Homeless people

[Draconamis]

What is your opinion of homeless people?
I was told the other day that by showing the homeless pity, people are discrediting and disrepecting them. The person said that at one point anyone woh is currently homeless made a choice that put them in their current position, even if it was nothing more than being born homeless and not going out to McDonalds and getting a job. In this respect the homeless have made conscious choices to be what they are today and what they are plays a central roll in humanity, namely that of the lower men and women on the totem pole.
Now while I personally don't suscribe to this word for word, I tend to lean toward it. After all, the homeless are rather important to society, even if they do nothing more than remind us of and allow us to appricate the homes and steady incomes that we, as "average" people have. Really, as sad as it is, the homeless are valuable members of society.
but that's just me rambling.
what do you guys think?

 

[Parasite]

The homeless guy around here that always tries to play soccer with us is funny. We all just walk away....and he just rides his bike back to where ever he came from.

 

[Parasite]

Yeah, I'd definatly be quick as a fox to hire a guy in ripped up dirty clothes, messy hair, missing 5 teeth and that smells like a month old carton of milk and urine.

 

[blakmetalemp]

I was searching for a pic of a homeless dude and found this!!! FUNY!

http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2001/MERC-Feb-23-Fri-2001/15384674.html

 

[Draconamis]

There are places for them to clean up....Like the YMCA,
Furthermore, often times, you don't see the people in the back of McDonalds....and there's a reason for that.

 

[Parasite]

Originally posted by blakmetalemp
I was searching for a pic of a homeless dude and found this!!! FUNY!

http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2001/MERC-Feb-23-Fri-2001/15384674.html

That's great.

 

[blakmetalemp]

 

[OneFootBlaster]

as someone who has definitely been in some "homeless" situations- I try to look at it like this: If you really want to change your situation- you will go out and get a job. Its kind of hard to comment on the homeless' plight- until that is- you experience it. Its a terrible feeling. So- some of what your saying comes off a bit condescending, but i can see your point. Just recently a homeless woman strolled into the gas station I work at and asked me to check a $100 dollar bill to see if it was real... She got it from a man- who I guess felt sorry for her. I was pretty shocked(and so was she)... Anyway- it was real and she said "Now I can afford to get glasses!" then turned around and bought cigarettes and a coke! I told her to hang onto that money for as long as she could- because it won't last forever (and gave her the coke). If you really feel like helping someone- dont give them money- buy them something to eat or give them food. If you give them money it will probably just end up buying them some booze or worse yet- drugs... funny thing is- the first thing i think of when i see a pandhandler now- is the $100 lady- who said- "I guess I can call it a day now" like it was her JOB to panhandle! hah

 

[Draconamis]

I apologize for coming off in a condescending mannar, I was just thinking that the homeless are a bit more important than most tend to think them as.

 

[Jayde]

Homeless people are fun to talk to.

 

[LSDphilosophy]

I was driving to get food today and waved a homeless guy who was holding a sign over to my car. I gave him 5 bucks and went along to get my food. on the way back I saw him walking into a fast food joint and needless to say it feels good to help somebody out who is not in the best of situations. I could care less if he goes out and uses that to buy alcohol or drugs, I just hope he is somewhat happy

 

[Lina]

The vast majority of homeless people have mental problems that make them unable, for whatever reason in their heads, to hold a job. So the problem of homelessness isn't really solvable, in terms of simply providing them with job opportunities or even temporary housing. :s

I almost never give them money, and I'm not sure whether I should feel bad about that. Of course I feel like a stingy bitch when I'm turning them down, but I don't feel like I'm helping anything by throwing a dollar at them that will most likely be squandered.

I rationalize in my head that by going into the public policy field, I will hopefully be helping to solve these problems at their source. But that brings me back to my initial point -- I think there's a certain percentage of the population that can't be helped.

 

[Lina]

Side note -- on my own initiative, when I was in 4th grade (9 years old), I wrote up a 3-page plan to convert an abandoned elementary school in town into a homeless shelter. I proudly sent my plan to the mayor, thinking I'd just solved all the world's problems. He sent me a thank-you letter and said they'd consider my proposal. Gee, what a shock I'm going into public policy.

 

[Izzy Junior]

I really feal sorry for the homeless and I'll help them out, IF I believe they deserve it.

The other night I was in Baltimore for a concert and some scrawny black guy came up and started repeating this phrase, word for word, repeatedly. "Please sir help me get somethin to eat? Sir? Help me get somethin to eat? Sir? Please sir help me get somethin to eat..." and so on. It's possible that this guy had mental problems but my guess was that his brain was fried from crack or some drug and deserved no pity. If I can smell alcohol on a bums breath, he'll get no change from me. Not even a penny, because I know that he'll just go and buy more booze. I wouldn't be helping him, hell, I'd probably be hurting him in the long run.

But if someones walkin around a fast food place, or near the food court in a mall I'll give them some change if they ask for it. Once your homeless I'd imagine it'd be hard to get on your feet again. If you stay homeless for even a week, thats one week without changing your clothes, washing up or bathing. Can you imagine how awful you'd look and how bad you'd smell? And you think people would want to give you jobs? The only job you could get would be wearing a sign on your back walking up and down a busy road. There's not much else you could do other than beg for change. And what goes around, comes around. I was on a lunch break at one of my jobs once, in a mall, and this guy was walkin around askin for forty cents, probably to get somethin from the McDonalds from the food court. I gave him fifty, he thanked me and said "god bless" and I walked off. Next day at work I carried some old womans bag to her car, took all of two minutes, and she thanked me with a ten dollar bill. I'm sure many people would believe those two events were totally unrelated, but I don't think so.


I don't know about the bums being an important part of society though. I know when a bum comes up to you and asks for change, many people simply act as though they aren't even there. They're invisible to many people, which is (I've been told) why they tend to go crazy. I pity them, but I certainly wouldn't consider them an important part of society - no more important than the next guy. I don't think our society would fall apart if they all suddenly up and got jobs one day.

 

[S4R]

Originally posted by Lina
The vast majority of homeless people have mental problems that make them unable, for whatever reason in their heads, to hold a job. So the problem of homelessness isn't really solvable, in terms of simply providing them with job opportunities or even temporary housing. :s

From http://www.nrchmi.com

People with serious mental illness are over-represented among the homeless population. While only four percent of the U.S. population has serious mental illness, five to six times as many people who are homeless (20-25%) have serious mental illness. Their diagnoses include the most personally disruptive and serious mental illnesses, including severe, chronic depression; bipolar disorder; schizophrenia; schizoaffective disorders; and severe personality disorders.

My sister and I have pondered providing pro-bono work for the homeless if we get into practice and can afford to do so. Rest assured insurance and funding for in and out patient programs is merciless.

Originally posted by Izzy Junior
I don't know about the bums being an important part of society though. I know when a bum comes up to you and asks for change, many people simply act as though they aren't even there. They're invisible to many people, which is (I've been told) why they tend to go crazy. I pity them, but I certainly wouldn't consider them an important part of society - no more important than the next guy. I don't think our society would fall apart if they all suddenly up and got jobs one day.

On a more humorous note, annoyingly enough I'm reminded of George Carlin,

“The upper class keeps all of the money, pays none of the taxes, the middle class, pays all of the taxes and does all of the work, the poor are there just to scare the shit out of the middle class.”

 

[Lina]

Originally posted by Soul4Raziel
While only four percent of the U.S. population has serious mental illness, five to six times as many people who are homeless (20-25%) have serious mental illness.

OK, so now I look like a tard. :s Wow, is it truly only 25%? The Washington Post did a several-part series on the problems/causes of homelessness in the D.C. area, and the moral of the story seemed to be, they're all fucked up and aren't able to handle any responsibility whatsoever. Hmmm...

 

[Izzy Junior]

Hey Lina you ever go driving around Southeast with a bunch of your white friends while blaring metal as loud as your car speakers can handle it with all the windows down? It's a thrill, I tell ya!

 

[YourFuneral]

Originally posted by Izzy Junior
Hey Lina you ever go driving around Southeast with a bunch of your white friends while blaring metal as loud as your car speakers can handle it with all the windows down? It's a thrill, I tell ya!

*raises hand*

 

[Furious B]

I absolutely despise homeless people. There is no reason for someone to be homeless nowadays. Most of them are wine-O's
that would most likely spend your sympathy money on crack. They are a welfare hunger, lazy, burden on every one that works hard. Also, I refuse to use the word homeless, it's much to tolerant. I perfer bums ... it's degrading, as being homeless should be. There is a hilarious scene in the movie Suicide Kings that describes how I feel ...

 

[Lina]

Originally posted by Izzy Junior
Hey Lina you ever go driving around Southeast with a bunch of your white friends while blaring metal as loud as your car speakers can handle it with all the windows down? It's a thrill, I tell ya!

Haha, you forget, I live in PG County. I need not go to Southeast.