So you can’t make an exception?

I did not know the word “busker” before I moved to England (and indeed it does not appear in my spell-check dictionary) but apparently it’s a street performer.  In any case, I was in the underground station on the way home today and there was a man in a wheelchair playing a violin.  Wanting to give him something but having no change (only a £5 note) I went to the ticket counter and asked for some change.  “We don’t give change,” the man said, pushing back the note. “I want to give the busker some money,” I said, sliding it back again. “What?” Here’s the note again. Back and forth it goes.  “The performer, I want to give him some money.”  “Sorry.” "Why do you have a performer if I can’t give him change?” Nothing but a shrug.  I take my note and go, extremely disappointed.

On the subject of subway performers, I find it very strange that they do not vary them very much here.  At the station where I interchange on the way to work, the same Caribbean guitarist is playing every day.  Surely they would all benefit from a rotation?  I’m not likely to give money to the exact same performer playing the exact same songs every day!  Definitely not a zero-sum game.  On the way home, the station near my office does switch it up, which is nice.  On some days there is not a performer but there is a handicapped cleaning employee who is whistling very loudly.  While at first I wasn’t sure what to make of it, I eventually decided that it made me quite happy.  If this gentleman is unable to support himself and needs government money anyway, why not allow him to have a job?  He certainly seems happy and can feel like he is a productive member of society.  Meanwhile, he is probably quite helpful to the staff in the underground, and brings a bit of happiness to my life.  Seems like a win-win situation to me, as long as other people who do not receive government aid are not shut out of those jobs (e.g. these jobs are created as additional hiring out-of-budget).