connecting*the*dots

6 Responses to “they’re people, asshole, not “bums”…”  

1. 1 Philip Stern Nov 10th, 2006 at 8:29 am

   Right on.

   Here in Toronto, one of our mayoral candidates is pushing to effectively make homelessness an offense. Perhaps we shd just make it illegal to be poor. Or sick. Or stupid. Or being an asshole.

   FWIW, I’ve got a blog that presents the homeless PoV from a first person perspective (www.HomelessManSpeaks.com).

   Keep on keeping on.

   Philip

2. 2 Jon Lowder Nov 10th, 2006 at 10:16 am

   Despite his use of the term “bums” Long’s point in his column is a good one. And I’ll be honest: I think someone would rather be paid attention to by someone who calls him a bum than ignored as if he’s a pile of dogshit on the pavement.

   I use my own treatment of the homeless as a measure of how I’ve changed over the years. Summer of 1984, just graduated from high school, I’d buy lunch for the homeless people near my summer internship office. Summer of 2006 I still don’t ignore them completely but I wave a hand and say “I don’t have anything for you” even though I have exponentially more money now. Not sure if I’ve lost idealism, grown cynical or both, but part of me misses my 17 year old self.

   That’s why I admire people like Cara Michele more than just about anyone, and why I’ll cut people like Long some slack for insensitive words if their actions actually speak louder than those words.

3. 3 sean coon Nov 10th, 2006 at 11:42 am

   @philip - i’m working on a similar project called The People, Yes (wiki). we’re hoping to launch the collaborative blog in a week or so. i’ll be sure to link over to you when we do.

   @jon - i obviously agree with long’s sentiment, i just don’t understand why he used the term bum — especially when he’s coming from a position that people on the street are people. maybe i didn’t read it as he tried to write it; maybe it was some sort of dig at the mentality of the people that pass the homeless off as sub-human. i dunno.

4. 4 Molly Nov 10th, 2006 at 2:30 pm

   I like discusssions like these. As long as people don’t act like a bunch of bums (meaning ass).

   Funny thing is I generally avoid eye contact with people on the street. But if I think someone homeless is walking my way, I’ll make it a point to look up and say hi. I’ve met some of my favoritest, craziest people that way. One was a open-mike performer named Ariel who could morph into the Virgin Mary, then back to the Tobacco Queen, right before your very eyes while she chewed corn nuts, chocolate, and smoked brown cigarettes. She wore plastic flowers in her hair that she stole from gravesites. She saved her gum wrappers in plastic bags.

   Sometimes I think the only difference between me and the Tobacco Queen is a few bucks and some luck.

5. 5 sean coon Nov 10th, 2006 at 3:27 pm

   “homeless” is such a loaded term — with images of “bums” or “hobos” or “addicts” — but a good number of people caught out on the street are there because of shitty luck like a job folding or having no health insurance or going bankrupt… and molly, after seeing this performance, i know that the difference between you and the tobacco queen is quite slim. ;-)

6. 6 Molly Nov 10th, 2006 at 4:08 pm

   Preaching to the choir, brother.