Hmm... I guess you weren't given the guided tour of the Montreal streets prior to moving here... :)
Seriously, it's extremely bad/ fake. Especially in the downtown side/ core. There's one woman I pass every now and again on Sherbrooke. Her take is actual crying/ tears as part of her begging. The first time I saw her, I was a little taken aback. But then I saw her every day doing the same thing. I could imagine that kind of weeping perhaps for a day... but not for weeks on end.
Another time a guy in a metro actually pissed me off with his antics and I followed him around for a bit. He would go from station to station asking for handouts on the actual platform. Watching him target his "marks" I could see who would be next. After a few stops, I got pissed off enough to sick the cops on him since I knew if I would tackle him myself I would be the one to get in trouble :)
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Seriously, it's extremely bad/ fake. Especially in the downtown side/ core. There's one woman I pass every now and again on Sherbrooke. Her take is actual crying/ tears as part of her begging. The first time I saw her, I was a little taken aback. But then I saw her every day doing the same thing. I could imagine that kind of weeping perhaps for a day... but not for weeks on end.
Another time a guy in a metro actually pissed me off with his antics and I followed him around for a bit. He would go from station to station asking for handouts on the actual platform. Watching him target his "marks" I could see who would be next. After a few stops, I got pissed off enough to sick the cops on him since I knew if I would tackle him myself I would be the one to get in trouble :)