Party On, Garth
9 July 2008 by Raindogzilla
Sure, he looks like Wayne’s friend, Garth, a couple decades after being forcibly removed from Wayne’s mother’s basement. But he’s actually Welsh Methodist minister, Derek Rigby, in his hobo kit, teaching his congregation a lesson about how they should treat the least among them. You know, that central instruction of Jeebus that today’s average christer so conveniently ignores? From Matthew 25:
“33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
So, how’d Rigby’s flock of sheep respond to the pseudobum in their midst?
“‘I had bought clothes from a charity shop” (he said), “which were immaculate - so I had to dirty them up a bit and I poured a bit of lager on them.
“When I got to the church I arranged a couple of cans and some plastic syringes, without needles, which I have at home for the dog. It gave the impression of a real down and out.”
He added: ” None of them spoke to me, apart from a few who told me off and told me to get away from their cars, which they kept checking.
“They all ignored me.””
Let’s see a show of hands from those who didn’t see that coming…
Props to Rigby. Both for the lesson and for the Foster’s.
9 July 2008, on 11:34 pm
But…but…religion is the source of morality…(lol)
9 July 2008, on 11:38 pm
I probably would’ve ignored him myself, but I will admit I feel incredibly sad every time I see a homeless person.
But then, at least I’m honest about it, right?
9 July 2008, on 11:57 pm
I remember when I was a teenager and during a church service one of the well-known homeless women who was a bit off in the head wandered in and the service was stopped, and she was escorted from the building. Her family lived in the area and didn’t want her. Must be awful to not to be wanted and no one to help you.
I am guilty also of walking past homeless people, mostly out of suspicion. Living in Chicago it is hard to tell the truly down and out from the ones who are just collecting money for drugs and booze. One time my father was asked by a homeless person for money and my father offered to take him to a restaurant and buy him a meal…he rejected the offer and walked off. My husband and I did that once to a homeless person sitting outside of a Wendy’s, saying he was hungry and could we spare a couple of dollars. We offered to go inside and buy him a whole meal and he said no, he would rather have the money. If he was really hungry you think he would have taken the offer of a full meal. I have wondered if the truly hungry are the ones who never ask.
10 July 2008, on 1:03 am
RDZ-Matt 25:40 is probably the one thing I took to heart from my Christian youth and never discarded. I think it’s the only verse Christians should really need to keep in mind about how to act. Even more than “Do unto others,” it’s would you treat Christ that way? Good for Derek Rigby for waking his congregation up.
I was putting groceries in my car at the store several months ago on a rainy night, when a shabbily dressed man walked up to me and said, “If I take you cart and put it up for you will you give me a few dollars for a sandwich?” I had $6 cash left in my wallet. I said, “I usually park right by the cart return, so you don’t need to take my cart. Here’s what I have; you’re welcome to it.” And I was thinking, “Please, don’t say, God bless you.”
He didn’t. He just looked a little surprised, said “Thanks” , took my cart for me anyway, and walked across the parking lot, where I saw him go into Subway. It had occurred to me he might not be really looking for food money, but I felt bad for him out dressed like that on a cold rainy night. Whatever he did with the six bucks to get him through seemed not for me to judge when I was going back to my warm, dry house.
10 July 2008, on 7:37 am
Especially in a larger city, the homeless can be so numerous that helping each individual is a fool’s errand. That and some of them are either not really in need or looking only to ease whatever jones they’ve got. I tend to steer clear of the aggressive ones who follow you down the sidewalk with their change cup rattling or regale captive subway car audiences with tales of woe and zero in on the more obviously helpless, the mentally ill, or the physically impaired. When I’m downtown Cincinnati, I’m usually armed with an up to date list of shelters/soup kitchens and a clutch of singles* in my pocket to disperse.
Other times, depending on my mood, I help sleeping bums get closer to Jeebus by dousing their blankets with gasoline and setting them alight…
*- in a strange way, the homeless are like really ugly strippers, who you’re paying more to keep their clothes on than the other way round. That and no lap dances, ideally.
10 July 2008, on 9:02 am
When I’m downtown Cincinnati, I’m usually armed with an up to date list of shelters/soup kitchens and a clutch of singles* in my pocket to disperse.
RDZ, that is an excellent idea.
I once had a woman follow me for two city blocks with her little girl (or so she said, and it is awful to exploit children that way) and she said she wanted money to feed her children. And when I started asking the child questions, the woman grabbed her by the hand and took off. The woman seemed quite desperate for the money ( I suspect for other things). If I had a child on the streets I most definitely would seek out the shelters whether they are run by Jeebus lovers or not.
There was once a story in the Trib about a man who posed as a homeless person on the streets of Chicago all summer long and collected enough money to travel to Florida and have a vacation every winter. He wasn’t really homeless, lived in public housing and had a low-paying job, but a job nevertheless. He was just using his homeless act for extra spending cash.
10 July 2008, on 12:09 pm
When I was in San Francisco last May, the homeless population there is one of the worst in the U.S. I mean, we’re talking there are more bums than tourists. And there were some who were completely honest, who had signs like: “Need money for booze.” Or my favorite: “Please donate to experimental alcohol research.”
10 July 2008, on 3:19 pm
>> it is hard to tell the truly down and out from the ones who are just collecting money for drugs and booze.<>There was once a story in the Trib about a man who posed as a homeless person on the streets of Chicago all summer long and collected enough money to travel to Florida and have a vacation <<
Right. Why aren’t you doing the same thing if it’s so easy? Because it’s degrading to beg? I guess you think degradation comes more naturally to some…not to YOU, of course.
10 July 2008, on 5:33 pm
CG, unbelievably, what Star said is true and there are quite a few that actually beg a living. When I lived on the streets in Dallas, years and years ago, my then girlfriend and I could panhandle a hundred bucks a day between us- which often paid for a motel room with scratch left over to drink the night away. After a while, even my high threshhold of shame was reached by the constant looks of scorn or pity but there were others who did it like a job. You know, staking out their corner by the downtown McDonalds by seven every weekday and spending the day with their hands out.
I think you misinterpreted Star’s comment to be some sort of protoconservatoid broadside against the homeless, which it wasn’t at all. Her point was that, since you can’t help everyone and since you’d like to think that you’re helping someone who really needs it, it can be difficult to differentiate between those who want a sandwich and those who want a pint of Wild Irish Rose. In a perfect world, I suppose, our approval- or not- of what the recipient does with our contribution shouldn’t effect the act itself but nobody wants to enable an addict or to help some shameless fuck make the nut on his timeshare in Boca.
Maybe we all should start carrying around little cards with the atheist script “A” on them and include them with all of our charitable giving.
10 July 2008, on 6:38 pm
Maybe we all should start carrying around little cards with the atheist script “A” on them and include them with all of our charitable giving.
RDZ, that is an EXCELLENT idea!
10 July 2008, on 8:34 pm
Something like so? No actual mention of the word “atheist” at all because it wouldn’t be about blowing our own horn. Cribbed the “A” from an OutCampaign.org design.
11 July 2008, on 12:26 pm
RDZ
Oh, YES! That would be perfect!
11 July 2008, on 10:20 pm
Back in the late 60’s and early 70’s I walked each morning from Penn Station to 46th and Park, back in the evening. Needless to say, being panhandled was common. Whenever I could I’d accommodate with a buck or two, offered with a proviso: “I’m glad to give you this on one condition.” “Yeah, mister, what, what?” “You’re not to spend it on food.” Talk about happy faces.