"Give me money!" "Hey, we're hiring!"

This is a short, but sweet, story about choosy begging, and glaring irony.

My neighborhood gets an occasional panhandler, usually a hobo or backpacker with a sign. This week, though, I drove by the most nicely-dressed panhandler I've ever seen: polo shirt, men's watch, a pair of Nike's, no indication that he was poor or homeless. He was standing at the corner of an intersection, holding a cardboard sign that read something to the effect of "PLEASE GIVE! ANYTHING HELPS!" Meanwhile, directly across the street from him, was my local Burger King with its massive sign reading "NOW HIRING, UP TO $13/HR." It was so close to where the beggar was standing that it was highly unlikely that he simply didn't see it. Also, that BK is constantly short-staffed, so it's just as unlikely that they filled all the positions already.

I get that customer service jobs aren't for everyone, but making burgers or running a cash register is far more dignified than wanting cars to stop in the road to give him spare change, especially someone who was dressed like they were in a country club. I personally didn't say anything to him; the irony was just too intense to not take notice.