What do you think about.........

I noticed something today that really made me wonder.

Everyday on my way to work I pass by at least a half dozen panhandlers. Most of the city dwellers pass by without acknowledging the beggars requests, but there is one noticeable exception. If the beggar asks for a cigarette, the person they ask always stops and gives them a cancer stick and a light.

Obviously the panhandlers only ask smokers, but it's fascinating to me that they are never turned down. I've seen men in pricey business suits, who hadn't even glanced at the beggar previously, stop in their tracks to fish a cigarette out of their jacket. Women who were leery of the approaching man, although still apprehensive, retrieve for him a cigarette and a lighter from their purses.

I started wondering why this only applies to cigarettes. Like I said people who don't normally comply with the beggar's other requests stop mid-stride to provide the beggar with a cigarette. Imagine if you were walking down the street and you had a Burger King value meal in hand and a panhandler asked you for a few fries, would you stop to comply? If you had a pack of sodas and a beggar asked you for one, would you stop? If you are walking along with a backpack and a panhandler asked for a pen or a piece of paper, what would you do?

I'd imagine most of us would continue to walk on, even smokers, so why do you suppose the request for cigarettes are different?

Just another of my commuter induced ponderings.

Ciao