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The article says that the man’s drinking “played a significant role” in his death. I don’t buy the idea that he slept outside only because there literally wasn’
by DATACOMMANDER 8y ago
The article says that the man’s drinking “played a significant role” in his death. I don’t buy the idea that he slept outside only because there literally wasn’t enough room for him in the shelter. If that were truly the case, more than one homeless person would have died in that area for the same reason, and it would have been a major national story.
- eli_gottlieb 8y agoWe had a bunch of people die in Boston during that same cold snap for lack of space in shelters. What makes you think the nation was or will be so scandalized by a bunch of homeless nobodies dying of exposure?
- DATACOMMANDER 8y agoOkay, a few things. First, while my original question was partly rhetorical, I’m always willing to change my beliefs based on new information, so if you can provide a citation for the claim that a bunch of people died of exposure in Boston due to insufficient shelter space, I’ll stand fully corrected and admit that it does happen in the US. Second, if that’s indeed the case, I find it appalling. Finally, assuming it still happens, I’m still very inclined to believe that it’s both extremely rare—like one in a hundred thousand or even a million people per year—and much rarer than it was, say, 100 years ago. (I have no idea what the rate was in 1919, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was something crazy like one in a thousand or even higher. If we go back 200 years, a rate of 1-2% wouldn’t surprise me.)