4 ms·

Do you seriously think this is the first time in history that working people have been homeless? Travel around the world sometime; the continuum of poverty incl

Do you seriously think this is the first time in history that working people have been homeless? Travel around the world sometime; the continuum of poverty includes many different statuses. Why should homeless people not be as capable as other people of having desires, like wanting good food for their dog? Living on the street is dangerous. You risk exposure, robbery, disease. The threat of rape is constant. If this "feels like a choice" to you, you're ignorant of what's involved. As the article itself says: > If you want to say I chose to become homeless and sleep on the streets, really all I have to say is fuck you. You’ve never experienced it.

raldi 12y ago
Wow, you're really going after a strawman here. The comment you're replying to didn't claim what you seem to think it claimed. All it was calling for is a distinction between people living on the streets because it's fun versus people living on the streets because they must. It muddies the mind to lump them all together in one group called "the homeless".
- fennecfoxen 12y ago
  For that matter... I'm working for a consulting firm right now with a job that is up to 100% travel. Some of my coworkers are "homeless", in that they don't have any fixed abode: travel and hotel rooms for 5-6 nights a week can be expensed to the client, so they just go to the beach, go skiing, or visit family on the weekend. Of course, this is hardly the traditional state of deprivation you hear associated with "homelessness". I mention it not just to add a data point and widen the spectrum of "homeless", but also to point out that it's still a bit of a challenge to maintain formal relationships with institutions like banks, insurance companies, and the government when you don't have a permanent address -- even for someone with plentiful resources, in the email era, with readily available Internet. Perhaps this will continue to improve in years to come, and the (traditionally deprived) homeless will also benefit.
clarky07 12y ago
Did you read TFA? it ends with: “I’ve become a professional vagabond, and this is the lifestyle that I love.”

raldi 12y ago

Wow, you're really going after a strawman here. The comment you're replying to didn't claim what you seem to think it claimed. All it was calling for is a distinction between people living on the streets because it's fun versus people living on the streets because they must. It muddies the mind to lump them all together in one group called "the homeless".

fennecfoxen 12y ago
For that matter... I'm working for a consulting firm right now with a job that is up to 100% travel. Some of my coworkers are "homeless", in that they don't have any fixed abode: travel and hotel rooms for 5-6 nights a week can be expensed to the client, so they just go to the beach, go skiing, or visit family on the weekend. Of course, this is hardly the traditional state of deprivation you hear associated with "homelessness". I mention it not just to add a data point and widen the spectrum of "homeless", but also to point out that it's still a bit of a challenge to maintain formal relationships with institutions like banks, insurance companies, and the government when you don't have a permanent address -- even for someone with plentiful resources, in the email era, with readily available Internet. Perhaps this will continue to improve in years to come, and the (traditionally deprived) homeless will also benefit.

clarky07 12y ago

Did you read TFA? it ends with: “I’ve become a professional vagabond, and this is the lifestyle that I love.”