What’s $20?

Today I gave $20 to a homeless man at the train station. He told me he just needed some money for food. How kind of me. Or maybe not. Maybe he’s not homeless at all. Maybe he played me for a fool.

Who knows? I never will.

Actually when you tell the average American that you gave $20 to a stranger begging in the street, they’ll tell you you’re a fuckin’ idiot and you shouldn’t have trusted him. They’ll tell you he’s most likely going to buy drugs or alcohol with it. But that skepticism doesn’t surprise me at all. Not here. Not in a country where people historically don’t trust their government to spend their tax money well.

In a way, the man I spoke to today is honestly very similar to our government. And the interaction was really similar to the system itself. He approached me like a politician. He started his campaign with “Excuse me sir, can I just talk to you for one second?” and gave his pitch for why if I gave him a couple bucks he would spend it well. Near my place of work this happens to me every day. And obviously I usually say no. But why did I say yes this time? On principle, should we ever give money without knowing exactly what happens to it?

The answer is no. Most people would say no.

But when our federal government politely forces us to pay our taxes, we fork it over and then we don’t get to choose what it funds. After the election is over, all our control is gone. We don’t know for sure if our dollars are bombing a school or building one. My question is why do we accept that? Is it because that’s just the way things have always been done?

I don’t know how you all feel but I always hated hearing that reasoning used as a lousy excuse.

I could write an original thought about this but I don’t think I could ever say it better than J. Cole in a song called Brackets.

“I’ll write a check to the IRS, my pockets get slim

Damn, do I even have a say ’bout where it’s goin’?

Some older nigga told me to start votin’

I said ‘Democracy is too fuckin’ slow’

If I’m givin’ y’all this hard-earned bread, I wanna know

Better yet, let me decide, bitch, it’s 2018

Let me pick the things I’m funding from an app on my screen”

-J. Cole, circa 2018

You know what, J. Cole? Why the fuck not? Why is it so inconceivable for us to use the incredible technology in our hands to improve our democratic processes? I mean I know everything is easier said than done but does that mean it’s not worth trying? I don’t think that’s ever been America’s attitude and I refuse to believe it is today.

So today I gave a homeless man $20. And I can only hope he uses it well.

I don’t think my country should also have to rely on hope.

Filip, again.