3 ms·

Bruh. Poverty-shaming ain't cool.

xwdv 6y ago
Except it’s true, and could save someone’s life. If a homeless person with bad dental hygiene were to bite you deep enough to sink their teeth into a blood vessel you might not live happily ever after, you’re almost certainly looking at an infection if left untreated.
- eeZah7Ux 6y ago
  Then say "person with bad dental hygiene". Don't single out homeless people: one can have bad dental hygiene without being homeless. (speaking about toxic language...)
- libria 6y ago
  If any person were to bite you. I'm not aware of data that suggests significant variance in mouth bacteria among impoverished vs affluent, i.e. if Bezos were to bite me right now, I'd still go to the ER. Anyway, I'd guess biting is more common among preschoolers than homeless people.
  - serf 6y ago
    > I'm not aware of data that suggests significant variance in mouth bacteria among impoverished vs affluent there is plenty of data about the subject. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2906228/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2906228/ https://www.mchoralhealth.org/PDFs/OHHomelessfactsheet.pdf https://www.mchoralhealth.org/PDFs/OHHomelessfactsheet.pdf more with a simple google query like 'oral health among homeless'. overall point : homeless people are less likely to have a 'dental home', or access to the items and services needed to facilitate good oral health. The problems of access seem to correlate to an increase in oral-health-related issues like sensitive teeth, broken teeth, and ulcers. It's not a fashionable subject, and it's tough to say in such a way that is sensitive to those people who are undergoing such strife, but the data tends to point towards worse oral health in those without access -- which, in my opinion, is an obvious outcome of destitution and homelessness.
    - StrictDabbler 6y ago
      Dental health care is also on average worse in communities of color. How do you feel about saying "if a black person (or any individual) were to bite you..."? From the perspective of sepsis the oral health of the person has no impact on how dangerous a bite is. Every human being has enough bacteria in their mouth to cause a deadly infection and having a higher level is not significant. The original poster mentioned the homeless because that's what he thinks of when the idea of unclean mouths comes up.
dumpsterdiver 6y ago
Referencing the realities and plight of homeless folks is not shaming. Should we instead not talk about the fact that they don't have running water to brush their teeth with? When you brush aside the truth in order to be politically correct it only hurts those who are most vulnerable. Our sensibilities will survive, but in the meantime an absessed tooth can absolutely prove fatal to anyone not willing or able to seek treatment (guess who). Being homeless comes with a lot of bad things, and one of those things is exposure to diseases that are passed upon skin contact. Pretending that homeless folks are just "normal folks like the rest of us" truly does them a disservice. They need help, and by pretending that they don't (or rather, by shunning such conversations out of "politeness") we are hurting them for the benefit of our own conscience. We are only being polite to our own sensibilities when we ignore the plight of homeless people, and pretend to put them on equal footing when they are truly nowhere close. Instead of taking personal offense to the statement I just made, think about them instead. It's become very tiring to see people "stand up" for others, when they are really only standing up to make themselves feel better about mostly ignoring the problem.
- airhead969 6y ago
  I was homeless for 9 years, bucko. Running water at gyms, gas stations, and starbucks. Gimmie a break. You don't know what being homeless is like, yuppie.
  - dumpsterdiver 6y ago
    I'm glad that gyms, gas stations and Starbucks have running water, but how does that change that fact that homeless people don't? Are you arguing that because homeless people can walk to a water source that they have running water? Because no, in that case you ran to the water, not vice versa.
- DoreenMichele 6y ago
  There are lots of good ways to advocate for homeless people. Statements assuming they are all, without exception, clearly and obviously sicker (and "ickier") than all other people, without exception, due to being homeless is not one of them. Many (possibly most) homeless people pass for normal much of the time. It's the obviously highly homeless that get recognized as homeless and become the face of homelessness. Perpetuating that stereotype as if it is accurate does a disservice to everyone. I spent nearly six years homeless. I was routinely mistaken for a tourist and I sometimes got panhandled by other homeless people who would then ask me "How do you stay so clean??" when I would tell them "Sorry. I've got nothing to spare. I'm also homeless."

xwdv 6y ago

Except it’s true, and could save someone’s life. If a homeless person with bad dental hygiene were to bite you deep enough to sink their teeth into a blood vessel you might not live happily ever after, you’re almost certainly looking at an infection if left untreated.

eeZah7Ux 6y ago
Then say "person with bad dental hygiene". Don't single out homeless people: one can have bad dental hygiene without being homeless. (speaking about toxic language...)
libria 6y ago
If any person were to bite you. I'm not aware of data that suggests significant variance in mouth bacteria among impoverished vs affluent, i.e. if Bezos were to bite me right now, I'd still go to the ER. Anyway, I'd guess biting is more common among preschoolers than homeless people.
- serf 6y ago
  > I'm not aware of data that suggests significant variance in mouth bacteria among impoverished vs affluent there is plenty of data about the subject. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2906228/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2906228/ https://www.mchoralhealth.org/PDFs/OHHomelessfactsheet.pdf https://www.mchoralhealth.org/PDFs/OHHomelessfactsheet.pdf more with a simple google query like 'oral health among homeless'. overall point : homeless people are less likely to have a 'dental home', or access to the items and services needed to facilitate good oral health. The problems of access seem to correlate to an increase in oral-health-related issues like sensitive teeth, broken teeth, and ulcers. It's not a fashionable subject, and it's tough to say in such a way that is sensitive to those people who are undergoing such strife, but the data tends to point towards worse oral health in those without access -- which, in my opinion, is an obvious outcome of destitution and homelessness.
  - StrictDabbler 6y ago
    Dental health care is also on average worse in communities of color. How do you feel about saying "if a black person (or any individual) were to bite you..."? From the perspective of sepsis the oral health of the person has no impact on how dangerous a bite is. Every human being has enough bacteria in their mouth to cause a deadly infection and having a higher level is not significant. The original poster mentioned the homeless because that's what he thinks of when the idea of unclean mouths comes up.

dumpsterdiver 6y ago

Referencing the realities and plight of homeless folks is not shaming. Should we instead not talk about the fact that they don't have running water to brush their teeth with? When you brush aside the truth in order to be politically correct it only hurts those who are most vulnerable. Our sensibilities will survive, but in the meantime an absessed tooth can absolutely prove fatal to anyone not willing or able to seek treatment (guess who). Being homeless comes with a lot of bad things, and one of those things is exposure to diseases that are passed upon skin contact. Pretending that homeless folks are just "normal folks like the rest of us" truly does them a disservice. They need help, and by pretending that they don't (or rather, by shunning such conversations out of "politeness") we are hurting them for the benefit of our own conscience. We are only being polite to our own sensibilities when we ignore the plight of homeless people, and pretend to put them on equal footing when they are truly nowhere close. Instead of taking personal offense to the statement I just made, think about them instead. It's become very tiring to see people "stand up" for others, when they are really only standing up to make themselves feel better about mostly ignoring the problem.

airhead969 6y ago
I was homeless for 9 years, bucko. Running water at gyms, gas stations, and starbucks. Gimmie a break. You don't know what being homeless is like, yuppie.
- dumpsterdiver 6y ago
  I'm glad that gyms, gas stations and Starbucks have running water, but how does that change that fact that homeless people don't? Are you arguing that because homeless people can walk to a water source that they have running water? Because no, in that case you ran to the water, not vice versa.
DoreenMichele 6y ago
There are lots of good ways to advocate for homeless people. Statements assuming they are all, without exception, clearly and obviously sicker (and "ickier") than all other people, without exception, due to being homeless is not one of them. Many (possibly most) homeless people pass for normal much of the time. It's the obviously highly homeless that get recognized as homeless and become the face of homelessness. Perpetuating that stereotype as if it is accurate does a disservice to everyone. I spent nearly six years homeless. I was routinely mistaken for a tourist and I sometimes got panhandled by other homeless people who would then ask me "How do you stay so clean??" when I would tell them "Sorry. I've got nothing to spare. I'm also homeless."