I have been in Beijing a week and seen only 2 beggars. They both appeared to be truly needy. I decided before I arrived that I would not give money to beggars. "There will be so many," I thought. "I can't help them all, so I must be callous about it." But in a week I have seen only 2 and must face that--if this week is representative--I actually could help all who ask.
My harsh thinking about begging has been molded by America, where so many who ask for handouts--whether from passersby or from the taxpayers--could work if they would. I once offered work to a guy who had a sign, "Will work for food." I offerred $10/hour and he said, "Screw that."
America and Europe have armies of people who refuse to work because they can't do the work they want to do. The exaggerated disabilities, the fraudulent reports to doctors, the I'm-owed-by-the-system laziholics. If you can drive a car and pull a one-armed bandit, then how bad can your carpal tunnel syndrome (which it turns out is no more common in typists than the population in general) be.
At the risk of sounding like an apologist for China, I think She tips the scale in her favor when it comes to Honesty.
