If you spend much time commuting by train in these parts, you're bound to encounter all manner of folks with outstretched hands. There are musicians (of varying talent) with their change cups duct taped to their amplifiers, well groomed but shabby gentleman begging your pardon as they hawk their tourist guides to Paris, and then there are the dudes with the cards like the one above. These guys go through the train, leaving cards on empty seats, and then make the reverse trip to retrieve them and hopefully a bit of pocket change as well.
You can see a scam in this if you like. The cards always look the same -- same language, same typeface. (Do all of these folks really have two children?) I'm just grateful it's not me with the stack of cards. That's one hell of a tough way to try to make a living.
8 comments:
I've yet to encounter this, but anticipate that I'll receive a "calling card" before my metro commuting days are over. I'm thinking the calling cards might be better than the shouting storytellers...
It's better than the man and his "daughter" I saw at 11o'clock at night on the metro...him " singing"...her begging...just awful
20+ years ago I visited a friend living in Seville and was a bit surprised by the number of 'gypsy' women/kids begging in large family groups and, among them, the number of grossly deformed kids (and goats who stood on the end of a stick)...my friend told me that in the shantytown where they lived, kids were rented out as props and the very compromised among them brought in the highest rental fees, so the hardest working members of most families were the kids and among the kids the blind/legless/armless/whatever kids were the ones with the longest work days...talk about sad -- I'll take a little slip of paper any day.
It seems to me that the people who beg this way are among the least successful. Maybe it's the lack of speaking that holds them back?
We visited France when my kids were little. My four-year-old son decided there was nothing better to aspire to then playing his guitar on the Metro. Now that he's 17, he hasn't talked about that for awhile. Of course, he gave up his instrument, the violin, a while ago.
Anne, I remain impressed by your blogging consistency (unmatched by any Paris bloggers other then ParisDailyPhoto), your energy to see and do while raising children and maintaining a household... and the display of gentle tolerance and empathy as in this post.
Why, you've just given me an idea for a song... "I'm a misanthrope, but I like you"... hmmm, will work on it a bit...
I can still remember the guys on the metro selling Le Reverbere and their spiel about the "sans emploi et sans abri". Is that still around too? It didn't bother me. This was 1994 when I was studying in Paris... oh how I miss it!
I've never seen these cards, but I have no doubt it's a scam.
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