4 ms·

I spent a decade as a public library board member. I saw every possible combination of anti-social behavior from the homeless that would encamp there. Many ti

I spent a decade as a public library board member. I saw every possible combination of anti-social behavior from the homeless that would encamp there. Many times I had to 'assist' asking someone to leave. The librarians _could_ have called the cops and had the violators permanently barred from re-entering but they would rarely do that. It is 100% scaring away families and elderly.

lapphi 3y ago
It’s interesting how we (as a culture) tolerate people who have broken the social contract. As Americans we’ve really let the bottom fall out. They’re so far away from society they do not care anymore about norms. And we do not care to do anything except let them exist in our spaces to the detriment of the public.
- anotherhue 3y ago
  The costs they create far outweigh whatever a programme to help them would cost. We're literally giving up on social activities and safety and trust because we're not willing to meaningfully address the down and outs.
- DANmode 3y ago
  It's a "problem" of a nonhomogeneous populous: the wide range in definition of what maintains the social contract. For some, if they in particular aren't disturbed from their AirPods, murder or other crime is a-ok. For others, if you wear the wrong ratty clothes into the library, you're breaking the social contract.
  - TimedToasts 3y ago
    > For others, if you wear the wrong ratty clothes into the library, you're breaking the social contract. This is a very bad faith re-statement of what I wrote about my experiences with the homeless in my library.
    - DANmode 3y ago
      My comment was not referring, nor directed, to you.
      - deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
1letterunixname 3y ago
It's easy to paint with a broad brush "'the homeless' = bad". That is as casually discriminatory as being antisemitic and is offensive. Perhaps some empathy and nuance would help rather than condemning a group of people for the actions of individuals.
- shortrounddev2 3y ago
  You can broadly say that many homeless people engage in anti-social behavior, and therefore homelessness is a problem we should be motivated to solve even if we have no empathy for the homeless people themselves
  - 1letterunixname 3y ago
    Us and them rhetorical nonsense. I was homeless. I didn't flash or piss on the floor indoors. Perhaps you're conflating homelessness for a lack of mental healthcare.

lapphi 3y ago

It’s interesting how we (as a culture) tolerate people who have broken the social contract. As Americans we’ve really let the bottom fall out. They’re so far away from society they do not care anymore about norms. And we do not care to do anything except let them exist in our spaces to the detriment of the public.

anotherhue 3y ago
The costs they create far outweigh whatever a programme to help them would cost. We're literally giving up on social activities and safety and trust because we're not willing to meaningfully address the down and outs.
DANmode 3y ago
It's a "problem" of a nonhomogeneous populous: the wide range in definition of what maintains the social contract. For some, if they in particular aren't disturbed from their AirPods, murder or other crime is a-ok. For others, if you wear the wrong ratty clothes into the library, you're breaking the social contract.
- TimedToasts 3y ago
  > For others, if you wear the wrong ratty clothes into the library, you're breaking the social contract. This is a very bad faith re-statement of what I wrote about my experiences with the homeless in my library.
  - DANmode 3y ago
    My comment was not referring, nor directed, to you.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]

1letterunixname 3y ago

It's easy to paint with a broad brush "'the homeless' = bad". That is as casually discriminatory as being antisemitic and is offensive. Perhaps some empathy and nuance would help rather than condemning a group of people for the actions of individuals.

shortrounddev2 3y ago
You can broadly say that many homeless people engage in anti-social behavior, and therefore homelessness is a problem we should be motivated to solve even if we have no empathy for the homeless people themselves
- 1letterunixname 3y ago
  Us and them rhetorical nonsense. I was homeless. I didn't flash or piss on the floor indoors. Perhaps you're conflating homelessness for a lack of mental healthcare.