Haven't you got homes to go to?
I have started buying the Big Issue every week. Although I have supported it from a safe distance for years, approving of the idea but rarely getting involved in an actual street transaction, I have been buying it on a weekly basis since I moved in to my new office in a new area of London, and because the vendor whom I now pass every morning is so happy. He is a registered vendor, thus homeless, and yet he finds sufficient optimism and generosity of spirit to smile and offer a merry greeting to everyone who passes him. And most do pass him. (I hope at least they smile as they pass him.) I have been feeling a bit grumpy of late and yet I have a house to live in, and an office to work in, and I have yet to sell my work on the pavement. (My grandparents, bless them, always used to say when I first moved down to London that I could always set up an easel and draw caricatures of the tourists in the West End. I told them that when that day came, my career would be over and I'd be on the next train back to Northampton - not realising of course that selling your caricatures via a design agency to corporate clients was no more high-minded than sitting down and doing them for tourists in Leicester Square. In fact, I was once very close to being commissioned by Orangina to draw caricatures to order of pub landlords who agreed to stock the then-new orange drink in their pubs. How ironic that would have been.)
I don't think I am a great and noble philanthropist for giving two quid to a homeless man once a week, by the way, I mention it because I am in awe of my vendor's seemingly unbreakable joie de vivre. He shook my hand yesterday when I bought the new Issue, and he made me do a high-five today even though I wasn't buying one. He recognises me, which shows great attention to customer service, and is great as it means he offers a greeting rather than trying to sell me a copy of the magazine which I already own. We have a workable relationship. (In fact, he says, "Hello, Boss!", which is confusing, as we are both self-employed and the boss only of ourselves.) I hope this doesn't sound too dismissive, but the magazine itself is not important. It is a token - by which I do not belittle the work put into producing it every week. It is a very important token. A few weeks ago the Big Issue had a very interesting article about the perils of super-strength lager, which isn't something you'd read in other magazines and I was grateful to read it; otherwise I'm content to flick through the bulk of it, which is, understandably, filled with the usual arts-based, PR-campaign content that you can get anywhere else. I like the concept of the Big Issue. It costs 70p per copy for the vendors, who sell it for £1.50 and keep the change (I always give my new friend £2, as it seems petty to ask him for change, and the difference between 80p profit and £1.30 is marked when you're dealing in those sorts of margins).
This is not an advert for the Big Issue. You may ignore it, as I did for years, or you can give money to individual homeless people, but at least with accredited vendors you know they're actually homeless and not secretly living in a castle with a moat and servants, while they take their heroin. We live in a cruel world. There's an argument that says we shouldn't have to have a nice magazine put between us and the homelessness problem, and another argument (look at me being a goody-two-shoes and weighing up all the arguments!) that says why produce a magazine that nobody needs and waste all that energy and paper. But hey, people chuck free newspapers on the floor every day, but if you've paid for a thing, you are more likely to dispose of it carefully.
And if you live in a house, cheer the fuck up.
posted by Andrew Collins @ 12:12 PM
16 Comments
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16 Comments:
I got fed up with all the fake vendors [only the one issue and no id] hanging around Manchester so I signed up with Shelter and give them a monthly payment. Thats my middle class former Roman Catholic guilt sorted.
I tend to give the vendor the money and not bother taking a copy, using the old "oh, hang on, I've read this one" trick. There but for the grace of god, and all that....
Billyous
Shelter: sound idea. (That way, you can also avoid those charity muggers in Shelter vests trying to get you to hand over your bank details in the street.) And a good Issue tip, Billyous - unfortunately I'll never get away with that now that I have a high-fiving relationship with my vendor! (I hope he doesn't expect me to put him up for the night.)
I know it's easy to say this from the comfort of a warm room with the radio on before I go and make some lunch, but it makes such a difference if a Big Issue seller is cherry. People who smile and are friendly, I may buy one if I have some loose change and am feeling charitable (I'd like to buy it more, but I'm a student, so no real income).
However, the person who offered me one and replied to my response of "I'm alright, thanks mate" with "I know you're bloody alright, that's why I f***ing asked!" is unlikely to get my custom, as is the vendor who yelled "SCUM!" at me when I politely declined his offer.
Has your old chum Stuart Maconie joined The Charlatans (second left)?
terwiliger
I developed a relationship along similar lines when I lived in Vauxhall - 1 month ago I moved the 'burbs' of Tunbridge Wells and as yet have not managed a similar feat with any of the many vendors of this town. Anyway, the Big Issue vendor with whom I developed a transaction(al)?? relationship was similarly cheery and upbeat. We rubbed along quite nicely for many months and at Xmas we even exchanged cards.
I tend to not give to charity as a rule, being of the (leftist) opinion that it is incumbent on govt agencies via taxation to look after those people that, for whatever reason, cannot do so themselves. Homelessness is, in the grand scheme of things, a political problem with political solutions, it's just there is a lack of political will to solve said issue. It's why I never give to Comic Relief. The mawkish, back-slapping tear inducing narrative of the evening makes my blood boil. All this "aren't we good? Hey, come on guys just a few pence will sort out this problem" No it bloody won't, the inequities of neo-liberal capitalism will absolutely ensure that far from sorting it out, it will in fact get worse. That's why we'll see you again next year, and also for Sport Relief. The poorest people in the UK giving money they can ill afford to the poorest people on the planet. Still, it's often very difficult to rationalise this, and incredibly insensitive to actually say it when faced with the problem in the form of a living human being. Hence, I do buy The Big Issue...
Sorry, I've ruined a perfectly upbeat life affirming blog about a cheery Big Issue vendor, for which I apologise.
Chris R, you say many things that I also think. Still, better that the poorest people in the country are giving their money to other poor people than to, say, I don't know, ITV phonelines.
I remember when it was 50p and you could toss them a coin, take the mag and walk on. But I've not bought it for so many years I don't want the embarrassment of making that fact known by not having the right money to hand.
How much is it, anyway?
There are some really good pieces in it amongst the usual arts pr bumf - a great interview with Jarvis by Miranda Sawyer for example, also the blonde idiot Boris penned a piece on education which was quite interesting. the music writer Chris Cottingham is really funny - worth a read
Hey, don't get me wrong, Anonymous - I'd happily read a piece on Jarvis by Miranda Sawyer, but it's not something that's unique to the Big Issue, is all I'm saying. If the piece on the Charlatans in the new one snags a few more sales, then everyone wins. (In the early days of the Issue I always thought it was incredibly worthy of bands to be interviewed by it, but it's now a regular stop-off for a band/artist on the PR trail. Quite an achievement. Perhaps they all feel guilty too!
It's £1.50, Five-Centres, Honestly, if you'd bothered to read the whole piece!
So I noticed the minute I'd pressed the submit button!
It's in one eye and out the other with me.
Bit cheeky of me to try and get this posted here but in anticipation of your next Apprentice piece I just wanted to try and get in first with this:
Having seen tonight's show it's clear this series is going to be about Claire's 'journey'. From loud mouthed, brusque, northern bully to smiley, loud mouthed northern gal with a degree of self awareness. I’m not predicting she’ll actually go on and win it but it’s obvious now that we were originally set up to hate her and now we aren’t supposed to.
Obviously I’ll completely understand if you think it inappropriate to post this on a thread about T’Big Issue but I promise to buy one tomorrow if you do. Incidentally I don’t always buy it but I do always say ‘no thanks’ rather than ignore them if I don’t. Aren’t I great?
The Big Issues is a fantastic charity and does so much more than just produce a paper every week. That 70p that the vendor pays them for a copy not only goes to production costs but also goes towards sending vendors on courses and helping them put together deposits on rent and things like that. My local vendor Paul is a lovely chap who, thanks to the Big Issue, has just been sent on a week-long carpentry course so that he can start to make and sell his creations and hopefully secure a job and a roof over his head through doing that.
The Big Issue also gives vendors a sense of purpose and pride. Of course there are cheats out there but the majority of beggars do not want to have to lower themselves to beg for money in the street. With the Big Issue they have something to offer the world and can perhaps start to see a way out of their dilemma, as the Big Issue also helps them to save their money somewhere secure.
As for Comic/Sports Relief, I agree that it's a political issue and that it does make you a bit sick to see millionaires on it asking you to give your money, but personally if I just sat back and did not give anything I'd feel just as hypocritical as them. I don't want the blood of others less fortunate than myself on my hands thanks, I'd rather raise some money and know that I tried in a very small way to help even if my Government do not.
Zoe
PS Tim Burgess' new haircut is the most horrific thing I've seen in ages. What is that thing on his head?
Firstly, yes Andrew I concede it probably is better that people spend money on charities such as Sport Relief/Comic Relief, but it still really grates on me.
Zoe, as for the blood on hands issue, I'm not so sure. I'm not suggesting that you are passing that particular judgement onto me - although it can certainly be read in that way. One could argue that in giving to charity one perpetuates the iniquitous system. You imagine - as you are in fact supposed to - that your generous donation is alleviating poverty and suffering but is in fact ensuring that everything remains the same. Political problems require political solutions...not a back slapping congratulafest. I'm not leveling any accusations at you, or indeed at anyone that chooses to generously give up time and resources but just rationalising and explaining my own particular choices :-)
Now onto The Apprentice ... on the other "thread"
Chris
http://k-tril.blogspot.com
Hey Chris,
Not passing any judgement on to you by any means, sorry if it sounded that way. You're entitled to do whatever you want. I just think that if no-one gave anything and we all just waited for the Governments to sort it out, we'd be waiting forever and vast numbers of people would die in the meantime (even more than at current), people who could have lived with some help from Oxfam, etc. I agree with you that I don't like the 'celebrity' aspect of events such as Comic Relief though.
Zoe
I saw the once-great Charlatans on Later recently. By Christ, they were dreadful.
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