The Good

Good day ladies and gents.

In this blog post, I want to introduce to you all to my independent project: “Please, sir, I want some more.” Please pat yourself on the back if you were able to discern the title of my project. It is indeed a quote from Oliver Twist, a classic written by Charles Dickens. Within the scene that the quote is said, Oliver Twist is begging for more food. That is, his hypothalamus, the hunger regulation area of his brain is sending and receiving signals that are informing him that he is still hungry. After knowing this, the reward system in his brain (Nucleus Accumben, Substantia Nigra, and so on) thus motivates him to ask for more food – gambling in hopes that the first time he asks will be successful.

Why would I do a 180 and quote Oliver Twist some of you may ask, my answer for you lies in Oliver’s actions: Oliver begs for food – and he does so even though the chances that he will receive seconds are quite slim.

What is begging?

Wikipedia (I know, but Wikipedia is getting quite scholarly) defines begging as a verb that means to entreat earnestly, implore, and supplicate. It is an act that occurs for the purpose of securing a material benefit in the form of a gift, donation or charitable donation. As mentioned before, begging is an act for the purpose of securing a material benefit, therefore begging can be a means to receive both tangible and intangible rewards: money, cigarettes, alcohol, or favors.

Now if you made it through all those words, I’m grateful. However, it is in this paragraph that I clarify what my project is truly about. I want to talk about the state of begging as it applies to the theme of my global seminar of the Psychology of Addiction, Power, and Buddhism. More specifically, I want to talk about begging in Thailand. In doing so, I hope to cover aspects of begging as it remains relevant to the three central themes of this seminar. I want to talk about the causes and sources for begging in Thailand, that is what are the reasons for begging, and what social structures are at play that results in people (adolescents – elderly) begging. In addition, I want to further other forms of begging that is not looked down upon (at least within Thailand), such as Alms giving, an action performed by respected Buddhist monks. Lastly, I want to explore the future of beggars – as in as societies progress further, what will happen to beggars? Examples of ideas that bounce off this question pertains to: “What will happen to beggars? What will the government do to help beggars? If crime rate decreases, will there be fewer beggars (especially child beggars) and many more.”  Again, I want to remind you that although my topic is on begging, I will be focusing on begging as it pertains to adolescents and the elderly.

Alright, so let’s start this word expedition with a more detail description.

When you see a beggar (for the sake of our project) in Thailand, should you give them money? I mean especially coming from such a liberal state such as Minnesota. It appeals to our humanitarian identity. However, we have to stop and consider: are we really helping? Or are we hindering? Although there are homeless people worldwide, beggars in Thailand seem more pitiful compared to the rest. Why is this? Are not all homeless people the same? Don’t they all need our help?

The answer to this question is yes, however you have to look beyond the surface appearance of every situation. I realize that by making an assumption, I’m making an ass out of you and me (sorry for swearing), but the truth of the matter is, I can only make assumptions. A student on a global seminar can only do so much. With that being said, I realize that there are what I’m terming in this blog: legitimate beggars. These are beggars that beg for reasons originating from unemployment, economic recession, or other social factors that hinder them from their original state (such as disability that is mental, physical, or both). I understand this definition is quite loose in that it is imperfect, but in consideration to what I want to continue to say, I hope you will be able to bear with it for the meantime.

However, there are also illegitimate beggars. Again, there is no direct source that supports this as fact apart from possibly the government organizations. Nonetheless, there is still a collective traveler and local experience. That is, both locals and travelers of a nation have experienced either first-hand or have been connected to a beggar scam. What a beggar scam incorporates is a person that entreats material goods by posing as a legitimate beggar. However, it is in fact a false identity, and that they are not as disabled as they appear to be. Sources such as Goseasia.com, Voices.yahoo.com, and women-on-the-road.com have collectively mentioned a plethora of possibilities that distinguish situations as scams. Such examples when de-veiled reveal the beggar to actually not be disabled, are lying about their background and life story, and are forced to beg by higher ranking sources, and so on. If you have ever watched Slum dog Millionaire (or well, even have been “scammed” yourself), then you might understand the point I’m trying to get across.