My iPhone died on the way back from the cinema last night, leaving me unable to barricade my mind with music whilst travelling through London. This never actually stops me listening to music of course, and if you did pass a man in a red coat singing to himself in Angel last night: Hello!
When getting onto the tube however, I was delighted to hear the almost whispered tones of some rather wonderful violin music floating through the air. It took me a few minutes to work out where on earth the noise was coming from, until I eventually spotted a gentlemen on the far side of the carriage playing an electric violin, seemingly lost in his own world. Finishing his quiet set, he stood up to take a bow, proclaiming brilliantly in his rough cockney accent: "Everyone loves a good fiddle", only be be greeting by a wall of silence thirty people long. Sure, this guy was haggard, drunk, and wearing the kind of 90's sweatshirt reserved solely for ironic students and the homeless. But fuck it, he played beautifully - so I gave him a brief standing ovation. Still no audience participation. Next stop was different however, as a chap with a shaved head and big brown boots had joined our carriage, sitting next to me. "Get a proper job, you useless cunt." He barked under his breath. I couldn't resist, and turned to face the man with a simple enquiry: "Can you play the fiddle?" - "No, but I've got a better job than that fucking cunt - leeching off other people..."
The temptation arose to continue with either a rhetorical question about leeching, or a further enquiry about what vocation this man held - but after quickly weighing up the factors I decided I was fairly fond of my face. I bit my tongue, we went our separate ways - but it did leave me thinking... I've little time for straight-up beggars, and yet I've got a real soft spot for any with musical talent. As crude as the man on the tube was last night, I suspect my hypocrisy isn't much better.
Generally I feel they're more deserving of money, as they're using their talents to earn it rather than just begging. But that's hardly fair; that bloke with a dog I walk past in the underpass might be a genius when it comes to architecture. Maybe possesses an incredible natural gift for computer programming. He probably doesn't - but if he does, what's he going to do to charm me? He can't. He's fucked.
The prescribed logic of modern western society informs us that it's wrong to treat anything in life as being black and white. I wholly agree with this, but realistically speaking...
Anyone else guilty?
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There's a tragic, human story behind every down and out, no doubt. But do I care? Not in the slightest. And that makes me feel like an absolute, pristine bastard. Somtimes I flip them a coin if I'm drunk and in a good mood, but never in the cold light of day. It's a hot potato, man. HOT.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's possible to emotionally take on board every single tragic situation you encounter in life. I put money in the homeless charity boxes as and when I can afford to. It's about the best I can manage.
ReplyDeleteMakes you wonder what that guy deems a "real job" though. Are all expressions of art for money invalid, or just the ones which don't actively shut out those who can't afford to or don't wish to pay to enjoy it?
To me I'm giving the busker money because they've brightened my day/world with good music, not because I think they might be homeless. The hypothetical genius architect is (unlikely to be homeless, but also...) perfectly at liberty to beg, borrow or steal a piece of chalk and get to drawing some pavement art. Maybe that's just me...
Maybe I'm rambling now. Squirrels. Nesting in my brain. Tried to warn you.
Great post though! Probably should've got to that point first. Sorry!
I can't be arsed squandering my money on individual causes when they're the symptom of a greater disease. In a society where people have no home, no money, no friends, no support or education of any kind, giving one of them a fiver is like trying to dry out a swamp with a grain of sand. It helps that person, sure, but it takes a lot more than pocket change to turn your life around. If you feel like making the effort to change someone's life, you've gotta properly invest. Get them motivated, fed, showered, drilled on job interview tactics, housed, get them some friends, get them a hobby. They're not just homeless - their entire lives are shattered.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather repair my own shattered life first, thanks. Sorry homeless dude!
I think you should have asked him about his job - I don't think anyone else is that fond of your face!
ReplyDeleteP.s. I'm not anonymous, i'm Ben JT, biyatch!