Anonymous panhandler.
photo credit: *clairity*Jonas is a bum. A panhandler. It’s hard to think of Jonas as a capitalist, but much of what he does every day closely mimics what big time capitalists do. You know, those capitalist marketers who manipulate images and carefully construct narratives to separate the mind from reason and exploit the emotions—all in an effort to get you to do something, buy something, or vote a particular way.
Just as unsightly billboards leap in front of you as you drive along city streets, insisting that you make space in your consciousness for their bold, simple messages, or as an unexpected popup ad in your browser window confronts you with a demand for action, Jonas may appear on the walkway between your car and the front door of McDonald’s® with a simple message of his own—a request for money. Small change. A couple of bucks. Jonas goes for whatever his experience tells him you might be good for.
The power of the narrative is not lost on Jonas. Like all good marketers, he tries to tailor his message to fit the demographic. He knows that greeting an ex-Marine with a robust “Semper Fi,” or softening his approach to a lady wearing a cross with an introductory “God bless you,” can go a long way toward separating the mark from the money. His objective is always the same—get the money.
If Jonas tells you a story about how he’s a down-on-his-luck Gulf War vet trying to get to Chattanooga to visit his sister who’s in a coma, it’s because he thinks you’ll like that story better than the truth. He thinks it’s more likely to persuade you to help him than telling you up front that he’s a bum, he’s broke, and he needs to get up the money for a room, a meal and a snort. It’s his narrative, the best one he’s been able to come up with today.
For sure, Jonas’ narrative isn’t such a good one. Nobody said Jonas is as talented as his big time capitalist marketer counterparts—just that he does the same things.
I don’t know why Jonas is homeless. It doesn’t really matter. Whether unavoidable misfortune landed him on the street or an ill spent youth lead him down a path of failures, one thing’s for sure—sleeping on the street is uncomfortable and dangerous business. I hope he can avoid it tonight.
Being hungry is no joke, either. Hunger isn’t only unpleasant, it’s unhealthy. It can lead to some every unpleasant things. I know I’d say just about anything to keep from being hungry. I’ll bet you would too.
And, as for the snort, I guess Jonas needs it. No, it isn’t good for him. Yep, it may be killing him. He could do without it, but it helps him do what he does. It helps him forget who he is and the humiliating things he has to do to keep body and soul together. They’d be humiliating to you, right? They are to Jonas, too.
Sometimes he just feels like demanding your money. Sometimes he feels like just taking it away from you. Maybe you’ve got just an average amount of stuff, but Jonas has nothing. To him, you’re one of the wealthy and privileged.
You’ve got a reasonably nice car, wear clothes you bought at the mall, and Jonas was watching when you came out of that trendy restaurant. You’re young and on your way up.
Jonas walks everywhere he goes, gets free clothes at the local shelter, and isn’t allowed in any eatery in town. He’s old and on his way out.
There’s no doubt, Jonas can be a pain in the butt. He knows that too. You hope he engages the guy walking in front of you and lets you pass unnoticed. He wishes he was you.
“Hey, Jonas, how’s things going in the world?” I ask him every time I see him on the street.
“I don’t know, man. Not so good,” he replied this morning. “You know, there’s some real good people in the world. Say good morning… a couple even take a minute to stop and chat. Maybe they got something for me, maybe they don’t.
“But, I don’t know, man,” he continued. “A lot of these people out here are sour as old milk. Maybe one of them gives me a dollar and, if they do, I take it ‘cause I need it bad. But, they look at me real sour like I ain’t no man. That money costs a lot.”
Jonas, I forgot to mention, is a philosopher, poet and pundit.
Jonas, so many forget to notice, is a human being.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
You have a way of cutting right to the chase. I am guilty as charged of wanting to avoid all panhandlers when I should be seeking out the homeless to see how I can help. It seems like I don’t have a lot, but it must seem to them like I am a Rockefeller. Like everyone else I want to help as long as I don’t really feel it. Charity and compassion are just like exercise. No pain no gain. We should all be giving cheerfully to help these people in any way we can.
I often wonder how the people I pass see me. There is a guy who plays with me everyday to see what I’ll do. I’m probably not the only one he messes with. Mormally I ignore his taunts. “Heh, heh. So, how are you today? Hello, hello, hello.” I’m thinking next time I’m about to pass I’ll stop and ask him how many real conversations he’s had lately.