Friends, some know their way to these Streets better than most.  I am one of them, the path of the Street speaking man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of dangerous men. Blessed is he who, in the name of truth and good will, shepherds the masses through the valley of darkness, for he is truly this thing's keeper and the finder of lost morality. And generations of my blood were struck down with great vengeance and furious anger by those who attempted to poison and destroy these Streets. And you will know their suit is in bold when they lay their vengeance upon me.

I been saying that shit for years. And if you heard it, that meant I was out on the Streets again, keeping it real, keeping it active and keeping it busy and entertaining.  What did my bloodline get out of it?  Celebrity/ Perhaps. Notoriety? Yes.  Is that a good thing? Not really.

When one totals up the millions spent in pursuit of an ideal, and the tens of millions not earned by my forefathers, it quickly becomes a massive sum of money.

Therefore, what I am saying to you is this. It takes time and effort to come to the Streets, to entertain all of you and to keep people talking and listening.  What kind of culture do we want?

In essence, the question is this - should people, as a matter of course, tip Street speakers?

Let us make this speaker and this discussion the first whereupon a man becomes a millionaire from words alone.

* Kuku- holds out his hat and attaches a bulletproof vest*

So it begins: Someone has tipped you $20,000 for your post.

I think some more effort could've been put in the introduction of this one rather than a rehashed reference to an over played scene. I did smirk at the end. No offense, of course, dearest Kuku. I can see the point that you're making here.

However, if it's money you're after, perhaps some makeup and a false red bulbous nose would bring in more tips? You know what would be really interesting? Maybe something like a cooking show, but a required ingredient in every dish would be eggs, yolk and all. 

Retrograde earnings don't really exist, and a nice new show or song and dance would be fun, and I think that's exactly how tips will be served, based on current performances and the like. Something unique would really bring in money, and I know you're intelligent and creative enough.

Umbreon thinks about how as a (mostly) tame creature her entire existence depends on people thinking she is entertaining or cute enough to give her pokefeed, which makes her very okay with this system, she just wishes the middle man could be cut out so she directly received poffins.

This gal loves the idea of tips. I'm personally very shy. I see it as incentive to come out here and put the time and thought to speak my mind respectfully.

<3,

Synergy

?Approaches Synergy with a bouquet of beautiful flowers.

You have no reason to be shy, you beautiful thing! 

Hands Synergy the flowers and gives a little wink.

Don't worry girls, I am still single... Just try not to swarm me when I am walking around please!

Thanks to all who've parted with their hard earned currency.

The day is still young.

In other news, when a star shines bright, it illuminates the Streets for those less bright.

With that in mind, I'm off to see what Countdown is saying, and whether it's in one language or two.

Ah, Mr. Kuku-!

In a profitable era such as this, money can be obtained very easily, thanks to the way our markets are made, money is plentiful, everything is cheap, and we can all continue living the American dream!

It's simply amazing just how much a pretty piece of paper can get you these days, I simply have too much of them to count; down deep within my pockets and vaults and bank accounts.

Well, I must be off now, best of luck with your endeavor to pad those bank accounts!

As Governor walks down the street, he fails to notice that a large lump of cash has liberated itself from his pockets

Synergy takes the flowers from Sanctionator and smells the beauty of what Mother Nature can produce.

"Thank you kind sir. Perhaps I will see you around?"

Synergy digs her hands into her pockets and realizes she still hasnt been tipped. Her good looks alone should be making her rich.

I can assure you, a quality piece of eloquence can net $1,000,000+. The trick is knowing what other people are thinking; and improving on it until "couldn't have said it better myself" becomes a sweet $20,000.

Seeing Synergy with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, Governor walks back to congratulate her on fine taste.

A woman with looks as astonishing as yours and with a matching exquisite taste should have extravagant wealth to match such excellent qualities!

With that, Governor hands Synergy a gift of $20,000

DonVisicaro walks into this fine discussion to add he's few cents.

I can see this to be very profitable for some like what Artorem said,  knowing what people think and feel about certain things and nailing it on the head makes an easy $20,000 and 20 k these days ain't hard to come by from running organized crimes and robing banks and local post offices.

So I have to say here's 20 k to Artorem. "Couldn't have said it better myself ".

Don hands Artorem some cash.

I think Kuku that this type of fad will catch on like wild fire and should Illuminati the streets.

I am, sadly, one of those few people who believe that this tipping concept is quite counter productive. It simply encourages the repetition of 'popular' ideals. 

For instance, the thought that people have grown 'lazy' and 'complacent' is very prevalent at this time and Artorem brought forward a couple speeches to illustrate that. Whatever his reasons for it, he did reiterate a very popular notion and he was tipped heavily. 

So, in my humble opinion, this tipping mechanism just discourages original thought and people will just keep repeating what everyone is thinking for easy money. However, if people were more stringent in their scrutiny of a topic and the way it is brought to the Streets, then I will back 'tipping' to the hilt.

I'd disagree slightly there Elijah. I don't think it's the 'repetition of popular ideas' that will gain the most valuable donations, it's when someone brings a new light to the topic or raises potentially new solutions that the most value will be gained. Having said that, it's a subjective matter where everyone will make their own decisions, so what I think or feel or what you do for that matter is of little consequence to others and people will tip or not as they see fit themselves. 

Personally, I'll tip when someone raises the bar. When they do something to a standard that warrants attention and reward. If they simply walk out onto the streets clapping themselves on the back and talking about what a great entertainer they are *cough*Kuku*cough* I certainly wouldn't be tempted to put my hand in my pocket. There's a huge difference between being a prolific speaker on the streets and being an influential one. There's a huge difference between making a speech which encourages a great discussion and one which simply ends in one in spite of a potentially poor starting point. 

However, while I do like the idea of a financial reward being given and will utilise the option from time to time, the greater reward comes from the other benefits a good speech brings. Nothing earns respect and reputation, in my humble opinion at least, like someone that can put clear thoughts and opinions in front of others in an intelligent and meaningful way. That's the real benefit of hitting the streets and I'm confident that it will continue to be the real motivation behind those that venture to the streets often, your good self included Elijah. 

I think that the tips are a good idea and a further incentive to post.  However, I feel that I would only respect those speaking in the streets if their intentions are to voice an important issue, tell an adventure, or inform us of news that shift the vast continents of this world.  The culture of tipping is very important and I agree with Satanta that the greatest reward is respect earned through speeches on the street.  

It is up to those tipping to only reward those that have earned the reward through their oratory skills, constructive thoughts, and thought provoking ideas.  As long as each person willing to tip upholds a high standard, we won't see individuals making noise to earn money hoping that the squeaky wheel gets oiled.  

Hm, whatever happened to the old phrase and opener "A penny for your thoughts..". That's about it, a penny. If that was the case in which I'd be able to flip a coin your way, it'd be much more practical than twenty thousand dollars. Most of what we hear and say is a bunch of mush and filler talk, things that just don't cut to the chase.

I don't think tipping for a regular street speech is necessary, honestly. Though, if you have something to say, come out and share your thoughts! I might toss a couple pennies your way and appreciate you sharing.

Good day.

You easily can tip someone a single dollar if you like Battista, this was always the case and always will be. It just needs to be done by the traditional methods and not by the new 'lazy method' recently provided to us by those up in city hall, though I'm sure the new method will increase the regularity of such tips.

Often times in the past people had received donations for thought provoking or even provocative speeches, long before this new scheme was ever introduced. 

Let it be known that the tip system can also be used to disagree with a given post. For instance, if I feel Satanta makes a poor argument, I can degrade him by showering him in $1 tips like an obese Kansas City stripper. It's all about perception, kids.

I think you have the adage a bit wrong there Kuku, 'put your money where your mouth is' is a gamble on oneself to back, or prove, the shit coming from their mouth.

If you want us to put our money where your mouth is, well, then more power to you. I'm with Elijah and Battista on this one in some aspects, I just don't see the need to tip a speaker. If I feel the speech was thoughtful and intelligent, I will reply, (as I did this one, though I don't agree with you, doesn't mean I didn't think it was intelligent.)

I doubt I will ever tack up a poster or get up on a soapbox, but if I did, I wouldn't want anonymous monetary donations, I would want people who like what I wrote to add to the poster, to continue the discussion. There are different opinions about the streets, how active they are, how relevant the content is, but I think the main issue is that conversations die after a few hours. People just aren't adding to them, or if they are, it's short and to the point.

Either which way, I wish you luck in your endeavor, and I anticipate the day you reach your first million from these here street speeches. I do believe you may need a bigger hat.

Well folks, close to TWO million!!

The first three million dollar tippers will get a Kuku created writing for their profile, and published here