In the USA, at least: because the absolute worst thing you can possibly be in American culture is a moocher. Of course it's good to be as self-sufficient as you can be and to give back in proportion to what you receive, but American culture takes this to absurd excess as a result of capitalist programming.
First, in that their reaction is wildly disproportionate to how bad the offense is. Even if someone is legitimately trying to cheat the system and get away without pulling their weight even though they could if they wanted to, that's not that bad. Even though it's kind of a dick move, that's honestly a pretty natural thing you'd expect to happen sometimes. But, based on the amount of contempt the average American has for someone who does this, you'd think it was one of the worst, most disgusting things a person can do. For some reason (hmm I wonder why) this does not apply to rich people who live off inheritance.
Second, and most importantly, this hatred is so vitriolic that it extends to any case where it looks like it could possibly be happening and completely obliterates most people's natural empathy. The "makers/takers" narrative is very neat and simple, and it allows for a clear enemy that people can hate without presenting a threat to the powerful. So, when people see someone asking for change on the street, this ingrained ideology categorizes them as a "taker" with no consideration for what the circumstances might be, and then they get mad enough that they don't question it.
In the USA, at least: because the absolute worst thing you can possibly be in American culture is a moocher. Of course it's good to be as self-sufficient as you can be and to give back in proportion to what you receive, but American culture takes this to absurd excess as a result of capitalist programming.
First, in that their reaction is wildly disproportionate to how bad the offense is. Even if someone is legitimately trying to cheat the system and get away without pulling their weight even though they could if they wanted to, that's not that bad. Even though it's kind of a dick move, that's honestly a pretty natural thing you'd expect to happen sometimes. But, based on the amount of contempt the average American has for someone who does this, you'd think it was one of the worst, most disgusting things a person can do. For some reason (hmm I wonder why) this does not apply to rich people who live off inheritance.
Second, and most importantly, this hatred is so vitriolic that it extends to any case where it looks like it could possibly be happening and completely obliterates most people's natural empathy. The "makers/takers" narrative is very neat and simple, and it allows for a clear enemy that people can hate without presenting a threat to the powerful. So, when people see someone asking for change on the street, this ingrained ideology categorizes them as a "taker" with no consideration for what the circumstances might be, and then they get mad enough that they don't question it.