...notice that we reserve help for those who DON'T need it?

First of all, I'm sorry for the story gap. There will be a new one up soon.

So, as I was walking down the hall after class, I noticed a student curled up on a bench outside the ticket office. He had been there for a while I think. There was nobody bothering him, of course, or asking him to get up - move along. Had that been a homeless man, not only would security most likely have been brought in, but on a personal level, I probably would have felt very uncomfortable as would most others that were walking through that hall (I assume). It made me think, it's interesting how the fact that the student had a place to sleep and didn't actually NEED to be sleeping on the bench made it ok whereas if someone who did not have a place to sleep and actually needed to sleep there, it's unacceptable.

Side points:
1. Yes, there is a higher probably of a homeless man being a threat than a student.
2. Yes, the student "belongs" here and therefore is not technically loitering.

I often think of this when a stranger asks me to borrow a quarter or, I ask a stranger to borrow a quarter when I'm a few cents short at the check out line or something. Because that person doesn't actually need the quarter, you are to happy to give it to him. Change that into a homeless person who would truly benefit from it (arguably), and you are more likely to ignore him.

I think that is because it's socially acceptable to ignore someone who is out begging, but if the guy in line asks if you have an extra quarter, it would be rude to ignore him.

This may become very pertinent to this blog because there's a good chance that Sean will soon be out of a place to live...although, he'll be happy to just keep living!