3 ms·

I think if the author has not slept on the street for at least a night or two, they have no business writing about "the homeless problem".

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
ddingus 5y ago
Well said! Many of us have been there. It's obvious when someone really hasn't, yet feels they can contribute authoritative answers. For the naysayer passers by: My spouse and I have direct, and on her part, professional experience. Working with people right now. I do believe the author means well. It's not about that. To start, it would be good to have a rational discussion about how people end up homeless. Then there is what it really takes for many to get out. It's a lot more than you think. Was, and to some degree, still is more than I think, just to be fair. Had the title been, "How to fix the homeless problem" I may well have not commented myself, but "Once and for All?"
- spfzero 5y ago
  OK I’ll bite. What are the answers, oh thou, who has slept on the street?
jdkee 5y ago
Argue against the poster’s substantive points then. Do not make an ad-hominem attack.
- redis_mlc 5y ago
  It's not an ad hominem attack if the author has no experience from which to draw upon. Comparing California with national stats is just the start of the problems with the article. Are you going to denounce my post as a godwin next?
pablooliva 5y ago
Is that not like saying any expert who lacks first hand experience is barred from proposing any solutions, i.e. an infectious diseases expert not being able to offer policies to combat Corona because he/she has not been infected?
- ddingus 5y ago
  Totally fair!! It's like saying they aren't an expert, and that's apparent from the content of the piece we are all reading. Eg: Why did people take drugs? Why are people not working? Nobody is barred from solutions. I do not think very much of this one proposed. It's very much a what and how proposal, and it almost completely ignores WHY. In fact, the single most important thing we can do is educate people on this matter. It's complicated, and I made an edit above to clarify this fact. And to be perfectly fair, many of our leaders have no damn clue.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

ddingus 5y ago

Well said! Many of us have been there. It's obvious when someone really hasn't, yet feels they can contribute authoritative answers. For the naysayer passers by: My spouse and I have direct, and on her part, professional experience. Working with people right now. I do believe the author means well. It's not about that. To start, it would be good to have a rational discussion about how people end up homeless. Then there is what it really takes for many to get out. It's a lot more than you think. Was, and to some degree, still is more than I think, just to be fair. Had the title been, "How to fix the homeless problem" I may well have not commented myself, but "Once and for All?"

spfzero 5y ago
OK I’ll bite. What are the answers, oh thou, who has slept on the street?

jdkee 5y ago

Argue against the poster’s substantive points then. Do not make an ad-hominem attack.

redis_mlc 5y ago
It's not an ad hominem attack if the author has no experience from which to draw upon. Comparing California with national stats is just the start of the problems with the article. Are you going to denounce my post as a godwin next?

pablooliva 5y ago

Is that not like saying any expert who lacks first hand experience is barred from proposing any solutions, i.e. an infectious diseases expert not being able to offer policies to combat Corona because he/she has not been infected?

ddingus 5y ago
Totally fair!! It's like saying they aren't an expert, and that's apparent from the content of the piece we are all reading. Eg: Why did people take drugs? Why are people not working? Nobody is barred from solutions. I do not think very much of this one proposed. It's very much a what and how proposal, and it almost completely ignores WHY. In fact, the single most important thing we can do is educate people on this matter. It's complicated, and I made an edit above to clarify this fact. And to be perfectly fair, many of our leaders have no damn clue.