As we explore our class novel Theories of Relativity consider your own thoughts and feelings regarding homelessness:
1.) What comes to mind when you see a homeless person on the street?
2.) What do you do when you encounter a homeless person? (eye contact? speak to them?donate? cross the street? smile?) Why do you react this way?
3.) What assumptions do we make about those that are on the street? Why do we think these things?
Remember, when commenting, respond in complete sentences to all 3 questions. Please edit. This is a public forum, what you say, and how you say it matter!
1. When I first see a homeless person on the street the first thing I do is wonder how they ended up in this situation. Were they born into a very poor family or did they mess up their own lives and end up there on their own?
ReplyDelete2. When I first encounter a homeless person, I try to aviod coming in contact with them, but if they are in my path then I try to avoid eye contact with them and I try to keep my distance while I walk past them. I think I do this because I fear that they might not be in the right frame of mind and could do something reckless. Sometimes, if they ask me for change and I have some on me, I do let them have it because I know they need it more than I do.
3. I sometimes associate homelessness with a type of drug addiction. I do this because I have seen people plead for money but then just spend them on cigarettes or drugs. I also think that drugs could be the reason they're there in the first place. Maybe they had an addiction that cost them their job or that forced their family to kick them out of their home.
I appreciate your thoughtful thorough responses Rayhaan. It's true, whether it be a troubled home environment, leading to addiction and an inability to provide for oneself they are both huge factors linked to homelessness.
DeleteAlso, mental illness is a major factor in homelessness. When Riverside, a mental illness support institute, closed down in New Westminster most patients were simply sent to the streets. Lack of government funding often results in lack of support for those that are in the most need, and so the streets take them.
1. When I see a homeless person on the streets, I tend to wonder what could have happened that brought them onto the streets. Did they do drugs? Lose their jobs and family?
ReplyDelete2. When I encounter a homeless person, I tend not to look at them. The reason for this is because I don't want them to look back at me and wonder why I was looking at them. However, if I was at a safe distance or in a car, I would look at them and see how they look. If I had change on me, I might give it but I might not due to the fact that I think that they will just go spend it on some drugs or something rather then food for themselves.
3. I assume that most people that ended up on the streets either ended up by doing drugs/selling drugs or family problems. The reason I think they ended up on the streets by doing drugs is because most of them tend to walk weirdly and to the side rather then straight. I also assume they do drugs because of the way they look and act. Family problems can also cause them to be kicked out onto the streets and this can also revolve around the use of drugs.
Good points Tejvir. They also beg the question as to how we can truly help those on the street. It's complex and incredibly difficult because it's not as simple as some spare money, it's usually drug addiction support, counseling, education, work training, and much, much more.
Delete1)When I see a homeless person on the street I normally tend to think about what bad choices they may have made to end up in this situation.
ReplyDelete2)When I encounter someone who is homeless I generally tend to avoid eye contact because the person may find it rude and because that I can imagine them minding their own business only to look up and notice everyone gawking at them like an animal on display at the zoo.If a homeless person asks me for money for food I usually do not give the money straight to them even if I have it because I don't know what they actually may do with it such as buy drugs but what I will do is walk into a nearby store and buy them something to eat or drink. I think that I react this way because I don't want to be rude or disrespect them in any way because they're humans too and because I don't want to help support someone buying drugs .
3)Alot of people associate homelessness to Drug usage because of how the homeless people look but they have nowhere to go and shower and clean themselves some have been kicked out of the only home they've ever known by their families and others have made bad choices along the way. Although I don't deny that many homeless people do drugs and that by giving them money you support their addictions but some homeless people have just had an extremely rough life and we should try to help them out over the long-term and not just short-term.
Thoughtful comments Aikam. What do you think helping them out "over the long-term and not just the short-term" looks like?
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ReplyDelete1) When I see a homeless person I always feel bad for them because of the life they live. I wonder why they have to live on the streets; maybe it was related to family, drugs, school, and stress. I also feel thankful for my life; although I always want more, thinking about how they live makes me ask for less.
ReplyDelete2) When I encounter a homeless person sometimes I just walk past them or donate to them. When I went to India I had seen a lot of homeless people and a lot of them were very smart and got more money out of people than they should have got. So after that experience I am more careful about who I donate to. Sometimes by the way they look it just seems awkward donating to them or even smiling at them because they look like drug addicts and I don't want to donate if they are just going to buy more drugs and ruin their lives even more. The reason I react this way is because I don't want to donate to the wrong person, I would rather help a homeless person that wants actual food than a drug addict.
3) We usually assume that most of them are drug addicts and that they work hard asking for money to buy food but they just buy more drugs. We think this because of the way the look, smell, or act. Also some people assume that the homeless person has just had a bad life overall. They have been kicked out of their homes, dropped out of school, or they have been bullied. We think this because you can just tell that this person has had a rough life and they really couldn't take it anymore.
It's true, we feel our own troubles so intensely, and sometimes forget to see outside ourselves and consider how hard someone else has it.
Delete1) Whenever I see a homeless person on the streets I think of what they could have possibly done to end up like this. Did they end up like this because of their own stupid mistakes? Or did things just not turn out in their favour.
ReplyDelete2) When I encounter a homeless person I just try to ignore them. I try really hard to not make eye contact or to stare at them because I'm pretty sure they don't like it when people just stare at them. I rarely walk by homeless people, but when I do, I try not to make a big circle around them . I try to just walk as if they are not there at all, but it does come into my mind that they could be insane. you never know what they could do. For example, my cousin's co-worker was driving her convertible in Vancouver. When she stopped at a red light, a homeless person jumped into her passenger seat and said "Take me to a fancy restaurant." That is really scary. She doesn't like driving in Vancouver any more. This just shows that some homeless people aren't in the right state mind.
3) Homelessness is often considered to be the result of people that have made horrible decisions in their lives, which is true for most. For example, some people drop out of high school. Some drop out because they have no other choice, but some just do because they just feel like it. Without this education it is really difficult to find well paying jobs and to provide for themselves when they're older. This eventually leads to homelessness. Alcohol also has a big affect on people. Addiction can be the one and only factor for someone to go homeless. If they just have enough money to get by each month, buying alcohol is not going to help them in any way. They could waste all their money on alcohol and have no more left for food or rent, and that could lead to homelessness. The same goes for drugs. This is why I am choosy when I give money to homeless people. If I see a homeless person with beer bottles all around them or if they look like drug addicts, I'm not going to give them any money. Not because I'm mean, it's because I am pretty sure they will abuse that money. They won't buy what they need, they won't buy food, they will probably just buy more alcohol which is not helping them in any way.
I know school can be a burden some times and everyone wants a break, but you make a valid observation Jasleen, education is infinitely valuable to your future.
DeleteWhen I first see a homeless person on the street the first thought that comes to my mind is what could be the reason that they are there? Did they do drugs? Were they bullied? Were they not accepted by society? Were they going through a bad phase(financially)? Did they lose their job? Or did they make bad decisions in life that they ended up being there?
ReplyDeleteWhen I first encounter a homeless person I try to ignore them as much as possible, since I don’t want them to stare at me. I try to keep distance from them because I fear that they might do something wrong. If they are asking for change, I usually don’t give it since I don’t know the truth of why they want money, they could do anything from that money like buy a beer, or buy drugs. But if I am carrying some food with me then might as well give it away. Or sometimes I fear if I take my money out they might take it all away.
I think that majority of people that are homeless are because they are not accepted by society. So they start doing drugs and become alcoholic. I think that because whenever I see homeless people they are in a drunken state and talking to themselves. I remember in Vancouver there was this homeless guy who was repetively saying “So what if I’m gay” & I think family problems also can play a major role of people living on the streets
"I think family problems also can play a major role in people living on the street": I think you're right Anu. If we don't have support at home we will often seek it elsewhere, just as we're learning about Dylan and Jenna in Theories of Relativity, but without a home to go to the streets can consume a person.
Delete1) Usually I just walk right past homeless people when I see them on the street. I don't really think to much about it. But i'm always curious as to how they got in that situation.
ReplyDelete2)Like I mentioned in the last question, i usually try to avoid eye contact and just keep walking past when i encounter a homeless person. Usually i feel bad about it but theres nothing really I can do about it.
3) The first thing that most people think is " ew, what a bum " or " crack head " but i dont know why we think like that, its rude. But i think that we think that way because we feel superior towards them. which is wrong.
I know, sometimes we don't see the human side of things. Although it can be awkward or even guilt-ridden, I think that human contact, like eye contact and a smile can help, but then you have to decide what your diplomatic response will be when there's a plea for money. Do you think Dylan's theory of every 4th person donating is correct? Is it more? Is it less?
ReplyDelete1) When I look at a homeless person, I feel sad. I feel sad because I feel as if society can spend millions on extravagant items, but not spare a dime to a person in need. It can be argued that the homeless person deserved to be there. Well if so, still why not show some compassion.
ReplyDelete2) When I come across a homeless, my heart sinks. I feel as if my eyes are watering. I can’t stand it when people do not have a proper living style. It breaks my heart that these people have to beg to get a decent meal.
3) As a community, we have progressed a lot on homeless people throughout the years. In the 1980’s people used to call homeless people “Hobo’s.” Now-a days, people call them homeless. Who knows, in a couple of years, we might start calling them “Out-doors men.” All jokes aside, the assumptions we make such as calling them a crackhead or a slut, is because of our abundance of wealth. Money makes people more arrogant and cocky.
Very insightful Gurajit, money does make people arrogant. You say we have progressed. Does the term we use, "homeless" instead of "Hobo" really demonstrate progress?
ReplyDelete1. I begin to think about how the person live this way and what happened. Then I think to myself about how this individual made the wrong choices and what else could have been the reason supporting him to leave his family or get kicked out.
ReplyDelete2. When I encounter an homeless person I make slight eye contact with them and then turn away and begin to feel scared. I think that this person could do me harm and try not to look back at the person. I react like this because I get a feeling that this person would rob or follow me around just begging for money.
3. Slut, hobo, crack-head are all assumptions we make because we think that is what and how these people survive. We think these because we're influenced to think about these people do not belong in society. Our image of them is that they're people who have messed up their own lives.
Komal a lot of what you said was expressed right above yours in Gurajit's. Do you agree with him that much?
DeleteInteresting point that we assume that they have "messed up their own lives." Why do you think that is? Do we only see from our perspective and can't imagine how hard it can be for another person? Is sympathy or blame more in our natural disposition?
1.
ReplyDeleteUsually when I see a homeless person on the street I just walk past them but if I am in a car a car I stare at them but if they notice I just stop and sometimes I wonder why they are homeless.
2. When I encounter a homeless person I do not say anything and if they say hello I will smile and say hello back to them. If I had any money I would give it to them but I usually wonder if their going to get some food or if their going to take my money and buy drugs.
3.
I always assume that they do not have any money and I assume that they have been kicked out of their homes because they do drugs. I think this because of the way they look and how homeless people are shown on TV.
Curiosity, and even awkwardness are natural responses. Do you think it's hard to sympathize?
DeleteInteresting note about television. What shows or films have you seen portray the homeless? How are they portrayed in the media?
It's scary to think of the information from today's Statistics Canada share, that 95% of street youth on the streets use drugs. As such, your assumption that money will go to drugs instead of food is probably more accurate then not. So what can we do? Support charities like United Way and shelters? Support drug rehabilitation centres in their work with these complex issues? Donate food instead of money?
1)When i see a homeless person I just usually just stare at them if I am in the car but if there right next to me I try not to stare at them and I just take a few steps away from them because i think they are going to mug me or something.
ReplyDelete2)When I encounter a homeless person I feel sad for them but at the same time a little scared because I just assume if there homeless there do drugs. If they ask me for money i try to do my best to give them as much as I can give them but I always have a feeling that there not going to use the money for food but for drugs.
3)As a community we assume that most homeless people are bad and its there fault that there in that situation but sometimes homeless people are nice and its not there fault they might of been born into a poor family and they have no way to get out sometimes there parents kicked them out on to the steets so its no there fault some times that there out there .
Interesting response Bikram. It seems that you swing between pity and blame. Why do you think the level of blame is such a deciding factor in how we see those living on the street?
Deletep.s. Bikram, look into there, they're (they are) and their :)
Delete1. When I first see a homeless person I think of a few things like
ReplyDeleteI wonder what their life was like before they were on the streets, do they have any family, what were their goals? They are human beings too, so that's why I think of these things when I see them around.
2.When I see a homeless person, if they smile at me I smile back. If they look nice I usually smile a little at them , they usually smile back too. Some homeless people don't like being approached or looked at, so for those people I just do what I would normally do if I walk near a stranger; avoid eye contact and just walk normally.
3.I usually assume homeless people have had a hard time and that's why they are there. Many think they all do drugs, which many do, are alcoholics, or weak. Weak being they couldn't handle the real world and that's why they are where they are.
Interesting that you mention weakness, or unable to "handle the real world." The "real world" is harder on some, but also, resiliency is an important aspect that some develop. What do you think makes us as individuals more or less able to be resilient, to "handle the real world"?
ReplyDelete