Comment
Beggars unwanted for holiday
By Linda Gibson (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-10 10:16
For the past week or more, the street vendors who usually ply their trades in front of my office building have made themselves scarce.
They've deserted good spots right across the street from the University of International Business and Economics. Thousands of people walk by this two- or three-block stretch everyday.
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But it seems the chengguan have been clamping down on the vendors lately, driving them away.
And now comes the announcement that the subway will be extending the same treatment to beggars, artists and trash pickers. The official reason for this action, heightened "security" for the Spring Festival, rings hollow. It's doubtful anybody has felt threatened by any of these people. Even though the subways will certainly be more crowded during the festival, the absence of beggars, artists and trash pickers won't provide enough extra space to make any difference.
I suspect the real reason has more to do with appearances.
The people targeted by this announcement often are unkempt, disfigured and engaged in behaviors that make people uncomfortable. We'd all rather avert our eyes and pretend such destitution doesn't exist. And that's exactly why the beggars and trash pickers ought to be left alone. They provide valuable public services.
The beggars remind us of our obligation to help those who need it. The trash pickers keep our public spaces clean. Arguments about whether they are innocent and deserving of charity, scam artists defrauding the public or victims of their own vices are irrelevant beside those facts.
And the artists - who could object to them? They add whimsy and music to our mundane errands. The street vendors, artists, beggars and trash pickers give Beijing color, flavor and atmosphere that is all its own. My hometown, Chicago, also has them. Some of the street and subway performers become familiar fixtures, like the Saxophone Man at a certain underground stop on the Red Line subway. His plaintive jazz melodies are a soothing serenade to tired, harried commuters.
Then there's the Puppet Man, who prefers an outdoor spot downtown at a busy intersection. He performs amazing puppet shows on a stage at the top of a colorfully painted box, about the size of a telephone booth, attached to his bicycle. I've never seen the Puppet Man, since he stays hidden inside his box.
Just like here, not everybody at home likes or appreciates these entrepreneurial renegades. They're unsightly, or too noisy, or might be dangerous, say complainers.
Maybe so. But they're part of the community.
If we don't like seeing people eke out a living picking up garbage, performing in public or selling on the street, we need to provide more jobs. If we don't want to see beggars, we need to strengthen the social safety net. The answer is not to push them out of sight.
