Merry Grinch Scrooge

Its okay to Grinch. Its wild to Scrooge. One can do it with a smile to boot.

Yes, at this time of year during the festive season, one is supposed to have that Christian spirit of charity and good will. The point of this discourse is that you can have humanity and do the Grinch Scrooge (GS).

All these do-gooders, all of a sudden burdened with guilt of their 364 greed function descend on the poorest of the poor to give out food, rucksacks, blankets, soap and shaving items. Trust me. Poverty is 365 days per with the exception of Leap Year when the poor are blessed with a single rich day. The do-gooders never hand out the one precious human commodity which is respect.

Ask the do-gooders, they know nothing of the people they hand out too. They will always say we gave out this number of blankets or that number pounds of food. Never do these people hand out to Charlie, Mike, Dave or John.

Being on the other side of the lineup the receivers are rarely happy about having to take hand outs even at Christmas time. Yes there are some guys or gals that do believe in taking. Most however come out of Christmas still poor, embarrased, depressed and very alone. There is no comfort in constant necessity. There is no vacation, no weekend, no hour free.

Where does being a poor Grinch Scrooge come into this? You see. I got this thing about giving out a dollar and having that coin cross the palm of a crack dealer barely fifteen minutes later. Crack users aren't your normal drug users. Crackheads become the modern vampires. The best gift one can give a crack user is absolutely nothing. Normally it won't bother them one way or another. Its one of the rare cases where knowing how to be a Grinch Scrooge is a real benefit to society.

Often crackheads bum change for coffee standing right outside a coffee drop-in where there is a free pot of coffee. Of course to the uninitiated passer-by this sort of panhandling can assuage any guilt feeling by giving the beggar cash.

My common favorite Grinch Scrooge to crack heads begging for food money. The only thing a poor Grinch Scrooge like me has is knowledge. Where is the free or low cost food points available. “Oh sir, can we have money for food. I am so hungry.”

The reply goes. ...Yeah no problem. The food restaurant at Fred Victor Mission is still open. There are free tickets down in reception. Crack heads bugger off.

Another version of this, is to offer to buy them a breakfast, because I(me) is going there for breakfast. Crack heads bugger off. I've never had that offer taken up in this neighborhood.

The personal highlight of Grinch Scrooging happened last year. It is the fad of crackhead panhandlers to wear those ugly red Santa caps. It is common amongst crack beggars.

Crackheads use the caps to generate empathy in the marks. Mark, that's you. The Santa cap says gee I am in the Christmas spirit. You are in the Christmas spirit. You will give me a large amount of spare change.

Walking with an acquaintance we were accosted. So this female crack user employed the Santa cap trick. “Hey Sir. Any spare change?”

I stuck my hand out. “Sure, I'll take some.”
She stuck mouth open. “Ugghm, I meant you.”

“Ya, I'll take some.” I remarked.

She ran off. I went beyond the depth of understanding for any crack user.

Buddy goes. “What gives?”

I chirped loudly both to him and the retreating cracker, “Santa's are supposed to give.”