PM] Alex From Venice: haha... no, I don't think so
[7/1, 8:13 PM] Alex From Venice: not even Jesus could have done that
[7/1, 8:13 PM] Winston Wu: Sometimes i wonder if those beggars arent real. Maybe theyre just a test of my generosity. Lol. Maybe they are angels or computer programs.
[7/1, 8:14 PM] Alex From Venice: but God is happy if we can be as much loving beings as possible
[7/1, 8:14 PM] Winston Wu: Did u know dianne said her mom met an old woman one time begging for money. When she walked around the corner she suddenly vanished into thin air. She thinks maybe that woman was a spirit sent to test her? Lol
[7/1, 8:15 PM] Winston Wu: Everyone loves their friends. But not strangers.
[7/1, 8:15 PM] Alex From Venice: and by "loving" I don't mean "romantic love", I mean same as Jesus, caring, compassionate, generous
[7/1, 8:15 PM] Alex From Venice: that's too easy
[7/1, 8:16 PM] Alex From Venice: that's a possibility

[Winston]

So can any of you answer the question of how beggars in the Philippines or other third world countries are able to are able to survive and reproduce, and not get weeded out by Darwinism?

I don't think anybody has accepted your premise that poverty is the result of a genetic defect. The only way your question would make any sense is if it were.

And anybody who sees what's going on, at least in American society, as survival of the fittest, just isn't paying attention. You think there's some sort of evolution evident in human society? Devolution would be closer to the mark.

Well beggars behave differently from country to country. So genetics may play a bigger role than you think. Poverty tends to be inherited. So does karma.

The ones in Philippines act retarded and can't even talk, unlike the ones in America. They also chase you and stalk you and follow you. Unlike most other countries where they just sit and wait for donations. The ones in Philippines dont even have angst and don't resist or act like they don't belong in their condition.

Have you heard of Thomas Malthus? He was an English economist in the 1800s who said that the poor should not be fed lest they multiply and then you would have an even bigger population of starving people needing even more money and food. What do you think? Was his logic sound or not?

[hypermak]

Beggars in the Philippines are no different from beggars from anywhere else in the world. Majority are beggars by choice: poverty, lazyness, ignorance, or any combination of those. A few of them are beggars by tradition, like the gypsies in Europe and, over here, some tribes of Mindanao, like the Badjao.

As Alex from Venice explained, why should you give them any money? It's your choice. In many cases you're not really helping the cute but unkempt child who trades a ring of sampaguitas with a few coins, maybe 20 Pesos. Their parents are standing on the other side of the street and will sometimes gamble or drink away the little money their kids will have made during the day. And if they don't make enough, they get beat up.

From my personal experience in Manila and what countless Filipinos told me, the beggars worth your money are not the children approaching you while you're stuck in the EDSA traffic, or tending the hand on a side street. It's the adults, especially the old men and women who show all signs typical of extreme poverty and desperation: poor and dirty clothes, extremely skinny and diseased bodies, sometimes a missing or crutched limb, a weak voice. Those are the people who are really lost at the fringes of society and who need your coins.

[Winston]

Not so hypermak. In Thailand and most of Asia beggars dont touch you or grab you or follow you so they can pickpocket your back jeans pocket, forcing me to yell and cuss at them. Most beggars sit down with a collection plate and wait for coins.

In Europe many kids play violin on the street in exchange for donations.

In America the homeless can talk and have conversations. Im angeles city many beggars can only moan "ahhh ahhhh" and cannot speak words.

You obviously never been to angeles city. The beggars there are dangerous and threatening and try to scare you or force you to give them money. They demand a yes as if they are free to threaten you. They also tailgate you and try to reach into your back pocket. Its a total violation. I often have to get mad and warn them to stay away or i will kick their ass and engage in violent self defense like karate and threaten them back. Its emotionally draining.

The beggars in other countries don't usually do that. So you definitely don't know what you're talking about. People are very different from country to country. I see no similarities. Only the stupid US media and pop stars say people are the same everywhere. Not honest intellectuals.

Why don't you come to angeles and I'll show you what I mean?

[hypermak]

Not so hypermak. In Thailand and most of Asia beggars dont touch you or grab you or follow you so they can pickpocket your back jeans pocket, forcing me to yell and cuss at them. Most beggars sit down with a collection plate and wait for coins.

In Europe many kids play violin on the street in exchange for donations.

In America the homeless can talk and have conversations. Im angeles city many beggars can only moan "ahhh ahhhh" and cannot speak words.

You obviously never been to angeles city. The beggars there are dangerous and threatening and try to scare you or force you to give them money. They demand a yes as if they are free to threaten you. They also tailgate you and try to reach into your back pocket. Its a total violation. I often have to get mad and warn them to stay away or i will kick their ass and engage in violent self defense like karate and threaten them back. Its emotionally draining.

The beggars in other countries don't usually do that. So you definitely don't know what you're talking about. People are very different from country to country. I see no similarities. Only the stupid US media and pop stars say people are the same everywhere. Not honest intellectuals.

Why don't you come to angeles and I'll show you what I mean?

I have never felt threatened by beggars in Manila or during my short visit in other places in the Philippines. I have been to Cebu City, Palawan, Batangas and a couple other towns. I have never been to AC, as you know.

Maybe AC is a bit of an exception because beggars, like the rest of the poor people over there, know it's a hotspot for foreigners and many of them are on the senior side, so less able to counteract if they get pickpocketed or even physically assaulted.

Aren't the local police aware of beggars being so aggressive? Do they pretend not to see? Don't they believe that their behaviour is giving the city a bad reputation?

[Winston]

If a policeman on walking street sees a beggar boy trying to pickpocket someone they will blow the whistle and yell at them. but most of the time a cop is not around. Lots of foreigners lose their wallet or phone and are stupid enough to put cash in their back pocket too.

If you go to Ermita you will see threatening or stalking beggars too that will tailgate you and follow you. The US embassy has warnings about Ermita on their website. So its not just Angeles.

Btw rock has had to strike or take down beggars and ladyboys trying to pickpocket his shoulder bag too. Fortunately the security guards around sided with him and knew he was acting in self defense. He did this in Makati btw.

So you must be lucky so far hypermak.

[hypermak]

If a policeman on walking street sees a beggar boy trying to pickpocket someone they will blow the whistle and yell at them. but most of the time a cop is not around. Lots of foreigners lose their wallet or phone and are stupid enough to put cash in their back pocket too.

If you go to Ermita you will see threatening or stalking beggars too that will tailgate you and follow you. The US embassy has warnings about Ermita on their website. So its not just Angeles.

Btw rock has had to strike or take down beggars and ladyboys trying to pickpocket his shoulder bag too. Fortunately the security guards around sided with him and knew he was acting in self defense. He did this in Makati btw.

So you must be lucky so far hypermak.

Of course, Winston, if you're talking about parts of Ermita, Tondo and the slums, those are places where the least that could happen to a foreigner is to be pickpocketed.

I don't think I have been lucky, Winston, I have just behaved like most foreigners here and avoided certain areas. When I do go out alone, I usually stick to Pasay, BGC, Makati, and the central areas of old Manila (Binondo, Intramuros etc.).

It's unfortunate that you meet aggressive beggars/pickpockets on the main street of AC, it means you have no choice and be extra careful when walking down the street. Do you usually go there alone, or with some friends? I guess these accidents would be less likely to happen if you are surrounded by other men.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

So you must be lucky so far hypermak.

The law of averages will definitely catch up with him. He'll get his street lesson soon enough with that nasty attitude of his.