I get asked a lot how to help the people I write about. My first response is pretty simple, treat them like anybody else, not someone who is broken, or fallen, or a victim, or whatever.

Give them the dignity to be your equal, as measured by things other than $, status, etc. 1/

Yet clearly by $ they are not equal. So how to help them that way? I believe in charity being as local & personal as possible. I buy people McDonald's meals, let them use my phone, or computer, help them navigate social services. Etc.

Or just sit & talk if they want to talk 2/
So I keep a wad of $10 & $5 bills in my pocket to hand out, if asked, or offer. I also carry McDonald's gift cards, if you worry about $s going to drugs

For those who worry about being scammed. Well, if begging for cash is their scam, they are probably still pretty desperate. 3/
If you want to help more local is IMO the best. Volunteer at local non-profit or church, & over time you will see how you can "help" the most. Like maybe buying the soup kitchen a new fridge, or a kid a bike, or whatever. The more personal the better. For a lot of reasons 4/
For those who don't have the time (life is complicated) & want to give to a charity, here are 4 links of places I tend to ask people to give to.

All are Bronx focused, because the Bronx did so much for me. I owe it.

There are variations of all of these in every city though 5/
Hunts Point Alliance for Children https://t.co/SgNC8Dsogl

VIP Community Services https://t.co/PkieDazeFY

St Ann's corner for harm reduction https://t.co/F0nkgjYgZn

St Anthony Shelter https://t.co/d9Gl3vBmch

Publicolor https://t.co/QMEGvTfpZC

6/
Although Covid has made personal charity far harder, when all of this lifts, IMO the best thing one can do to "help" is at the personal level.

Engaging (in whatever fashion you feel your are most comfortable with) with people you might not have engaged with before. 7/
Last point -- when engaging treat them like anybody else. Find common interest & talk about them. If you have them. Like maybe hating on the Jets

Also, afford people the dignity of maybe not liking them! You don't have to treat everyone as a perfect person needing your help!

8/
Regardless. Have a great Xmas and remember. Twitter brings out the worst in everyone. It is like seeing people at their very worst moment, and then having that magnified 8 billions times by quote tweets and missing context.

So. Be safe and God Bless.

9/9

More from Culture

. THREAD 1/x

David Baddiel is getting lots of coverage and feedback on his book which again focuses on so called 'left wing' antisemitism.

I will start by saying that I have seen antisemitic comments made by Labour members and some genuine cases.

However, I have huge concerns.


2/x

Let's look in detail at this article written in April 2019 in the @Guardian - and I will explain the concerns.

The areas highlighted guide you to believe this was all Labour - IT WASN'T.

It also occurred before 2015! Detail follows...

https://t.co/cK59FP83aG


3/x

So as you see the writer of this rather deceitful piece starts with

"THAT CHANGED IN SEPTEMBER 2015" 🙄

This was done to point the timeframe as Corbyn's leadership. Yet the article goes on to describe things that are not even related to Labour, which occurred in 2014.


4/x

So... What in fact the @Guardian writer is discussing here is this case - where a group of Neo-Nazi's spent months inflicting abuse on Jewish MP Luciana Berger

All the detail is in the Court Notes when Bonehill-Paine was sentenced by the judge.

https://t.co/wAyo6Yro5Q


5/x

The Justice sentencing remarks to Neo-Nazi explain the previous cases too. See the date 2014.

Yet the Guardian writer refers to this NON LABOUR case to effectively make her article a lie.

"Star of David" - this was Garron Helm another neo-Nazi..

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Хајде да направимо мали осврт на случај Мика Алексић .

Алексић је жртва енглеске освете преко Оливере Иванчић .
Мика је одбио да снима филм о блаћењу Срба и мењању историје Срба , иза целокупног пројекта стоји дипломатски кор Британаца у Београду и Оливера Иванчић


Оливера Илинчић је иначе мајка једне од његових ученица .
Која је претила да ће се осветити .

Мика се налази у притвору због наводних оптужби глумице Милене Радуловић да ју је наводно силовао човек од 70 година , са три бајпаса и извађеном простатом пре пет година

Иста персона је и обезбедила финансије за филм преко Беча а филм је требао да се бави животом Десанке Максимовић .
А сетите се и ко је иницирао да се Десанка Максимовић избаци из уџбеника и школства у Србији .

И тако уместо романсиране верзије Десанке Максимовић утицај Британаца

У Србији стави на пиједестал и да се Британци у Србији позитивно афирмишу како би се на тај начин усмерила будућност али и мењао ток историје .
Зато Мика са гнушањем и поносно одбија да снима такав филм тада и почиње хајка и претње која потиче из британских дипломатских кругова

Најгоре од свега што је то Мика Алексић изговорио у присуству високих дипломатских представника , а одговор је био да се све неће на томе завршити и да ће га то скупо коштати .
Нашта им је Мика рекао да је он свој живот проживео и да могу да му раде шта хоће и силно их извређао