CarrollBlog

In Vienna, panhandlers often station themselves near ATM (Bankomat) machines. I think they do it because they believe people withdrawing money will feel either generous or guilty with their handfuls of new cash. Which hopefully means a greater chance that they'll give some away. One man I often see sits near a very busy machine with his huge unfriendly dog. He has a whole set up-- small bowls for the dog's food and water, a ratty blanket for the dog to sit on, a hat turned upside down for donations, etcetera. The problem is that the dog barks or growls at almost everyone who comes near. Whether they want to use the cash machine or throw some coins into the man's cap, the dog growls at them or worse. It struck me today for the first time when I saw them that in its way, it's sort of beautiful. Because this scary dog is the absolute worst partner the man could have for his line of business. Yet he obviously loves it enough that he is willing to sacrifice probably a lot more coins in his hat than if he didn't have this misanthropic beast as his constant companion.
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"Silence is the unbearable repartee."
Alexander Theroux