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When I went to SF for a short trip and saw a homeless person screaming against a bus or tram station, it frankly shocked me. I've seen quite some gritty stuff i

When I went to SF for a short trip and saw a homeless person screaming against a bus or tram station, it frankly shocked me. I've seen quite some gritty stuff in The Netherlands (family members not on wellfare, too mentally unstable to work, passing out from hunger etc.) but the US always takes the cake and takes it 10 steps further. In The Netherlands the darkside of capitalism is subtle. If I didn't have personal family members being in this situation, I would honestly not know where to look. A casual stroll in Amsterdam doesn't betray much. A casual stroll in downtown San Francisco does. Here is how capitalism contributes: it makes us focus on ourselves. In such a society it is possible for people to take pause and institutionalize help for other people, but there is a tendency that this doesn't happen. Capitalism nudges towards focusing on the enrichment of the individual. While there is nothing wrong with that, it leaves less focus for helping others (there's only a limited amount of focus) and it's an extra barrier. The Netherlands is an example of a country that mostly overcame that barrier, the US is an example in which such a barrier poses serious problems.

conanbatt 7y ago
SF is the most "progressive", most regulated and highly taxed place in America. It's an example of the exact opposite.
- pathartl 7y ago
  It's also one of the top cities in America with a homeless problem. I believe Hawaii would give plane tickets to their homeless because they too have massive problems.
- mettamage 7y ago
  Then why do I see so many homeless people who are clearly in need of help in SF? Why do I see people being kicked out and shouted at? Why do I see people publicly shouting at bus stations? Or people randomly saying "fuck you". I was there for 2 days, out on the street for at most 2 hours during my whole trip. I'm also simply minding my own business. And it wasn't my first experience like that there. The other time I was there a guy followed me banging a cane on the street, talking about Satan and Jesus while rhyming. I walked into a hotel with security in order to get away from him. Or a woman screaming at me while she wasn't looking at me. It's frankly ludicrous. I'm simply reporting what I saw there and it sounds crazy while I'm rereading my comment. In Amsterdam I've experienced a lot things, but nothing like this and definitely not in such a short amount of time.
  - conanbatt 7y ago
    Multiple theories, explanations etc. SF city spends almost 1 billion dollars a year to manage its homeless population of estimated 10,000. (City contests that the number is much higher because a lot of people aren't counted as homeless because of the programs). According to a piece by the Guardian, SF has exported about 50% of the homeless population they have. SF shows a couple crisis that are both local and national: health coverage for mentally ill people, and intense drug addiction. The city also spends a lot of money paying the local hospital (UCSF) to give treatment to homeless people and provides free heroin needles. Also the public library is basically a place of prostitution and crack all day long, right in front of city hall. SF has probably one of the worst housing policies in the country coupled with some of the most lavish programs to sustain and spend in name of the homeless, and still has cash to spare to build a 1.4 billion dollar bus station that was closed for half a year due to construction issues. California as a state itself has a homelessness crisis because some of the bad housing policies are state-level. This includes regressive property taxes, and extreme construction regulations.
ljp_206 7y ago
In US downtowns, this experience at the bus stop is called 'Tuesday.'
H_Pylori 7y ago
The homeless in SF are for the most part mentally ill and/or addicts. In the past these people would've been in a mental institution (a.k.a madhouse). I think it's unfair to blame capitalism for that.

conanbatt 7y ago

SF is the most "progressive", most regulated and highly taxed place in America. It's an example of the exact opposite.

pathartl 7y ago
It's also one of the top cities in America with a homeless problem. I believe Hawaii would give plane tickets to their homeless because they too have massive problems.
mettamage 7y ago
Then why do I see so many homeless people who are clearly in need of help in SF? Why do I see people being kicked out and shouted at? Why do I see people publicly shouting at bus stations? Or people randomly saying "fuck you". I was there for 2 days, out on the street for at most 2 hours during my whole trip. I'm also simply minding my own business. And it wasn't my first experience like that there. The other time I was there a guy followed me banging a cane on the street, talking about Satan and Jesus while rhyming. I walked into a hotel with security in order to get away from him. Or a woman screaming at me while she wasn't looking at me. It's frankly ludicrous. I'm simply reporting what I saw there and it sounds crazy while I'm rereading my comment. In Amsterdam I've experienced a lot things, but nothing like this and definitely not in such a short amount of time.
- conanbatt 7y ago
  Multiple theories, explanations etc. SF city spends almost 1 billion dollars a year to manage its homeless population of estimated 10,000. (City contests that the number is much higher because a lot of people aren't counted as homeless because of the programs). According to a piece by the Guardian, SF has exported about 50% of the homeless population they have. SF shows a couple crisis that are both local and national: health coverage for mentally ill people, and intense drug addiction. The city also spends a lot of money paying the local hospital (UCSF) to give treatment to homeless people and provides free heroin needles. Also the public library is basically a place of prostitution and crack all day long, right in front of city hall. SF has probably one of the worst housing policies in the country coupled with some of the most lavish programs to sustain and spend in name of the homeless, and still has cash to spare to build a 1.4 billion dollar bus station that was closed for half a year due to construction issues. California as a state itself has a homelessness crisis because some of the bad housing policies are state-level. This includes regressive property taxes, and extreme construction regulations.

ljp_206 7y ago

In US downtowns, this experience at the bus stop is called 'Tuesday.'

H_Pylori 7y ago

The homeless in SF are for the most part mentally ill and/or addicts. In the past these people would've been in a mental institution (a.k.a madhouse). I think it's unfair to blame capitalism for that.