The Big Issue street vendors are crying out loud as they
see little coming their way this Christmas in London. We
still have left Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
Sunday and Christmas Eve to avert what looks like
an all round bloody awful Xmas for most of them.
Today, I watched thousands and thousands of
scrooges go by at Covent Garden without giving
a dime or thought about giving just alittle ... Of
course, the "I, I, I," and the "Me, Me, Me" generations
rarely give since they've been reared as self-centered
creatures and not taught to give to others whether
it's Christmas or at any other time of the year.
So those under age 35 are by nature non-givers.
Also useless immigrants and vexing foreigners
rarely buy The Big Issue, so we can throw them
out of the window as non-givers, too. Those
with arms full of shopping bags have spent
their money on themselves and their loved
ones, so don't expect anything from them.
And those with no shopping bags -- and I've
seen more than plenty of them -- don't give
because they either have little money or are
so up to their dirty necks in debt they're
not only not going to give to street
vendors of The Big Issue, but they're not
even going to give a thought or damn
about them ...
So where does that leave most vendors
at this Christmastide? It leaves them
between a rock and hard place - period.
What I am seeing, however, from the ground
up at my Long Arce pitch is this: Folkz
who say last year gave me 10 quid for
Christmas are giving me a fiver this.
Those who gave me twenty are doing
much the same this year. While those
who gave my five quid last year are
either giving me a couple of quid or
nothing this year except perhaps some
loose change for me to pocket ...
It seems those who are well off and
generous are doing pretty much the same
this year, but there seems less of them
around from what I can figure out
this Christmas. Those either on normal
wages and/or debt ridden are the ones
who aren't giving so much to The Big Issue
vendors at present. I suspect if they're
not giving to vendors they are also not
giving to other charitable groups ...
Looking the other day at the financial
statement of The Big Issue Foundation
at The Charity Commission, I noticed it,
too, was thousands of pounds below
previous figures in the million pound
range of previous years compared to
today's mere six figure range ...
What vendors must realise, too, is that no-
body has to give them anything no matter
if they expect such or feel they're entitled
or worthy to receive at Christmastide ...
They're vendors, like two I saw today at
Holborn, who have just shown their pretty
faces again after being absent for months
at their pitch. Suddenly, they think if they
show up just days before Christmas Day
that they'll be showered with gifts and
money from kind by passers ... Maybe
that happened last Xmas or the
Christmases before, but this year it
ain't going to cut it ... Sorry babes, but
you're been out of the loop and so be
grateful now for whatever you get even
if it's cold peanuts and not hot porridge!
Tuff luck, ain't it? Poooooor things!!
Whatever comes out of this Christmas,
be it a feast or a famine in the end, there is
always tomorrow. If you stay focused on
what you do no matter what comes your
way, you will sooner or later survive
and may even flourish beyond your
wildest expectations. Don't depend on
other people per se, but rather depend
on yourself. Tomorrow is a new day
and a new day brings all kinds of
possibilities no matter if all you see
are cold peanuts ... The hot porridge will
comes if you hang on. Look at John
Bird, he's gone from eating peanuts,
so to speak, to daily hot porridge
because he stayed focussed on what
he wanted to achieve. You can, too,
no matter if you're a street vendor
shivering in the bitter cold of London's
cold streets and watching thousands of
Christmas scrooges go by of Dickensian
attitude and mindset ...
Cheers eveybody, Monty.
+I'Eiles avene angicane, 2oo7.
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