Interesting "Begging" Moments in Grenada

My parents took me to South America several times during my adolescence where I saw atrocious poverty. The trips were very positive experiences, even tho I'd seen starving children and a 12-year-old girl jailed for prostitution. Impoverished people don't look you in the eye; they've aged 50 years; they stink; their teeth are wretched. It's unbelievable, heart-breaking, shocking, unjustified, and confusing.

Then I moved to Grenada, where there is a different stage of the lack of human dignity. I'll call this form Self-Entitled Demands:

• I've been demanded a dollar from a man who is wearing a Ralph Lauren polo shirt.

• I've been asked for a dollar from a man, who, after I rejected him, then asked for my phone number and which hotel I was staying in.

• I've seen about a dozen kids running around, laughing, having a fabulous childhood... Stop when they see me, try to self-induce tears, and ask for my leftover food in my hand. Or a dollar.

• I've had a heavily-muscled guy holler at me from across the street to give him a dollar.

• I've seen an older woman dump out the same sob-story, while wearing a different outfit every day. 

• My friend has been approached by the same guy ("Please miss! I'm blind!") several times until she finally had the opportunity to call him out. Once he got frustrated with her: "Take your headphones out! Stop ignoring me!" To which she replied, "If you're blind, how do you know I have headphones in?" She got a stunned silence in reply.

I've been told by our local security guards, Gary & Dwayne, who by the way are fabulous guys, that most of these people are fakes. Why else do they ask for money from white strangers? Because the folks who live here know they're liars. For example, those particular "begging" kids go to a private school and are kissed good-night by their parents. The older woman goes home to her wealthy son's house to sleep and eat every night. And I'm sorry, but if you're wearing a high-end brand of shirt that is clean and smells nice, you're not starving.

What makes me the most crazy about these bull-sh*t beggars is that they make things worse for real beggars. Plus, they don't even have the decency to try to con me! They think I'm that stupid! At least in Salt Lake City, the con artists have the decency to dress the part.

Now, before you get too offended by my indignation, I know that these entitled behaviors are human, not limited by culture or race. I do see a few people who are struggling. There are two really old guys, an old lady, and a 30-year-old guy who I thinks must have schizophrenia. And I get the feeling that the community keeps its eye on these individuals. I think even one of the old men and the old lady goes home to a family.

I'd want to grow old and senile here. That's a nice thing about living on an island where everyone knows each other and it never gets below 65 degrees Fahrenheit. You get to wander around, do what you want, probably leave when you want, and it's highly likely that you're being observed by another human being is who knows you.

So to rationalize and feel better about all of this, I've donated a little bit of cash to Grenada's "Feed the Homeless" program. I'm definitely not a saint, but I'm not heartless!