Before I read “A Brother Lost” by Ashley Womble I viewed homeless people as greedy and lazy. I believe I only saw one real homeless person and to turn out he was a sex offender and all you seen was people giving him free food and giving him money, only if they knew… I didn’t know who to believe, if I should help anyone out. Actually one time I gave this guy $10 because I believed he needed more than me but to turn out as soon as I walked into Wawa everyone was like why’d you give him money? He’s using it for drugs, he just lies to make people feel bad for him. I also viewed so called homeless people lazy. Go help yourself, everyone has tough times push through it apply for jobs, don’t feel bad for yourself, provide for yourself. After reading
People are very ignorant towards homeless people, just how the prisoners are in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” to the outside world. Society seems to view the homeless as nasty, dirty people who are drug addicts when in reality a lot of them are just in very unfortunate situations that they can't get themselves out of. Just like the rich may view the poor and the educated may view the uneducated, people are quick to judge things that they are ignorant of. I know this based on first hand knowledge and experience about how it to be
Homeless people are not always the victims that the media have portrayed them to be. The alarming fact is that many of the homeless are there by choice. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to portray all homeless people as lazy people who dont want to take care of themselves. This couldn't be further from the truth. In my experience with the homeless they are usually either in bad health, addicted to drugs, mentally ill or a combination of any of these. To compound matters worse, they are usually without any type of legitimate income to support themselves.
Mark Cuic director of love and care mistrice says, “I think a lot of people think homeless people are nothing, they’re febal, they are not all there. I think people take that opportunity to take what they have or be him.”
Many people throughout the world look at homeless people negatively, and that is some thing they do not deserve. People automatically assume homeless people are dirty, uneducated, and dangerous, but this is not always true. Many homeless people are war veterans and need help to get their life back on track, but they are too scared and hated to seek it. The stereotypes associated with homeless people make many people shy away from helping them and that is one of the reasons why they are really suffering. I chose homelessness as my topic because it is an issue that should be addressed and examined more carefully. People treat homeless people unfairly because of the stereotypes associated with them and choose to ignore them instead of helping them.
When you see the homeless what do you think about? Do you see them and feel disgust or are you someone who wonders how and why they are where they are, or maybe, you are one of the few who want to help and who are able to. In the U.S., more than 3.5 million people experience homelessness each year and that number is growing. They are families with little children, people who are trying to escape domestic violence, people with mental illness, veterans who have served our country, and many more. From what I read in Jonathan Kozol’s “Untouchables” city officials in various places are only coming up with short term solutions, that aren’t helping the homeless. City officials are just trying to get rid of the homeless from their cities or area. I think it’s time that more individuals and groups, really gets involved and figure out a way to help those who are already homeless, and stop future people from becoming homeless. We have to come up with ways to help the homeless readjust and get back into the world.
People become homeless for a number of reasons. These reasons are that create the stereotypes against those who have nothing in life. To judge people by what they do is normal. After all, what better way is there to judge a stranger by his words and his actions. The problem is when the homeless get judged wrongly, they are also treated unfairly. These stereotypes prevent the government and the society from giving the homeless the type of assistance that best suits to them. In order to clarify my thinking of homeless I have read three articles by different authors and they have different cases. These three articles discussed below and provide understanding on how the stereotypes of the homeless could be changed.
Homelessness is a serious societal problem affecting our communities. Katel of Housing the Homeless says “about 1.5 million Americans use a shelter in a given year- and advocates for the homeless say that figure badly understates the problem.” Yet, society looks down at these people, not doing anything to help them. They are judged, criticized, and bombarded by false assumptions everywhere they go. I have heard people say “they are like that because they chose to” or “they are lazy and don't want to work.” This is not true in most cases. The reality is life can go wrong at any moment for anyone. For some people there is no one there to help them and their only option is living on the streets or a shelter.
Homelessness is a serious problem in our society. Every night in our nation thousands of people are on the streets. This type of behavior is considered deviant because it does not reflect the norms and values of our society. In many cases the homeless people in our country are treated as total outcasts. Many of these people have severe mental disorders. Some are victims of an economy that has failed them. One may ask how such harsh situations exist in such an advanced society. With all the money and programs created to help people it seems ridiculous that this behavior exists. In a society where people have so much how is it possible that there are still people that have so little. The homeless are humans, no different than anyone else.
A homeless person is an individual without a permanent, stable housing situation who either spends his or her nights on the streets or in temporary facilities, such as shelters and abandoned buildings. Throughout history, society has been “holding the poor, rape or incest victims, minorities, or the handicapped responsible for their misfortunes” (Zur). Society has been blaming the homeless for being in the position they are in. However, upon closer inspection, it must be noted that “children under the age of 18 accounts for 39% of the homeless population…battered women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness…[and] 40% of homeless men have served in the armed forces” (Who Is Homeless?). It is clear that those who are homeless are not
The word “homeless” is used to describe many different kinds of people with a variety of problems; the “homeless” includes veterans, the mentally ill, the physically disabled or chronically ill, the elderly on fixed incomes, men, women, and families that have lost their source of income, single parents, runaway children who’ve been abused, alcoholics and drug addicts, immigrants, and traditional tramps, hobos, and transients (Martin, 1999). In “Helping and Hating the Homeless”, Peter Martin claims that although these people all have different backgrounds, histories, and reasons for not having a “home”, they are categorized and stereotyped by society and all looked down upon for being “homeless”. He addresses his readers, those that pass by
When you first hear the word homelessness what are your feelings or thoughts? Are they positive or negative? When some people hear that word they instantly feel pity or sadness. Some people even feel fear, shame, and disgust. What are the right feelings to have towards someone who is homeless? Are there any right or wrong feeling or thoughts to have? “Around the world, homeless people are referred to in derogatory terms – vermin, cockroaches, pigeons – things to be exterminated”(2). “They are seen as dirty, lacking morals, and burdens on society”(2). “The current outbreak of homelessness has been a major social issue for well over three decades” (Burt et al, 2001; Donley & Wright, 2008;
Whenever people see a homeless person asking for money, people never want to give or help them with something. Whenever a homeless person needs employment, people think that it would be better to let them stay as homeless and ignore their needs and pass by them without doing anything that might help them. People let them look disgusting and people don’t want to care about homeless people’s difficulties about getting new clothes and getting money. People let homeless children learn bad things from the streets and never let them know the importance of getting an
As I stated before, far too often our society ignores that homelessness is a struggle for many people. Additionally, our society often thinks these people choose to be homeless. Terra talked about an incident at a gas station, and how one of the employees at the gas station said all the people at across the street are drunks and addicts. She talked about how upset she gets when people have these misconceptions about people that are struggling with homelessness. Hearing her talk about this broke my heart because our society should not shame people for being homeless; instead, we should be looking at solutions to end homelessness. It is a human right to have basic human needs, yet our society continually provokes their unjust agenda.
I think what was said in the article was very true, because I do occasionally interact with some homeless people. By the world they are ignored and treated as a nobody but they are human, they aren’t being treated like they are part of the world, therefore they often become forgotten, and or forget they have a voice. When I usually interact with homeless people who speak to me. A recent personal experience I had, I was walking to out the mall to head home in the middle of the day and this guy who seemed older than me but not too old, asked me a question, I couldn’t hear him so I asked him to repeat himself. He asked me if I had any change or cash, I told him I
When a person hears or think about the word “homeless”, they may picture an older person who is lazy or cannot get a job. It is typical for a person to stereotype others, especially a person