Cartoon: Taking Away His Incentive To Work

This cartoon is by me and Becky Hawkins.

Becky writes:

In some circles, Portland’s claim to fame, aside from “burned down by Antifa in 2020,” is the large number of people living on the streets. I think everyone agrees that housing is a major issue here, whatever solutions they support.

This cartoon was inspired by an anecdote I told Barry during a drawing session. I was getting lunch downtown and a food truck owner scolded me for giving a dollar to a guy on the corner. The owner said that if you keep giving money to homeless people, they’ll keep coming around, like he was talking about stray cats or wild bears. He asked why I did that, and when I asked “Do you really want to know?” he said yes.

I gave my personal reasons for giving money sometimes. A couple of acquaintances were homeless as teens. A dollar or two can provide the invaluable ability to get out of the rain for a bit and warm up with a hot drink. It feels good to know that I have a few bucks to spare.

I also pointed out that even if that guy got a job today (bypassing the application and interview process), his first paycheck would be up to two weeks away. He would presumably need to eat something and sleep somewhere in the interim. And even if the guy didn’t need to buy food or clothing with his first paycheck, the check wouldn’t cover the first and last month’s rent plus a deposit on an apartment (again, bypassing the process of searching and applying, being the first to apply for the open unit, and overcoming any barriers to getting his application approved). So when people say “Get a job,” it’s not something that will instantly cause a person to become housed and have their daily needs met.

The food truck owner seemed to understand that. I don’t know if I changed his views on giving people cash on the street. He’s probably still annoyed when people ask his customers for money. But it felt like a productive conversation.

A note on the drawing: Panel 4 is based on Moorea, an island in French Polynesia. I worked as a cruise ship musician right after college, and Moorea was the most ridiculously beautiful tropical vacation spot that I could think of.

Barry writes:

Thank you folks, as always, for supporting these cartoons! It’s greatly appreciated.

I really like this one, partly because it’s not the norm for me – there’s not really a punchline per se, it’s just over-the-top sarcasm.

My point in this cartoon isn’t to criticize anyone for not giving money to panhandlers – there are a zillion ways to give money, after all, and no human can do them all. (For purposes of this argument, I’m not counting Elon Musk as human.) Since we can’t do everything, I think it makes sense for each person to give in any way that feel legitimate and safe for them.

But moving beyond I don’t want to give to beggers personally to I actively discourage other people from giving is another thing altogether.

TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON

This cartoon has four panels.

PANEL 1

Two well-dressed women and a panhandler wearing a blue knit hat are on a sidewalk; the panhandler is sitting on a piece of cardboard, with a cardboard sign saying “please give,” and his dog napping next to him. One of the women is handing him a dollar.

WOMAN 1: If you give him money, he won’t have any incentive to find a job.

WOMAN 2: It’s only a dollar.

PANHANDLER: Thank you.

PANEL 2

The panhandler, tossing his “please give” sign aside, grins hugely as he stares at the dollar.

PANHANDLER: Hee hee

PANEL 3

Still grinning and staring at the dollar bill, the panhandler walks past a little grocery. Someone in the shop doorway points to him and calls out.

SHOP OWNER: Hey, you — want a job?

PANHANDLER: Hee hee hah!

PANEL 4

The panhandler and his dog are enjoying the waters of some island paradise, floating on inflatable rings. He’s now wearing a bathing suit and sunglasses, although he’s still wearing his blue knit hat. A little floating table next to him has a drink with a tiny umbrella in it.

He’s still holding the dollar bill, which he’s gazing out with satisfaction.

PANHANDLER: Aaaah…

CHICKEN FAT WATCH

“Chicken fat” is obscure cartoonists’ lingo for unimportant but funny details.

In panel 3, one of the posters in the grocery window shows a canned drink with a skull on the label.

In panel 4, there’s a rubby ducky wearing sunglasses floating in the water next to them. The dog is wearing a new diamond-studded dog collar. There’s a little table floating next to the dog with a dog bone in it.

I know from experience that people will accuse this cartoon of being a strawman – so to preempt that a bit, here are some real things that real people have really said. (Really!)

“For every dollar that we give to a beggar, the more lucrative we make begging and, comparatively, the less lucrative we make working. This is bad, for we want people to work, not beg.”

“[Giving money] provides an incentive for them and others to take up begging, rather than seeking more sustainable work.”

“Giving money to beggars … can create a cycle of dependency that keeps individuals from seeking long-term solutions and perpetuates the problem.”

“Giving money reinforces begging as a means of income, perpetuating a cycle of dependency and discouraging efforts to seek employment…”

Taking Away His Incentive To Work | Patreon