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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 the

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."
- dumpsterdiver 6y ago
  > 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. It was not my intent to cast people experiencing homelessness in a bad light, but I won't apologize for my words just because they weren't received in the spirit I intended them (I know you didn't ask for an apology, just throwing it out there). My point was that by definition homeless folks don't have equal access to facilities that non-homeless folk do, and have greater exposure to specific health risks. I didn't say this to be mean or hateful, I stated my current understanding of the situation many people find themselves in. Understanding a situation is the first step towards improving it. That requires talking about things that might make some people uncomfortable. I strongly disagree with the manner in which jimbob45 was immediately shut down (and subsequently accused of casting homeless folks as "subhuman") for making a statement that quite frankly, wasn't wrong. Not only was his advice not wrong, but it could save lives if someone didn't know any better. It upsets me to see people get beat up over innocent comments that other people take offense to because they assume maliciousness. I saw zero maliciousness in his comment, and in fact it appeared as someone simply giving sound advice.
  - DoreenMichele 6y ago
    No malice aforethought is required for careless words to perpetuate harmful and ignorant stereotypes that help make already hard problems all the more intractable for people whose lives already suck. When your words are not received in the spirit you intended in a text only environment, working on finding the right words is typically the most effective approach to remedying the matter. I wrote what I wrote previously because I'm on your side and a writer by trade. I still blog about homelessness at times. Searching for the right words to adequately convey meaning is something I spend a lot of time on and put a lot of work into.

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."

dumpsterdiver 6y ago
> 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. It was not my intent to cast people experiencing homelessness in a bad light, but I won't apologize for my words just because they weren't received in the spirit I intended them (I know you didn't ask for an apology, just throwing it out there). My point was that by definition homeless folks don't have equal access to facilities that non-homeless folk do, and have greater exposure to specific health risks. I didn't say this to be mean or hateful, I stated my current understanding of the situation many people find themselves in. Understanding a situation is the first step towards improving it. That requires talking about things that might make some people uncomfortable. I strongly disagree with the manner in which jimbob45 was immediately shut down (and subsequently accused of casting homeless folks as "subhuman") for making a statement that quite frankly, wasn't wrong. Not only was his advice not wrong, but it could save lives if someone didn't know any better. It upsets me to see people get beat up over innocent comments that other people take offense to because they assume maliciousness. I saw zero maliciousness in his comment, and in fact it appeared as someone simply giving sound advice.
- DoreenMichele 6y ago
  No malice aforethought is required for careless words to perpetuate harmful and ignorant stereotypes that help make already hard problems all the more intractable for people whose lives already suck. When your words are not received in the spirit you intended in a text only environment, working on finding the right words is typically the most effective approach to remedying the matter. I wrote what I wrote previously because I'm on your side and a writer by trade. I still blog about homelessness at times. Searching for the right words to adequately convey meaning is something I spend a lot of time on and put a lot of work into.