The Semantics of Begging
Curious about this particular posture, I did some searching and came across a comment that struck me, especially in how it framed eye contact as the moment begging becomes solicitation:
“I was wondering whether the ‘never any eye contact’ posture that looks like abject praying is meant to satisfy some legal argument about what constitutes ‘begging’ (where making eye contact makes an arrestable offense, and merely being in a place doesn’t).”
And in turn, it made me think about the semantics of begging.
You would think that making eye contact would compel people to give, that seeing someone’s eyes would trigger empathy. These beggars in Prague, with their posture, solemn, dignified, and restrained, are less theatrical or pleading than beggars elsewhere. But as you pass them, without a doubt you feel their presence, and a quiet sense of guilt for not giving. By contrast, a beggar who looks you in the eye and asks for money directly can be easier to forget once you’ve walked away.
So what is it about this ritual of begging that makes it so hard to forget? Is it the way they surrender themselves, placing themselves beneath you with this sacred humility?
I thought of the act of begging for forgiveness or praying: your eyes are closed, your gaze averted, not to solicit attention, but to submit and acknowledge your own vulnerability. In a confession booth, there is no eye contact. The penitent offers themselves fully, and yet the act carries immense weight even without a single glance exchanged.
It is also interesting because, in media, the most effective appeals always show a face to convey emotion, urgency, a personal story as incentives for viewers to give. We’re meant to connect through eye contact. But here, without a face, without a story, the act feels different. It becomes less about who they are and more about the act of begging and giving itself.
What I’m trying to understand in this semantics of begging is whether eye contact transforms begging into something almost manipulative. Maybe not in intention, but in effect. Eye contact pulls you into an exchange and creates a moment of obligation. But without it, the act feels stripped down, almost pure. The person isn’t asking so much as offering their vulnerability and leaving the choice entirely to you.
One asks for a response, the other asks for a reflection.