Hi. Welcome to the blog for my IB English B class at Jur Hronec High School in Bratislava, Slovakia. Below you will find links to other websites and discussion questions. My students are required to comment on one of these postings every month and also respond to each other's comments. Feel free to add your two bits, but be aware that all comments are monitored before being posted.
Saturday, February 5, 2022
Somebody sing hello, hello, hello. Somebody cry why, why, why.
Why do you
think the homeless are invisible?Is it
because of modern technology bubbles or fear or laziness?Does blame often become a way to make
excuses for not helping those in need?What can be done about this?
Homelessness has always been considered as a failure. Setting an example of what will happen if one does not study, drinks too much or gambles. We like to see in them all the negative qualities and blame them for their conditions. We do this not only to justify our indifference, but also to differentiate us from them. Because we fear we could end up the same if there is no major factor causing homelessness, if we are no better than them. From an early age, children are being warned not to even come near a homeless person, God forbid to speak with them. Parents’ fear is then transmitted to children. This goes on in a never-ending cycle resulting in disregard. It is easier and more comfortable to simply ignore the homeless. Walk over them. Walk around them. Cross the street to avoid them.
This article tells a story from a unique point of view of a former homeless person. I believe it is important to combat the stereotypes concerning the homeless. To interact with them and listen to their stories. This way we may find out that a person does not have to be drunk, have a drug problem, or simply done something wrong to become homeless. Our compassion and willingness to help may rise.
I have to agree with you Soňa. Homelessness is a big issue in our society, and we are not particularly doing much to combat it. When this topic comes up, once in a blue moon, I think of the ways I would try to get out of that situation (and to become “visible” again). While this might be different in other parts of the world, larger cities contain a lot of public facilities (for free) and opportunities that a homeless person could use to their advantage. For example, you can use the public bathrooms to try and look more presentable, or go inside a shopping center to stay warm. If you have access to a mobile phone you can also browse the internet here, and if you do not, you can try to visit a library to use one of the computers (to search for job opportunities). All of these things are not much, and definitely not the “solution to homelessness”, but they are certainly leverage points one can use to their advantage. Of course, it is easy for me to talk about this considering that I have never been in that situation. However, to me, this is a much more respectable approach than simply begging on the street. There is a great shortage of workers currently, with many new job openings every day, so your chances of getting employed are much higher. You might have to temporarily lower your standards, and work a job which does not meet your expectations or is not convenient for you, but if you are able to get a hotel room (potentially rent an apartment), and food on the table you are certainly on the right track to recovery.
Martin you do have a valid point that these people have opportunities to improve their situation, but why should they be left to deal with it on their own? If you weren't doing too well you'd have your family and friends there to help you out, but some people just don't have this luxury. Shouldn't we then step in to be the foundations of their recovery? Some people are lazy, others are drug addicts and some have mental problems, they may be broken at some point in their life, but people change, why couldn't it be for the better for once?
In communist Czechoslovakia a person couldn't be homeless. If you were the government would give you a place to stay and a job appropriate to your education, and if you refused the offer you'd be sent to jail. Even though communism was flawed due to the human nature, couldn't we apply things that worked under this regime? If you had a pen that stopped working, you'd probably get a new pen. However, if your car stopped working, you'd look to fix it rather than replace it, because its value is much too high to replace it. What value does a human being have? Ask yourself this question and decide, will you throw them away, wait for them to fix themselves, or reach out your hand in hopes that someone will offer you a hand if you need it.
Martin, there is certainly something to be said about various ways homeless people can improve their chances at getting a better position in society. However, I do not think it is so simple as being a little cleaner or looking up a job online. In my opinion, this point of view is an incredible understatement of what it really means to be homeless. Prejudice prevents homeless people from functioning as real members of society and reduces them to complete trash. Just think about it - how many times have you walked past a beggar on the street without batting an eye? There is a vicious cycle in place. Because they have so little to lose, homeless people have a reputation of being perhaps dangerous or unpredictable. However, they cannot fix this reputation as they are treated as sub-human. At the very least it would be insanely difficult to go from a long-term homeless person to a regular member of society.
No matter the political or economic system, there will always be those who are dispossessed, this is a given - otherwise there wouldn't be a middle or upper class either. The question of what to do with those people is basically impossible to answer, and so far, we simply don't know. Certainly, there are things that may help, and recently have helped, but it seems there is no general strategy that eliminates this problem. To me, your suggestions seem idealistic at best - if it really were so simple, why wouldn't the homeless just buy a house?
The one thing we can be sure about is that as technology advances, more people seem to be rising above poverty and living decent lives. This is the only solution.
Personally, I hate when people try to use their ‘goodness’ to force others to obey by their moral values. The author mentions the case of Rene Robert who wasn’t a homeless man, but still appeared homeless and thus was left to freeze to death. This narrative to me seems completely one-sided as though the author knew what kind of opinion we have on homeless people and why we avoid them.
Moreover, I am here to present a different and still biased view distinct from one given in the article. I admit, the homeless are undeniably avoided. However, this doesn’t mean that we necessarily have to view them as less or evil. They are the unknown, the side of society we haven’t experienced and to us they may pose a threat. When walking in public we usually want to mind our own business. Getting stopped by someone isn’t a usual thing to happen. Thus, it may invoke fear and even unwillingness to help, but we shouldn’t have a moral obligation to help others and we don’t. Helping someone may pose a threat to us as lots of people have bad intentions. Therefore, I don’t see it as a horrifying act if someone doesn’t decide to help and simply minds their own business. Additionally, I wouldn’t fear to assume that most homeless are more dangerous than an average grandma or a child to whom, in general, we are more inclined to help.
The author also mentioned how he became invisible after becoming homeless. Even though he wasn’t dangerous as other homeless may be he still was grouped into the unknown danger and was ignored. However, I would argue that to lift oneself from homelessness one needs to fix their problems on their own. They don’t function well when their problems are fixed for them because usually those problems are complex and internalized. To conclude, we shouldn’t feel bad for not being willing to help a stranger who looks dangerous as it's us who have the choice and it's us who are exposed to possible danger.
Homelessness has always been considered as a failure. Setting an example of what will happen if one does not study, drinks too much or gambles. We like to see in them all the negative qualities and blame them for their conditions. We do this not only to justify our indifference, but also to differentiate us from them. Because we fear we could end up the same if there is no major factor causing homelessness, if we are no better than them. From an early age, children are being warned not to even come near a homeless person, God forbid to speak with them. Parents’ fear is then transmitted to children. This goes on in a never-ending cycle resulting in disregard. It is easier and more comfortable to simply ignore the homeless. Walk over them. Walk around them. Cross the street to avoid them.
ReplyDeleteThis article tells a story from a unique point of view of a former homeless person. I believe it is important to combat the stereotypes concerning the homeless. To interact with them and listen to their stories. This way we may find out that a person does not have to be drunk, have a drug problem, or simply done something wrong to become homeless. Our compassion and willingness to help may rise.
I have to agree with you Soňa. Homelessness is a big issue in our society, and we are not particularly doing much to combat it. When this topic comes up, once in a blue moon, I think of the ways I would try to get out of that situation (and to become “visible” again). While this might be different in other parts of the world, larger cities contain a lot of public facilities (for free) and opportunities that a homeless person could use to their advantage. For example, you can use the public bathrooms to try and look more presentable, or go inside a shopping center to stay warm. If you have access to a mobile phone you can also browse the internet here, and if you do not, you can try to visit a library to use one of the computers (to search for job opportunities). All of these things are not much, and definitely not the “solution to homelessness”, but they are certainly leverage points one can use to their advantage. Of course, it is easy for me to talk about this considering that I have never been in that situation. However, to me, this is a much more respectable approach than simply begging on the street. There is a great shortage of workers currently, with many new job openings every day, so your chances of getting employed are much higher. You might have to temporarily lower your standards, and work a job which does not meet your expectations or is not convenient for you, but if you are able to get a hotel room (potentially rent an apartment), and food on the table you are certainly on the right track to recovery.
Delete- Martin
Martin you do have a valid point that these people have opportunities to improve their situation, but why should they be left to deal with it on their own? If you weren't doing too well you'd have your family and friends there to help you out, but some people just don't have this luxury. Shouldn't we then step in to be the foundations of their recovery? Some people are lazy, others are drug addicts and some have mental problems, they may be broken at some point in their life, but people change, why couldn't it be for the better for once?
DeleteIn communist Czechoslovakia a person couldn't be homeless. If you were the government would give you a place to stay and a job appropriate to your education, and if you refused the offer you'd be sent to jail. Even though communism was flawed due to the human nature, couldn't we apply things that worked under this regime? If you had a pen that stopped working, you'd probably get a new pen. However, if your car stopped working, you'd look to fix it rather than replace it, because its value is much too high to replace it. What value does a human being have? Ask yourself this question and decide, will you throw them away, wait for them to fix themselves, or reach out your hand in hopes that someone will offer you a hand if you need it.
-Maxim
This is a comment from Teo:
DeleteMartin, there is certainly something to be said about various ways homeless people can improve their chances at getting a better position in society. However, I do not think it is so simple as being a little cleaner or looking up a job online. In my opinion, this point of view is an incredible understatement of what it really means to be homeless. Prejudice prevents homeless people from functioning as real members of society and reduces them to complete trash. Just think about it - how many times have you walked past a beggar on the street without batting an eye? There is a vicious cycle in place. Because they have so little to lose, homeless people have a reputation of being perhaps dangerous or unpredictable. However, they cannot fix this reputation as they are treated as sub-human. At the very least it would be insanely difficult to go from a long-term homeless person to a regular member of society.
No matter the political or economic system, there will always be those who are dispossessed, this is a given - otherwise there wouldn't be a middle or upper class either. The question of what to do with those people is basically impossible to answer, and so far, we simply don't know. Certainly, there are things that may help, and recently have helped, but it seems there is no general strategy that eliminates this problem. To me, your suggestions seem idealistic at best - if it really were so simple, why wouldn't the homeless just buy a house?
The one thing we can be sure about is that as technology advances, more people seem to be rising above poverty and living decent lives. This is the only solution.
Personally, I hate when people try to use their ‘goodness’ to force others to obey by their moral values. The author mentions the case of Rene Robert who wasn’t a homeless man, but still appeared homeless and thus was left to freeze to death. This narrative to me seems completely one-sided as though the author knew what kind of opinion we have on homeless people and why we avoid them.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, I am here to present a different and still biased view distinct from one given in the article. I admit, the homeless are undeniably avoided. However, this doesn’t mean that we necessarily have to view them as less or evil. They are the unknown, the side of society we haven’t experienced and to us they may pose a threat. When walking in public we usually want to mind our own business. Getting stopped by someone isn’t a usual thing to happen. Thus, it may invoke fear and even unwillingness to help, but we shouldn’t have a moral obligation to help others and we don’t. Helping someone may pose a threat to us as lots of people have bad intentions. Therefore, I don’t see it as a horrifying act if someone doesn’t decide to help and simply minds their own business. Additionally, I wouldn’t fear to assume that most homeless are more dangerous than an average grandma or a child to whom, in general, we are more inclined to help.
The author also mentioned how he became invisible after becoming homeless. Even though he wasn’t dangerous as other homeless may be he still was grouped into the unknown danger and was ignored. However, I would argue that to lift oneself from homelessness one needs to fix their problems on their own. They don’t function well when their problems are fixed for them because usually those problems are complex and internalized. To conclude, we shouldn’t feel bad for not being willing to help a stranger who looks dangerous as it's us who have the choice and it's us who are exposed to possible danger.