3 ms·

I'm always curious when otherwise intelligent people think that homeless people shouldn't have alcohol. I can only think of several reasons why a person thinks

I'm always curious when otherwise intelligent people think that homeless people shouldn't have alcohol. I can only think of several reasons why a person thinks the homeless shouldn’t have it: A) They enjoy alcohol, but feel that someone without a home doesn't deserve to enjoy it. B) They don't drink alcohol which they believe is the reason they are not homeless. C) They think that if that person stops drinking, they will end up with a job quickly and get their life back together. Only in rare cases is C going to work out and those cases it will probably have nothing to do with whether you decide alcohol is right for them. If you want to help homeless people, give them some money, not some old, half eaten sandwich. Every time I’ve watched a friend try to give away some old food, they are always turned down by homeless people. I could be off here, but overtime I have got the sense that the homeless people I see every day are not feeling bad for themselves at all. They view themselves as hustlers, not saving, but just getting by everyday by raising a few dollars here, a few dollars there etc. I view them as capitalists who are making a choice every day to live the way they do.

guyzero 14y ago
It might be because some homeless people are alcoholics and it's not really a particularly nice thing to encourage someone else's addiction/disease.
crazypyro 14y ago
Because I consider alcohol something that is an unnecessary expense and when you are spending money on alcohol when you are homeless, I can't help but think that there are more important things that you could be spending that same money on. Also if I give money to a homeless person, I personally don't want my money going to drugs/alcohol because that is doing nothing to help the homeless person out. I'd rather it go to food or even something like a gym membership for a month so that they can shower and get cleaned up to maybe get a job. That's my view anyway.
- nico 14y ago
  This is an interesting discussion. So what's the goal? Is the goal making the homeless person happy/ier? Are you sure that by not allowing that person to have alcohol, or by making him get a job, he's going to be happy/ier? If being happy is not the goal, then what is it? And how do you achieve it?

guyzero 14y ago

It might be because some homeless people are alcoholics and it's not really a particularly nice thing to encourage someone else's addiction/disease.

crazypyro 14y ago

Because I consider alcohol something that is an unnecessary expense and when you are spending money on alcohol when you are homeless, I can't help but think that there are more important things that you could be spending that same money on. Also if I give money to a homeless person, I personally don't want my money going to drugs/alcohol because that is doing nothing to help the homeless person out. I'd rather it go to food or even something like a gym membership for a month so that they can shower and get cleaned up to maybe get a job. That's my view anyway.

nico 14y ago
This is an interesting discussion. So what's the goal? Is the goal making the homeless person happy/ier? Are you sure that by not allowing that person to have alcohol, or by making him get a job, he's going to be happy/ier? If being happy is not the goal, then what is it? And how do you achieve it?