[calvino]

today I was on a Shell station pumping gas and a young mother (20-25 years old) with her baby ( 3 years old) was asking for money to put gas.

when she came to me she told me that she live on Halailah ( we were on Ft Lauderdale) and did not have any money left for gas.

I felt bad for the baby and since she was a young mother I help her with $10

the guy that was pumping gas next to me that refuse giving her money said "don't look at me like that you don't see me driving a BMW" I barely have enough money to fill up my tank ( he was driving an old pick up truck)


I told one of my friends and she told me "why did you give her money" is her fault for being irresponsible and not salving money for gas.

would you guys do the same, give gas money to a stranger ?

[.:bHd:.]

The world needs more people like you!

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by .:bHd:.

The world needs more people like you!

needs more of those who do it, and dont post threads about it to show off actually



jkjkjk

[Biturbo335i]

You are a nice person for doing that. But when I was younger, some lady did this to my mom at a rest stop off the highway, and when we went in the store the lady was buying food and cigarettes with the money. Just a scam haha... So while what you did was generous, and kind, I just see myself having a hard time doing this because like your friend said, its her own fault for being stupid.

[bsamoul]

I would probably give her money too, if she looked like she needed it. A couple years ago I was walking in San Francisco and I had just gotten a Big Mac from McDonalds and there was this homeless guy who had a sign saying he needed food. I felt sorry for him and gave him my Big Mac. He snarled at me and 5 seconds later I saw him just throw it in the garbage untouched. He yelled at me saying why couldn't I just have given him money. That moment has always been in the back of my mind when I see someone begging for money. But good job, you have a big heart.

[calvino]

Originally Posted by Biturbo335i

Ywe went in the store the lady was buying food and cigarettes with the money. Just a scam haha...

I thought about that, so I went inside the store and told the guy to put $10 on the gas station were she was . I notice that her car had a hard time starting up so I guess that she was really out of gas.

[Chowbow]

Hard to say, if I would, I'd give pay the gas station attendant so they don't use the money for something else.

I've had the same experience where I gave money to somebody for food and they went and bought booze. I offered food once (good food too), and the homeless lady damn near threw it back at me.

My goodwill has oftentimes not gotten very far... The way I think of it now is I pay my taxes and homeless people can get care through the government. I'm not offering anything else since it seems unappreciated anyway, so they can just live off my tax dollars.

[Alpine]

+1 To everybody.

I think this is a very 'gray area' topic. I think deep down we'd like to help the person, but at the same time we're wondering if its another person just wanting to go buy liquor. I've been approached at gas stations many times, but most of the time people are just asking for money, not gas money.

The thing is, here in Nashville, we have the Nashville Rescue Mission which is a safe haven for the homeless to have free food and shelter whenever they want it. Its really hard for me to have compassion for these kinds of people downtown when I know (and they know too) that they're there by choice, not because of some horrible thing that happened to them. If they really needed food as bad as they say they do, they can just go around the corner to the rescue mission and get as much as they want for free.

The circumstance varies from person to person though. You never know what someone has been through; if they're really struggling for money, or if they're just lying to you so they can buy liquor. I guess that brings us right back to square 1- It's a gray area subject.

[E90330iS]

I say just do it if you feel like it and don't expect any positive return. I personally will not do it because I feel like a person who bring himself to that state is rediculously low and do not deserve respect let alone money for drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol.

[npb]

total scam. can't afford gas? don't drive a car. the world is full of shady people. if it was a friend who needed a quick buck for gas money? absolutely. but some stranger? no thanks.

[siriusinvestor]

+1, During the summer I was filling my car up with gas, this shady d00d walks up to me and asks "Can I get a ride down the road?" I just tried not to make eye contact, and I will admit, I am a minority, so I pretended like I didn't speak English. I just thought it was a strange request, it's not like I live in a rural area I literally live 25-30 mins driving distance out of Manhattan on a good traffic situation., he could have walked down the road or maybe took a bus/cab. Strange.

PS - When I give money to bums, I expect them to get liquor or beer. I don't try to think, well maybe they will buy food with it. I just figure, their lives are already pretty fucked up, might as well help them ease the pain. But that's just my humble opinion.

[imolazhp_ci]

one time someone in NM asked me for gas money and i told them i would fill up their tank on my company gas card and they requested cash. i told them no. they left.

[murellus]

a lot of the times these things are scams...although since she had a young child it might not be...i would be hesitant

[siriusinvestor]

Originally Posted by imolazhp_ci

one time someone in NM asked me for gas money and i told them i would fill up their tank on my company gas card and they requested cash. i told them no. they left.

Wow that's actually not a bad plan to weed out the scam artists.

[asdflkijd]

Usually end up giving them a couple of bucks..

[madman]

I would have paid to fill up her tank. I often help people out who are not as fortunate as I am.

Some people find themselves in bad situations all the time and its not always their own faults.

Although it may have been a scam, so I would have descretely watched her / followed her for a little while and if she went around the corner and her guy jumped in the car then they drove into a restaurent I would have:

A: asked for my money back or
B: reported her to the police / child services.

I am however a believer in Karma. You do good things and good things will happen to you.

[Gearcraft]

i would give money to a stranger once. cause if its a stranger i expect to see the person only once. i wouldnt care where the money would go. i try to give them one chance at least. if i see the same person again in the same place or even somewhere else then NO.

when i was working in Tustin, a woman with her husband asked me for gas money to get to san bernardino and i gave her a few bucks seeing that she also had a child but after i gave her the money she thanked me and mentioned me that she was also pregnant.... that really pissed me off... i was telling myself "Well... I didnt tell you to get pregnant and end up asking total strangers for money..."

it just really annoys me when people try to make you feel pity of their situations.

i also believe in karma and angels in disguise although it may seem really silly.

[Eazyrock]

It might have been a scam but regardless I'd help her out. At worst it'd cost me what? a 20.. no biggie. Then again I've gone as far as giving a toll booth attendant a 10 to pay for the car behind me that let me cut in line during some sick traffic.(before ezpass) The world needs more kind people. Props to you bro.

eazy

[Bubbles]

Ah yes the perks of South Florida.

[turbocoins]

Well done. You helped someone. +1 to the Karma comment above.

btw, just because it could be a scam in some cases doesn't mean that you shouldn't do it. Don't let the bad folks stop the good folks from doing good things.

[LEDZEP]

Sucker. Oldest scam in the books. She probably made $200 that day with that story.

They rely on your sympathy and humanity. And they steal from you. It's tough, because you always ask yourself "what if this one is telling the truth?". But they never are.

[e90fanatic]

it depends...i've seen other cases. most of them are scams...like give them 2 dollars to take the bus...if it's legit i dont mind but most of them are just taking benefit of the good heart. i assume you actually SAW a BABY???