TO THE EDITOR: A Lesson to Learn

The reporters and editors at the DP could have explored this issue by, for example, spending a night in a shelter or a day in 20 degree weather asking for money. Instead, they chose to print a puff piece supporting the administration's thinly veiled attempt to sweep the riff-raff into a sewer and away from the wealthy suburbanites who send their children to Penn. Penn deserves more from its student newspaper than a 27-inch story about panhandling that spends the first 24 inches quoting such true professionals as John Kuprevich before it suddenly acknowledges that panhandlers can speak for themselves. The fact that Kuprevich and others (including students and the DP) could have the audacity to imply that panhandlers live happy lives complete with ample food and shelter is like saying the date rape victim asked for it. The reality is that these alleged tycoons have been wearing the same clothes for months, and many are obviously mentally ill. One example speaks volumes about the kind of lazy, amateurish reporting in this story. "Joe," who we are told in a particularly offensive caption receives a whopping $500 a month and has the temerity to spend the spare change he gets panhandling on cigarettes, is quite familiar to me. Joe, to anyone sensitive enough to notice, suffers from many problems, mental and physical. We are told he "is not homeless," yet living in a shelter is far from having a home. Shelters are often more dangerous than the street. Furthermore, Joe has been just as likely to buy food after receiving change as cigarettes. But even if he does decide to buy cigarettes, or alcohol, what of it? First of all, he's clearly addicted and is obviously too busy surviving to pay for acupuncture therapy. But more than that, who am I to tell Joe or anyone else how to cope with their everyday lives? In the same edition of the DP, we learn that only five patrons at Murph's were even of legal drinking age. I suppose it's okay for students but not Joe and other panhandlers because students are wealthy and living off their parents. Let's not forget, trust funds are simply handouts for the rich. It's admirable for Penn to try and find shelters and treatment programs for panhandlers, but there's no law against giving money to shelters as part of a long-term solution and giving spare change to the disadvantaged for their day-to-day survival. We should remember that in many cultures it is considered one's civic and even spiritual obligation to help out "panhandlers" with loose change and compassion. This is a lesson we could all learn from. Sean Aday Annenberg School '95