(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Top Comments: Notebook #119: Some rules of the road [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-21 Here at Top Comments we welcome longtime as well as brand new Daily Kos readers to join us at 10pm Eastern. We strive to nourish community by rounding up some of the site's best, funniest, most mojo'd & most informative commentary, and we depend on your help!! If you see a comment by another Kossack that deserves wider recognition, please send it either to topcomments at gmail or to the Top Comments group mailbox by 9:30pm Eastern. Please please please include a few words about why you sent it in as well as your user name (even if you think we know it already :-)), so we can credit you with the find! As I was walking outside of Target earlier today, a man was sitting on the ground (looking like he had been through one) and asked me for some change. He did not state what he wanted the money for (and I don’t care at all about that, in any event) but he did ask me as if I owed him something. Before I go any further, I should say that I have been homeless before— it’s been years ago now— and I am one step away from homelessness even now. I know some of the homeless people that frequent the area that I live in. It’s a subject that I haven’t written much about but people do notice that I’m a little better off nowadays. Many don’t ask me for anything. Some do. If I have it to give at the time, I usually do. Maybe I’ll do it twice in one day. I’ve bought homeless people food and I will sit down and eat with those homeless people that I know, on occasion. I don’t have an attitude of “I got mine now you get yours” about encounters with panhandlers although...if I appear to be in a mood that I don’t want to be bothered than I strongly suggest that one doesn't bother me. In my varied stints of being homeless, I only panhandled once. It was outside of Penn Station in New York City, I was dressed like some sort of Village refuge and I made about five dollars, I think; just enough to go get a quick bite to eat (this was in the days before I started excessively drinking). Panhandling is something that I could never do...too much rejection for me. So...I will confess to being a little envious of people who do make their money that way. I can’t do it. If you’re asking me for money...well, most of the time I don’t have like that to give; occasionally I do but here’s the thing. 1) Don’t act is if I owe you something. A panhandler doesn't need a positive attitude or anything like that, but don’t be too aggressive. 2) If you want money, DON’T tell me that you need it for something to eat.I will give or buy you something to eat, in that event. It is not necessary to give me any information. Although, those panhandlers that have actually said that they need money for a drink, I usually do give them the money for a drink (even though I shouldn’t) out of appreciation for their honesty. 3) If you are performing on the streets or the el, be entertaining and give a damn good show and I will give a little extra, if I have it at all. I love good street performers. I know how rough it can be, especially when we’ve been out “on the grid.” I remember it very well and...who knows, I may encounter it again. Comments below the fold. TOP COMMENTS Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down. Please remember that comment inclusion in Top Comments does not constitute support or endorsement by diarist, formatter, Top Comments writers or DailyKos. Questions, complaints or comments? Contact brillig. From Crashing Vor: learn identifies a new disease for the DSM: donmentia. Posted to Greg Dworkin’s Abbreviated Pundit Roundup this morning. TOP MOJO Top Mojo for yesterday, Thursday, June 20, 2024, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! 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