4 ms·

> If you lost your job and couldn’t find another one, you’d land on a couch somewhere. Most of us would. Another way of saying this is that your safety net is

> If you lost your job and couldn’t find another one, you’d land on a couch somewhere. Most of us would. Another way of saying this is that your safety net is the excess capacity of your social network. If your network is composed of people with stable jobs and guest rooms, it's practically guaranteed that someone will accommodate you for as long as you need. After taking all the time you need to get back on your feet, you will probably pay it forward to others in your social network. If your social network is composed of people with low income, lots of dependents, and unstable housing, it's less likely. Sometimes because your peers have no capacity to help, but mostly because the network is already saturated - you're not the only one of your friends who needs a couch and a ride to work. A term to describe this phenomenon is "class", which is a concept so thoroughly erased from American culture that we have to rediscover it through thought exercises like this.

rufus_foreman 3y ago
>> If your network is composed of people with stable jobs and guest rooms, it's practically guaranteed that someone will accommodate you for as long as you need I had a stable job, had plenty of room for someone to stay over, had people in my network that were junkies, and no way would I ever let them in my house. That would be insane. Best case, they steal my shit to buy drugs, that is the most favorable possible outcome, worst case they OD in my bathroom. There's nothing you can do. But no, you can't "accommodate" them.
- theossuary 3y ago
  Why did you bring up drug addicts, when nobody else mentioned it? We were talking about losing your job and couch surfing, and your immediate response was "no way I'd let a junky into my house." Do you think that everyone that ended up homeless (living out of their cars or couch surfing) deserved it due to some personal failing? That's the usual conservative line, but they tend not to be so forward about it, so I'm curious

rufus_foreman 3y ago

>> If your network is composed of people with stable jobs and guest rooms, it's practically guaranteed that someone will accommodate you for as long as you need I had a stable job, had plenty of room for someone to stay over, had people in my network that were junkies, and no way would I ever let them in my house. That would be insane. Best case, they steal my shit to buy drugs, that is the most favorable possible outcome, worst case they OD in my bathroom. There's nothing you can do. But no, you can't "accommodate" them.

theossuary 3y ago
Why did you bring up drug addicts, when nobody else mentioned it? We were talking about losing your job and couch surfing, and your immediate response was "no way I'd let a junky into my house." Do you think that everyone that ended up homeless (living out of their cars or couch surfing) deserved it due to some personal failing? That's the usual conservative line, but they tend not to be so forward about it, so I'm curious