Those People

A very unfriendly lady told me today that “those people” don’t belong here, referring to a homeless couple who had setup camp on her block in a rather affluent part of town. Granted the homeless situation here is a major problem. Being a progressive city, SF has a large population of homeless folks. To me that sounds more like a contradiction than a definition. Yet, you find the same problem in every large city. It is not a crime to be homeless. And it should not preclude you from the human rights granted to any other human being. An important distinction often forgotten.

When you deal w/the homeless as much as I do in my line of work, it is easy to forget these are human beings. You see people who, for a variety of reasons, have been discarded by society. And it’s not a pretty sight seeing a human devolved to such a lowly form of existence. Living in squalor, stink, and filth, manners and cleanliness become unafforded niceties that are soon forgotten. In this scenario it is easy to forget. Yet, we musn’t. If we, as a society, allow people to live this way then we must also bear the burden of supporting them. We no longer live in age of wilderness where ever man is his own world and anything outside that world is unimportant. We live in an age where our planet is fast becoming overpopulated and the driving force behind our existence is money and/or the accumulation of wealth. Well friends, that existence isn’t free. You only need to look in your slums and ghettos to realize it.

I can’t help but notice the similarities in how the homeless are viewed here and how gays are viewed elsewhere. Homeless folks here are often mistreated, overgeneralized, stereotyped, looked down upon, and regarded as a stain on society. Sound familiar?

I’m always bitching to folks about the distinction between things. The same could be said of same sex marriage. There is a clear line between the civil and religious benefits of a marriage contract in this country. However, over time the line has become blurred because there was no reason to make a distinction. Now there is. We need to refocus our efforts on reminding law-makers of the separation of church and state clause in the constitution. The State needs to recognize we deseve equal treatment under the law. However, we [gays] need to remember a religious institution does not have to agree or support our right to marry. Nor do they have to allow us to “marry” on their property. Another distinction often lost in the flurry of self-rigtheousness indignation.

Very important dinstinctions like these are increasingly forgotten in our society today. We should be mor than a little frightened of that.

9 thoughts on “Those People”

  2. Here in Ohio we have a nasty senate race going on. Just as I was reading your blog this morning one of many new ads for the Replician Candidate came on. Seems his Democratic opponent had voted against that constitultlional amendment regarding marriage. They go on to say if persons such as this Democrat are elected to the Senate, gay marriage will soon be recoglzed everywhere. Maybe a lot of you readers out there do not realize that the new buzz word for elections this fall is COMBINATION of Church and State.

    This ad was paid for by the National Republician Senatorial Committe. Whatever happended to States Rights and outside interests staying outside so the residents of the state could do the election without any OUTSIDE influence.

  3. (Side intro: I’ve not commented here before, though I’ve read your blog from time to time.

    I found your comments about the homeless intriguing. One reason SF has such a homeless problem, of course, is that historically the city has been exceptionally generous to homeless people. If you feed stray cats, you get kittens, and I don’t mean that as an insult to the homeless: it’s simply a fact that if you provide a hospitable environment for a social problem, the problem will multiply.

    We talk a lot about people who, as you put it, “have been discarded by society.” Advocates for the homeless would have us believe that most of them are victims of a harsh economy, families with small children who can’t manage to get together the deposit for renting even a small place, so they’re living in a car or in a box. Those people exist, but they’re a small portion of the homeless.

    The majority of whom, it bears reminding, have social pathologies which directly contribute to their homelessness. They’re mentally ill, or addicted to drugs or alcohol, unable to work, and unwilling to enter and remain in treatment. And no, I’m not saying it’s due to any moral failings on their part.

    But the bottom line is: if we accept the premise that “we must also bear the burden of supporting them,” they must also accept the premise that they have neither an unlimited claim on our patience and support, nor the right to dictate the form that support will take.

    If the homeless have a right to support from the community, the community has to have the right to say “you can’t congregate in this or that place”, to protect the safety and health of the community. (Urinating and defecating in public are not uncommon problems in areas with large numbers of homeless people.)

  4. a little O/T but i need to vent.
    I just want to say that there can be no hell hot enough for this crop of vile, ignorant, totally morally bankrupt thugs who are holding this country in their terrorist grip. Call them republigoons, rethuglicans, repulsicans, assholes, Bushes, elephant humpers. they’re all the same and they’re all evil and the’re all MORONS. …so there!
    Now!… time for some hot cocoa and Judy Garland.

  5. Kevin – While I think the ratio is much more 50/50, I pretty much agree w/that. Homeless usually fall into 3 categories. Those who can’t due to mental/physical handicaps, those locked in debilitating addictions, and finally, those who can and just don’t.

    I advocate the homeless only in the sense of not forgetting these are people. That doesn’t mean I support their booze/drug habits by dolling out cash. The phrase ‘tough love’ comes to mind here.

    The answer isn’t simple and would require a variety of fixes to other problems before the homeless situation will improve. We seem to just wanna throw money at it. As SF is learning, that isn’t the answer. Strong support for social and rehabilitation programs is required to get the ball rolling. However, community support in the form of acceptance, jobs and living arrangements is greatly needed to finalize the process.

  6. I can never figure out what the satisfaction is of looking down on other people. I try to judge people by their individual actions, rather than what group they below to. Sometimes I over-generalize (Republicans, Conservative Christians), but I’m also aware of the unfairness of doing so. I wish those who discriminate would think about this issue a little harder and look into their souls for the answer of “Why am I doing this?”

  7. Moby – what an excellent post. My line of work puts me in direct contact with homeless everyday – and I am a strong and verbal advocate for the homeless here in Orlando. Your post brings out so many good points – we have a lesbian city council member here who seems to have forgotten where she came from – she just sponsored a bill banning the feeding of the homeless in public parks and within 3 miles of city hall…

    Success seems to breed short memories… thanks for a great post!

  8. Awesome post. When I was 17, I spent 2 weeks homeless living in my truck. I had just started technical college and was working but didn’t have enough money to rent a place until I received my first paycheck. I’ll never forget the fear and shame of that time. People end up in bad circumstances for all kinds of reasons. We have to remember their humanity if we are ever to retain our own. Every one of us could find ourselves one of “those people”.

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