EDITORIAL
Community must
not pay beggars
You've probably seen thorn on street corners or along
13th Avenue. These days, it seems like the campus com
munity is full of panhandlers.
Some of the beggars out there are polite and creative
in their attempt to separate legitimate wage-earners from
their money. However, a number of panhandlers in the
community are coercive and threatening
I he Eugene City Council responded to the < omplaints
of citizens and passed an ordinance prohibiting aggros
sivo panhandling, defined as a time when a person is
assaulted or tout bed in some way, or when a panhandler
blocks the route of someone els<- When a < itizen is will
ing to sign a complaint against a panhandler.
In an attempt to be a service to the community, the
Hnwmldcompiled a list of suggestions for what residents
can tell panhandlers when asked for money Use them
liberally when encountered by a local beggar.
Here are the Emerald’s top ten put-off lines for beggars,
10. "You can sell me those l)o< Martens™ for 550 "
o "Apply for student loans, pal."
8 "Change comes from within”
7 Offer to buy their puppy “One less mouth to feed”
ft. When they ask if you have a quarter, say "yes” and
walk away.
V 'What, do I look like the Dept, of Health and
Human Services to you7”
‘S “Got a job."
3, Ask the panhandler for spare change fust,
2. Tell them to put your donation on your parents’
Gold Card"*
I, Give a long, Irorsng lecture on the Protestant work
ethic.
Ail fun aside, paying beggars doesn’t help anyone in
the community. Thera are other ways to solve the prob
lem of aggressive panhandling
While there are some people in the community who
are in genuine financial distress, there are a number of
resources available that can help with employment,
food, schooling end shelter problems A hit of effort by
the person In need is necessary to obtain help. They are
not forced by c« onomic or societal ills to stand on street
corners to panhandle near a major University to survive
However, some choose to stand on street corners and
hog instead of taking the initiative to get help. In some
cases, this can he? a fruitful method of earning money,
in some areas, it is conceivable for a person begging to
earn tip to $100 in a day ail for doing nothing. While
this may help a person in the short run. it broods depen
dency on the street for people in need and is annoying
for those who must put up with them.
Some people are down on their luck and need help.
The way to give people help is not to give them spare
change and encourage them to continue begging.
hv refusing to donate spare change to those who ask.
members oi the community will help to solve the prob
lem of aggressive panhandling by showing that lagging
doesn't pay.
Oregon Doily
Emerald
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■ OPINION
Year of the Pig offers acceptance
Ann* MosKK-KoRNmj)
In- Chinese New Year
begins today and each
JL year's ■ clebrntinn lielongs
to the family The Y ear of the
Pig or Hoar is the last animal in
the Chinese Zodia* fiver) year,
follow mg the first day of the
new moon after the sun enters
Aquarius, the New Year celebra
tion (logins
New Year's Day provides the
Chinese culture one svav to
express the meaning of family
values The jubilant celebrations
of Yuan Tan include spending
time with loved ones, business
es generally close and people
wear new clothes to avoid being
rei ogruzed by evil spirits Rough
language and sw earing are not
tolerated during the two week
celebration The color red sym
bolizes Joy, and is used to deco
rate the home or plat.os where
people gather to wish each other
good lin k
The postal service issued a
gravure representation of the
Immu that became available Dim
30. The artist. Clarence Lee,
emphasized traditional Chinese
culture, but the stamp itself isn't
very dynamic or striking Per
haps it s even patronizing, a
concession to multiculturalism
"Dear Abby" sends greetings,
"confidential" to her Chinese
readers, this time of year — con
gratulations and happiness
Resides her consistent message,
the mainstream press jmys little
attention to the Chinese commu
nity throughout the year.
Part of this may come from
the division among Chinese peo
ple Ai the University, the Chi
nese Student Association pre
sented a cultural night Saturday
to offer audiences a feel of Tai
wanese culture Taiwan and
mainland China view the new
year differentia While both
groups may be quite insular and
fearful of outside interpretation,
the Taiwanese students appear
more politic al and opwn to mod
wrn viewpoints
The event sponsored hv CSA
left me with a disappointing
feeling for a time of year other
wise known for its hope and
fresh start The meal was badly
organized, as food supplies ran
out, and crowds rushed the serv
ing tables There were a few
tables set up to give luu kground
information to anyone who
wanted to know more about Tai
wanese culture, but overhearing
conversations among students
gave me more insight into unfa
miliar customs.
I expected much more from
this school because of the ui ad
emic disi iplinus devoted to
Asian studies and the large pop
ulation of students from varying
parts of the East
This brought up many ques
tions, particularly ones I'd askisl
myself in preparation for writing
this column 1 wanted to know
where a general interest publica
tion on Chinese culture could la
found
Feminism has yet to reach
Chinese women and when it
does, the entire system will
break open, just as it has been
doing here for over 20 years
Traditional religions, such as
Buddhism, doesn't invite believ
ers to question their spirituality
nor are they going through an
identity crisis like many Christ
ian religions in the United
States
Pork consumption, for reasons
that leave a sick sensation in my
stomach, has risen in the past
year. Pork fried rice is common
ly eaten in the Chinese culture
and served in American-Chineae
restaurants Pork, regarded by
some as unhealthy ami from the
carcass of an unclean animal, is
being eaten in this country at a
rate equal to that of the Depres
sion era
This comment may sound out
of context to the m-w year, but it
introduces students who have
contrasting ethnic backgrounds
an opportunity to discuss their
heritages Food allows people to
agree or disagree about tastes
and share thoughts that other
wise wouldn't enable them to
bridge gaps
The Year of the Pig, a practical
yin sign, represents ease and
family prosperity The action
implied with the pig is one of
at i optance Chinese beliefs hold
that a person's zodiac deter
mines someone's character and
destiny
Persons born in the Year of
the Pig are honest, brave and
always t omplete projects they
start The las! Year of the Hoar
was 1983, before that 1971, and
students who were born that
year (an be assured they're able
to learn their studies well.
I he Chinese New year pos
sesses great meaning for rue t
celebrate the new year and (Min
der Chinese astrology, not only
as a way to discover additional
societal customs, but to ground
myself into how people medi
tate and unravel their lives
The volatile political situation
in mainland China throughout
tins century may enter a new era
this year with the ailing health
of the elder statesman. Deng
Xiaoping. State officials deny
that his health is failing, but the
Year of the Pig often preludes
the death of a government
leader. Trade between the Unit
ed States ami Beijing has also
pi< ked up since China proposed
a new initiative with intellectu
al-property rights
I was born in the Year of the
Fire Horse, and will not come
into my element until well into
the next century. Next year
marks the Year of the Rat It's
not supposed to tie a very good
year for horses I'll enjoy this
year while I t an Rung Hei Fat
Choi!
Anne Moser-Kornfeld is a
columnist for the Emerald