"So are you a Christian man?"

[Tsyroc]

"So are you a Christian man?"

That's what a guy said to me today as he tried to mooch money and/or a ride off of me. It is the second time in 3 trips to a paticular Blockbuster video store that I've had someone hit me up for money.

I liked the added bit of "con" that this guy added by throwing out the "Christian Man" thing. He may have meant it since he was supposedly in town to see a pastor whose address he showed me. In this guy's case I don't understand why he would take a Greyhound bus from Tempe to Tucson and then not have the money to get where he was going, or at least have someone pick him up.


The ride thing wasn't a new one for me. The other time someone I didn't know asked me for a ride I was outside a Circle K (convienence store). This particular store ususually has an armed security guard because people steal stuff out of it so often. In this case the guy was being freakin' lazy because where he wanted to go was less than a mile away.


The best pan handle move I've encountered this year was the deaf guy who came to the door of my house and used the old "I"m from out of town and ran out of gas. My old lady is with the car routine".


Soooo, if anyone who doesn't already live here is considering moving to Arizona, unless you're buying an old Titan missile silo, I'd personally advise against it. Not just because of the pan handling but for all kinds of reasons. #1 being that our schools routinely score near the bottom natinally. Now picture a populous of citizens who dropped out or just barely graduated from schools like that.

[NecronLord]

A christian tar is a....
.....
his jaw be ever ready for a knockout blow

[EmperorMing]

Your schools are the lowest in the nation!?!

And I thought the ones in Texas were bad enough...

[Robert Treder]

It is the second time in 3 trips to a paticular Blockbuster video store that I've had someone hit me up for money.

Just go to Hollywood Video.

[Darth Cuba]

Or do what I do and steal all of your movies from people that're coming out of video stores. So you get some stinkers every once in awhile, but you can't lose hope. Because someday, yes someday, you'll get Back to the Future Part II.

[Lagmonster]

It is the second time in 3 trips to a paticular Blockbuster video store that I've had someone hit me up for money.

I never give money to anyone on the street. And I've been called 'heartless' and 'uncharitable' for it, too. But I say the hell with it; if I'm going to be charitable, I give my money to groups and institutions that I know are doing something valuable for society, not random drunks sitting on a street corner.

[Damaramu]

We should make them earn the money.

Next time a bum hits you up for cash, make him tell you a joke. Or ask him some Questions 3. Or better yet, make him dance.

"You heard me. You want money? Earn it! DANCE!!!"

If it were the old west, you could just shoot at his feet.

[neoolong]

If you ever see the same one again, ask them for money. Hey, you have the same right that they do to ask for money.

[Shadowhawk]

A few months ago, after I got out of my car in Best Buy's parking lot, a guy came up to me asking for gas money. That he was on his way home from church and ran out of gas and apparently couldn't afford to go get a couple gallons at one of the dozen gas stations one can find within 2 miles of a mall.
While he was still trying to con me out of my money, a Best Buy security guard came up and told the guy that he was tired of telling him to leave.

Just the other day, I was leaving a different Best Buy, when I was at a stoplight. Some guy came up to my car (I had seen him do it to a car in front of me, and I locked my doors then), and did some gesturing with a spray bottle. I just waved him away. The car behind me, though, talked to him; the driver even seemed to take a couple pieces of candy from him for the kids in the back of the car.

These people annoy me.

[Steve]

Tsy, to the question in the thread title, you should have answered:
"No, I'm an atheist archconservative social Darwinist. Fuck off."

[Tsyroc]

Your schools are the lowest in the nation!?!

And I thought the ones in Texas were bad enough...

They usually aren't the absolute lowest but typically run in the bottom five.

[Tsyroc]

It is the second time in 3 trips to a paticular Blockbuster video store that I've had someone hit me up for money.

Just go to Hollywood Video.

I might have to do that. Or at least start going to a different store.

[Tsyroc]

It is the second time in 3 trips to a paticular Blockbuster video store that I've had someone hit me up for money.

I never give money to anyone on the street. And I've been called 'heartless' and 'uncharitable' for it, too. But I say the hell with it; if I'm going to be charitable, I give my money to groups and institutions that I know are doing something valuable for society, not random drunks sitting on a street corner.

I spent a lot of time in Oakland and Berkley while I was in the Navy so I've had a lot of experience with people hitting me up for money. You are aboslutely correct that you are much better off giving charitable donations (if you're so inclined) to organizations.

I guess my main problem is that I'm out of practice in dealing with them because I'm anti-social and work nights.

Within the last two years Tucson past a law banning people from hawking things or begging in the road medians. Of course there was a lot of crying from the the left but luckilly the annoyance factor overruled any misplaced compassion.

[Tsyroc]

A few months ago, after I got out of my car in Best Buy's parking lot, a guy came up to me asking for gas money. That he was on his way home from church and ran out of gas and apparently couldn't afford to go get a couple gallons at one of the dozen gas stations one can find within 2 miles of a mall.
While he was still trying to con me out of my money, a Best Buy security guard came up and told the guy that he was tired of telling him to leave.

Just the other day, I was leaving a different Best Buy, when I was at a stoplight. Some guy came up to my car (I had seen him do it to a car in front of me, and I locked my doors then), and did some gesturing with a spray bottle. I just waved him away. The car behind me, though, talked to him; the driver even seemed to take a couple pieces of candy from him for the kids in the back of the car.

These people annoy me.

They annoy the crap out of me too.

I'm considering mentioning the problem to the manager of that Blockbuster to see if it would improve. I doubt it. I'd probably be better off going to Hollywood Video or a different Blockbuster (I'm equal distant between two of them).

Funny thing you mention security guards. I was eating at a Burger King in Oakland and this guy comes in sits down at my table and begins to hit me up for money. This was annoying but soon the Burger King security guard came over and threw him out while chewing his ass for being rude and interupting people while they were eating.

The fact that a Burger King needs a security guard is just sad & funny.

[Lagmonster]

I guess my main problem is that I'm out of practice in dealing with them because I'm anti-social and work nights.

Just be ready. Beggars aren't necessarily dangerous, but they can be desperate. I've met everything from the 'traveling student' who claims to be backpacking across the country and is broke to the near-insane hobo who tries to eat your hand on the subway.

In any case, I don't like to encourage begging. If no one gave to beggars, it might force them to make better use of institutions that give help to the homeless.