Scams And Beggars: A Heuristics Based Approach
Last weekend, I found myself at the Indiranagar Metro Station in Bangalore. A guy approached me, claiming he needed to pay for his laptop repair but his payment wasn't working. Now, living in India equips you with a pretty robust scam radar. But sometimes, a little voice whispers, What if he actually needs help? He looked and talked like me. This could've been me on a bad day, right?
So, instead of giving him my usual gruff, slightly menacing stare (works 90% of the time), I decided to hear him out. Just as he was wrapping up his pitch, the girl with him chimed in, "Ansh, we need to go to the hospital quick! Look how burnt my hand is." She then showed me her hand, and let me tell you—it looked positively charred. Even a cannibal would think the meat was overcooked.
The funny thing? She was a terrible actor. She sounded concerned, sure, but not in the "Oh my God, my hand is on fire!" kind of way. More like someone worried about being late for a doctor's appointment.
In India, we're no strangers to beggars and scams. You need certain heuristics to navigate these situations without feeling like a terrible person.
Suppose someone begs for money, and you decide to give it to them.
"What did you just do?"
"I felt bad. It's not much, but I hope it helps them."
"You just fueled their drug addiction."
"What? That was just a frail old lady!"
"Well, her drunk son will take that money to buy more alcohol."
"Wait, do you know her personally or something?"
"Hmph. Do you really think you made a difference? The problem is systemic. This won't solve anything. It won't change their lives in any meaningful way. At best, you provide a momentary respite that won't last a day, and at worst, you fuel a cycle of addiction or exploitation."
So, what do you do then?
For me, it's all about the vibes. I'm just one person; I can't change the entire situation. But sometimes, you look into someone's eyes and see that flicker of hopelessness. I recognize that look—I've been there. In those moments, I can't help but stop, talk to them, and give what I can.
"What if they're really good actors?" Well, that level of acting deserves a reward too, so yeah, I'm fine with that.