Hey, Coleroad !
I too got that postcard in the mail when I moved in here, inviting me to nextdoor.com..
And like you I also figured out it is a huge waste of time..
Only thing on there daily - lost dogs, found dogs, dogs doing poopy things in yards, the whole dang thing was going to the dogs!!!
I don`t recall anyone on that forum being as out and out mean as some people over there on yours..
Also, I don`t really support people standing in traffic medians panhandling.. It`s just too dang dangerous in my opinion..
But I have on many occasions, when approached outside a store, fast food place, invited that person/s inside and bought them lunch..
Some of them have said ok, more of them have said no, but the ones who accepted a free lunch have mostly been really nice people who just need a little help sometimes..
You know, I didn`t even get why people are homeless, but when you talk to them, many of them have chosen to be homeless.. No one forced them to, they want to be alone, they want to get away from stuff, they are fine..
There was an episode of Mad Men once, where Don Draper was having a little flashback to when he was a child, living with a mean step-dad, and not sure who the lady was, but it was not his real Mother I believe..
A "hobo" stopped by their house and asked if he could please work for a little money and for a meal; the Mom said ok, and she would feed him, the StepDad didn`t really want to do it but finally agreed to it.
The "hobo" worked that day, ate dinner with the family, spent the night in the barn, and little Don Draper talked with him for a little while.
The "hobo" was pretty articulate, and nice.. He taught Don the "signs" hobo`s put on houses (it looked like they carve a little set of lines, angles, etc., into a wood post, etc.,) so other hobo`s would know a little about the people there, as they walked by..
He showed Don the sign for "good honest people", "good food", "dishonest people", etc..
Next day, the "hobo" comes up to the step-dad and asks him per their agreement, for a little pocket change, and the step-dad looked at him and told him to move on, get out..
This poor man, just looked at him and walked away.. You could just feel how tired he was, probably even more tired of how people treated him..
Little Don Draper later ran out to the front gate of their house and on the gate post - the sign for "dishonest people"...
Dan F
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