Blind / Not Blind

The Red Line has no shortage of strange characters, homeless people, and solicitors riding up and down the el tracks that span the length of the city, and some of these folks frequent the rail cars so often that -- for better or for worse -- they become familiar sights. I was actually excited to see one such character during my ride downtown today, it was the guy I call Blind/Not Blind. B/NB guy carries a red plastic Solo cup, and passes from car to car as the train hurtles through the subways.

The spiel he gives to riders in each car is something along the lines of: "Don't be afraid of me because I'm different. I'm just blind. I won't hurt you, but I sure would appreciate it if you could help me out", etc. The thing that gives his act away is, when some poor sap of a commuter (come to think of it, most of his donors are probably tourists) reinforces his bad behavior by dropping some change into his cup (which is essentially rewarding him for soliciting) he replies "Thank you, sir" or "Thank you, ma'am". However, I've never seen anybody actually speak to him; if he really was blind, I don't think his gender-specific "thank yous" would be so accurate.

The worst part about the beggars in this city is that many of them aren't really homeless; I've seen guys touching up their "Will work for food" signs with a brand new package of Sharpies as they're comfortably riding the Metra into the city. There's a guy with a suitcase who sits outside the Old Navy on State Street who is "stranded" and has been trying to get "home for the holidays" for about six years now ... And the guy with a bunch of loose change in the tuba who stands in front of Orchestra Hall didn't really get that instrument from the orchestra -- trust me. I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't feed the pigeons and don't pay the beggars. If you really want to help the homeless, donate to charities like the Salvation Army, where your money will really be "doing the most good".

But back to B/NB ... I heard his spiel before I actually saw him, but the best part about it was that he wasn't blind today; he was just hungry -- seriously! "Don't be afraid of me because I'm different. I'm just hungry. I won't hurt you, but I sure would appreciate it if you could help me out ... Thank you, sir. Thank you, ma'am." Then, thinking we commuters were none the wiser, he opened the door that's supposed to remain closed while the train is moving, and disappeared into the next rail car to start his spiel all over again.