Begging includes the various methods used by persons to obtain money, food, shelter, drugs, alcohol, or other things from people they encounter. It is also referred to as sponging, spanging (short for "spare-changing") or (in American English) panhandling.
In larger cities, it is common to see beggars asking for money, food, or other items.
Forms of begging
Beggars will often share successful approaches or '"spange lines" which seem to attract more attention or to entice or entertain passersby. Examples include:
Long, often exaggerated stories of the mendicant's plight or some task they are trying to accomplish, such as traveling cross-country for some noble goal
A direct request for money for alcohol or drugs, in the hopes that the "honesty" approach will gain sympathy
"Clever" approaches such as "I'll bet you a dollar I have your name tattooed on my ass" (where the beggar has the actual words "Your Name" tattooed), or lines like "Do you have change for a dollar?" (since people are more likely to trade change than give it away) followed by "Can I have it?" when the mark shows he or she does in fact have change.
Requests for something other than expected (i.e. something other than money, food or cigarettes), such as "Can you spare a kidney?"
Stationing oneself either in or near vehicle traffic in order to peddle goods or solicit donations, for example walking between lanes at a red light; when this is done with a sign, it is often referred to as "flying". In these cases, beggars run the risk of being struck by passing vehicles.
Displays of bohemian audacity, such as "I'll lick my tit for a dollar"
Aggressive Panhandling
Aggressive panhandling involves the solicitation of donations in an inappropriate and intimidating manner. This is not mugging, but rather a "borderline" activity which is often prohibited by law. Examples include:
Soliciting donations near ATM banking machines.
Soliciting donations from customers inside a store or restaurant.
Extending a hand, or even the head and both arms, into a car window to solicit a donation.
Soliciting donations after dark, in a secluded area.
Approaching individuals from behind, as they are exiting their vehicles, to solicit a donation.
Soliciting donations in a loud voice, often accompanied with wild gesticulations.
The use of insults, profanity, or veiled threats.
Refusing to take "No" for an answer, and following an individual.
Demanding more money after a donation has been given.
Invasion of personal space, cornering, blocking, or inappropriate touching.
A "team" of several beggars approaching an individual at once, often surrounding him.
"Camping out" in a spot where begging negatively influences some other business (such as in front of a store or restaurant) in the hope that the business owner will give money to make the beggar go away.
British Columbia enacted its own Safe Streets Act, resembling the Ontario law, in 2004, although there are also critics in that province who oppose such laws. *
United States
In many larger cities, such as Chicago, Illinois, peddling has been banned. In Chicago, there are a number of signs at regular intervals reminding people that peddling is banned. This rarely dissuades the beggar, and the constitutionality of such bans are questionable; in addition, their ethics have been questioned. In 2004, the city of Orlando, Florida passed an ordinance (Orlando Municipal Code section 43.86) requiring panhandlers to obtain a permit from the municipal police department. The ordinance further makes it a crime to panhandle in the commercial core of downtown Orlando, as well as within 50 feet of any bank or automated teller machine. It is also considered a crime in Orlando for panhandlers to make false or untrue statements, or to disguise themselves, to solicit money, and to use money obtained for a claim of a specific purpose (e.g. food) to be spent on anything else (e.g. malt liquor). The potential for these latter restrictions to be enforced is minimal.
Begging is also banned in the London Underground System, however there are "busking spots" that can be hired out in some major tunnels to allow musicians to entertain commuters.
Begging outside the U.S.
In some countries begging is much more tolerated and in certain cases even encouraged. For instance in India it is considered dharma to give alms to a beggar and many sadhus also beg strictly for food as their traditional way of life limits any income. Even Shiva, the Hindu god is believed to have run his household by begging among rishis and sadhus. Some are even beggars for generations and continue their family tradition of panhandling. Many beggars in the subcontinent even have sizable wealth which they accumulate by "employing" other smaller and newer beggars. They can claim to have territories and then may engage in verbal and physical abuse of encroaching beggars.
In Europe, women from the poorer countries of the continent (e.g. Bulgaria) are sent by organized gangs to beg in cities in Western Europe such as Barcelona. The proceeds from the begging are collected by the gangs *.
Use of funds
A common criticism of beggars is that they will spend money received on "irresponsible" or "unnecessary" items, particularly on drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. This is often stated as a reason for not giving money to panhandlers. Also, in many communities, various government and private charitable social services may be available such as welfare, soup kitchens and homeless shelters that reduce, if not eliminate, any survival need for begging.
A 2002 study of 54 panhandlers in Toronto reported that of a median monthly income of $638 CAD, those interviewed spent a median of $200 CAD on food, and a median of $192 CAD on alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs (Bose & Hwang 2002). The Fraser Institute, however, criticized this study citing problems with potential exclusion of lucrative forms of begging and the unreliability of reports from the panhandlers who were polled in the Bose/Hwang study. (CANSTATS 2002)
Begging like other activities has also adapted to the net taking on an "e-panhandling" role. Instead of begging on the streets, cyber panhandlers set up a website where they "beg" for money. Later variants tried to request money for their personal needs that were beyond their financial ability with some success. (See also, Internet begging)
History of Begging
There are few, if any, current techniques for begging which have not been used for hundreds of years, or are not based on older techniques, adapted to modern technology. Beggars rarely recorded their techniques, and often used Thieves' cant to disguise their own communication. What we know of them is largely from records of law enforcement, penitential or rogue literature. From early modern England the best examples are Thomas Harman, and Robert Greene in his coney-catching pamphlets. There is no reason to suppose that what he recorded was new. There are similar writers for many European countries in the early modern period.
Income and spending patterns among panhandlers, by Rohit Bose and Stephen W. Hwang.
CMAJ. 2002 September 3; 167(5): 477–479. Retrieved 10 April2006, from *
"Begging".
