the big issue

this is one for the brits among us

the big issue...as in the magazine of that name...do you buy it?

it a magazine published in order to help the homeless...they pay 50 pence per copy and sell it for £1 per copy

my cousin sold the magazine when he was homeless for a while...unfortunatly his former life of drink and drugs caught up with him last year and he commited suicide after one of his neighbours falsely accused him of being back on drugs and reported him to the authorities who took his 2 children into care...

fearing he would never get them back again...he took his own life

but back to the topic

do you buy the big issue and if so why...but more importantly...if not...then why not

does the magazine still have a negative image to many people...

i buy it every week and read most of the articles in it even though its a very pro socialist/ anti capitalist magazine

i buy it for several reasons not the least of which is a sort of small tribute to my cousin

thanks for any responses

sorry about your cousin man
i buy it occasionly..i dont see what the problem is..plus it helps the homeless
some people would feel embarressed to buy it

I buy it sometimes - I just don't read magazines.

Originally posted by Deano
sorry about your cousin man
i buy it occasionly..i dont see what the problem is..plus it helps the homeless
some people would feel embarressed to buy it

cheers mate...

yeah..i dont know why people are embarrased about it

i know in some cities the vendors are supposedly quite aggressive in trying to sell it but in my experience the vendors in my town are all very appreciative about it...although when you buy a copy you tend to get a story about how little copies they've sold that day...

its a good read too...last issue had a bit about tori amos..usually good if limited music coverage though...

it covers alot of issues that the mainstream press doesn't...mental health issues and the like

The vendors are so nice.

I think it's absolutely awful when the majority of people completely ignore them when asked.

Even if I don't want to buy one, I still say "not today thanks mate", and they say "thankyou" to me every time, just for acknowledging their existence.

They deserve an answer at the very very least. I'm so sick of this "keep your head down" mentality towards the homeless. At least look them in the eye and say "sorry".

They appreciate that. I wish people would just acknowledge them, especially when they are so polite.

People of this country bug the hell out of me. Ignorance perfectly sums up the cowardice and selfishness that is rife in modern Britain.

I buy one when ever I have the spare change, at the very least I always say no thanks or whatever.

Glasgow's homeless population is becoming excessive however, leading to the problem of too many big issue sellers. Most people on the street ignore all of them now, for the simple reason there are too many.

It begs the question, what else can be done to help people work their own way out of it?