CHINA, NATIONAL, SOCIETY, EDITORIAL: The Cold, Hard Truth About Beggars
By Song Mo
A ragged girl begs regularly in Gong Zhu Fen, one of the busiest areas in Beijing. She is about eight or nine years old, without arms. Her begging bowl is always full of money. Unlike other beggars, she does not kowtow or cry for money, what she does is hold a waterish brush pen in her mouth, which she uses to write such words: "I do want to go to school! I do not want to quit! But I cannot afford my tuition." Her penmanship is excellent, which captures all the passers-by's attention. People are moved and give her money, one after another.
Admittedly, the girl looks really pitiful and she deserves people's help. But are they doing the right thing, even if the girl is in great difficulty? Every time I pass by, I do not give her money. It seems that I am indifferent to those who need our help; however, as far as I am concerned, giving money to beggars is not the right thing to do. This is because, in the first place, passers-by's aid is quite confined. The girl's begging bowl is filled with small change, the total amount is no more than ten Yuan. If the girl wants to save her tuition at such a speed, she will beg for quite a long time. What is more, the girl cannot depend on begging all her life. It is precarious, and cannot solve her problem once and for all.
To a larger extent, almsgiving can only deteriorate the whole thing. That is to say, if people keep on giving beggars money, then some people, like those who want to reap the fruits of other people's toil, will take advantage and pretend to be beggars. Thereupon, kind people, in this sense, promote a thriving market for them. In the end, there will be more and more beggars, and the whole matter will become a vicious circle. Surely no one wants to wear worn-out clothes, make oneself stinky and kowtow to others with no money gained; thus, If no one gives money, the beggar problem will be reduced and eventually vanish altogether.
On the other hand, it is better for the government to take measures. If citizens really want to help those who need it, it is better that they give to the relevant relief organizations.
The beggar problem is a headache for governments in nearly all nations. It is undeniable that in nowadays China, with the economy developing so fast and the gap between rich and poor widening, begging has become one of the most serious phenomena, which arouses the close attention of both the government and the public. It is so complicated that that there seems no golden means to deal with it.
In the first place, the government cannot arbitrarily stop all begging activities. Though it may prevent some begging, there will still be a great number of beggars living off their begging bowl. If we break their bowl, how will they live? Moreover, some beggars do not just beg for a living, but also for their children's education or medical expenses, and the like. So just housing them and taking care of their room and board does not work, either.
In the second place, it is rather difficult to regulate beggars. The number of beggars is vast, and they are free to go wherever they want. In addition, there is no potent law available. Once it was stipulated that a beggar would get a ten-Yuan fine if arrested. However, it turned out to be ineffective. Beggars can easily earn ten Yuan in one day, but it is hard to get arrested everyday.
A better idea might be what is happening in Minneapolis, the biggest city in the State of Minnesota, in the United States, where a new measure will provide each beggar a "qualification card" to regulate begging activities. If anyone begs without the card, one will be fined or even stay in prison for up to thirty days.
It is not a bad decision, just as Chief Williams of the Minneapolis police said, "Our purpose is not to punish them or drive them away; what we want is to regulate their way of begging." In my opinion, it might be a good measure: on the one hand, it prevents the increase of beggars who take begging as their profession; on the other hand, it helps those who need help.
In today's China, we have a long way to go to find the best solution to this phenomenon. It is not a bad choice to learn from the experience of others, such as Minneapolis. Nevertheless, it is impossible to solve this problem solely through government. It is also necessary for our citizens to establish and donate to charities to help beggars. All things considered, ultimately achieving common prosperity is the most ideal solution to this problem. Which is much easier said than done, of course.
A ragged girl begs regularly in Gong Zhu Fen, one of the busiest areas in Beijing. She is about eight or nine years old, without arms. Her begging bowl is always full of money. Unlike other beggars, she does not kowtow or cry for money, what she does is hold a waterish brush pen in her mouth, which she uses to write such words: "I do want to go to school! I do not want to quit! But I cannot afford my tuition." Her penmanship is excellent, which captures all the passers-by's attention. People are moved and give her money, one after another.
Admittedly, the girl looks really pitiful and she deserves people's help. But are they doing the right thing, even if the girl is in great difficulty? Every time I pass by, I do not give her money. It seems that I am indifferent to those who need our help; however, as far as I am concerned, giving money to beggars is not the right thing to do. This is because, in the first place, passers-by's aid is quite confined. The girl's begging bowl is filled with small change, the total amount is no more than ten Yuan. If the girl wants to save her tuition at such a speed, she will beg for quite a long time. What is more, the girl cannot depend on begging all her life. It is precarious, and cannot solve her problem once and for all.
To a larger extent, almsgiving can only deteriorate the whole thing. That is to say, if people keep on giving beggars money, then some people, like those who want to reap the fruits of other people's toil, will take advantage and pretend to be beggars. Thereupon, kind people, in this sense, promote a thriving market for them. In the end, there will be more and more beggars, and the whole matter will become a vicious circle. Surely no one wants to wear worn-out clothes, make oneself stinky and kowtow to others with no money gained; thus, If no one gives money, the beggar problem will be reduced and eventually vanish altogether.
On the other hand, it is better for the government to take measures. If citizens really want to help those who need it, it is better that they give to the relevant relief organizations.
The beggar problem is a headache for governments in nearly all nations. It is undeniable that in nowadays China, with the economy developing so fast and the gap between rich and poor widening, begging has become one of the most serious phenomena, which arouses the close attention of both the government and the public. It is so complicated that that there seems no golden means to deal with it.
In the first place, the government cannot arbitrarily stop all begging activities. Though it may prevent some begging, there will still be a great number of beggars living off their begging bowl. If we break their bowl, how will they live? Moreover, some beggars do not just beg for a living, but also for their children's education or medical expenses, and the like. So just housing them and taking care of their room and board does not work, either.
In the second place, it is rather difficult to regulate beggars. The number of beggars is vast, and they are free to go wherever they want. In addition, there is no potent law available. Once it was stipulated that a beggar would get a ten-Yuan fine if arrested. However, it turned out to be ineffective. Beggars can easily earn ten Yuan in one day, but it is hard to get arrested everyday.
A better idea might be what is happening in Minneapolis, the biggest city in the State of Minnesota, in the United States, where a new measure will provide each beggar a "qualification card" to regulate begging activities. If anyone begs without the card, one will be fined or even stay in prison for up to thirty days.
It is not a bad decision, just as Chief Williams of the Minneapolis police said, "Our purpose is not to punish them or drive them away; what we want is to regulate their way of begging." In my opinion, it might be a good measure: on the one hand, it prevents the increase of beggars who take begging as their profession; on the other hand, it helps those who need help.
In today's China, we have a long way to go to find the best solution to this phenomenon. It is not a bad choice to learn from the experience of others, such as Minneapolis. Nevertheless, it is impossible to solve this problem solely through government. It is also necessary for our citizens to establish and donate to charities to help beggars. All things considered, ultimately achieving common prosperity is the most ideal solution to this problem. Which is much easier said than done, of course.
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