Homeless...my ass!

I'm still really conscious of being American, and so I get really excited when strangers come up to me and ask for directions in a foreign language. I usually assume they're speaking Danish, but it could be Tagalog for all I know. It's happened a few times now; one of my favorites was an American couple who told me, "you speak really good English! I couldn't even hear an accent!" when I gave them directions to the Metro stop. I dunno, I'm realizing how much of my identity is relationally established, and without those relations directly around me, it's somewhat validating to be taken for someone who knows what he's doing, even if it's a mistaken impression.

So when a rather disheveled man approached me this afternoon and started speaking Danish, I got really excited. When I responded, "I'm sorry, I don't speak Danish," and he started talking in English, however, I just got mad.

"I'm homeless. Do you have any spare money?"

Ok, I realize that he could be from another country, but since the language he was speaking sounded like Danish, I'm going to assume (making an ass out of both of us) that he's a Danish citizen. Which means he's full of bull.

Denmark, as you may know, is a welfare state. The government pays for literally almost all of your needs. Education, health care, if you lose your job they help you find one, if you don't want to work there are government established places to live. Essentially, the only reason you'd be without a roof over your head is because you made a conscious choice to live like that. OR you're hooked on heroin. This gentleman may very well be hooked, but given all that I've seen so far of Denmark, I have a hard time believing they let drug addicts roam around without being cared for and supported.

I don't really know why I got so upset. Well, actually I do. I was just starting to feel as if I'm getting the hang of this culture and was starting to be able to blend into the woodwork and not stand out as a tourist when this bloke comes up and starts treating me like some dumb, ignorant foreigner. I want to be compassionate and caring and feel bad for him and his situation, but I'm a little too upset with his behavior to do so at this moment.

Readers note: If someone panhandles you in Copenhagen and they are probably from Denmark, they're yanking your chain. If they're foreign, give them a sandwich.