On beggars and paid ads

Yesterday, as I made my way home after a highly productive day at work, I found myself waiting impatiently at a traffic light. I was impatient because I knew something awkward and unpleasant was about to happen.

A beggar was approaching my window.

I have a personal policy to always acknowledge a beggar's humanity, even if I don't acknowledge his hunger. I therefore looked towards him and gestured in a subtle but deferential way that I would not be giving him money. His eyes were desperate and his mouth was open. The situation became almost unbearable when he motioned to his gaping mouth with his fingers bunched together. Fortunately, the light turned green just then, and I could escape. I was filled with a mixture of guilt and anger. I suspect the beggar only experienced the latter. I felt guilty because I could have helped this desperate individual but chose not to. Anger was simmering below the guilt because I did not invite this experience into my life.

How would you feel if the municipality raised a "corner tax" from the beggar for the right to stand on the corner? That thought fills me with dread. Every fibre of by being revolts against it. I'm not even clear as to which party would be at fault, the beggar or the municipality. I am grateful the world does not operate this way.

How is this hypothetical situation any different from how paid advertising works? If anything, I would argue that online ads are worse. We spend more time online than at street corners. There is only one beggar at a street corner, but we are bombarded by multiple ads per page. Ads are also more difficult to ignore, because companies spend lavishly on making their ads eye-catching. Should we not be infuriated by paid ads?

I can recall one time that I did give money to a beggar. This particular individual positioned himself far away from the vehicles. You could sense he had no intention of entering our personal spaces. In his hands, he held a soccer ball, and then he began his act. The tricks and skills he displayed were unlike anything I had ever seen before or since. I was captivated, unable to take my eyes off him. He concluded his performance by contorting his body into a position that would have landed me in the hospital, with the ball perfectly balanced on his head. His act was perfectly timed to end 10 seconds before the light turned green.

I realise now that this person wasn't a beggar, we was a starving artist.

I promptly rolled down my window and paid him.