I met a couple poor people yesterday. They said hi to me and I said hi back. Then the guy says in a desperate sort of way, "We're not going to tell you our story. Just help us out." I just told them I don't have money to give and went on my way. They both had the look of drugs in their eyes and they could have robbed me if they wanted to. Is it better to acknowledge them or to brush them off quickly?

Most poor people have made some bad choice in their life, leading to where they are now. Show some generosity now and then but I would ignore most of the time.

I would have not given them anything. If they aren't even going to tell a story or sell themselves for a handout, that's just lazy.

I don't give them ****. They make more money pan handling than most peopel do at their 9-5 jobs.

I wasn't going to give them money either way. But does it help to acknowledge them or not? I don't want to be robbed.

don't even acknowledge that beggars are trying to get your attention and they will immediately look for someone elses attention...seasoned beggars know that it is pointless to try to panhandle certain people with certain attitudes...this only backfires when you happen upon a new, scared poor guy with a chip on his shoulder from his first days worth of rejection or some guy hopped up on something..I somewhat know from experience, though I have never been a destitute panhandler, in my youth and days of drug experimentation I associated with alot of sketchy street people...and no I am not proud or bragging about that ..

Best to be safe and not stand out. Keep walking if you don't want their attention.