I was in Paris this past April (yup, the city is exactly as it should be in the spring), and I saw homeless people. That’s all I have to contribute…
…not.
@Imperious:
Those people who lie in the streets made a choice, in spite of your misguided views.They simply stopped being part of their society and the result is homelessness. They stopped the struggle for life which is the prime motivation for all human experience.
Actually, the majority of homeless don’t make a concious effort to be homeless. Who would? And - suprise! - the majority of homeless are neglected veterans, atleast in the US. Other factors are: the economy, mental illness, drug abuse (a cause and effect of homelessness), family conflict, and many more.
Now they toil the streets and have nothing. We can show pity for what has become of some people, but in the final analysis they are to blame for their condition. That is not to say we should make fun of them or not do something for them… but in many second rate nations such as France they do have social services and can goto some homeless shelter or Church group…but alas failing that they made a choice to stay in the cold streets.
Another suprise - many homeless have jobs. I guess we wouldn’t know, deciding against treating them like human beings and instead ignore them. And again, it’s not necessarily a decision.
Now i know you’ll point out as usual how this is stupid (or Falk will) and highlight my entire statement,
Maybe they won’t, but I will! See?
but yes their are exceptions in some lessor nations that have little or no infrastructure to support these people… but I’m sure its not the case in a great nation such as France. Nietzsche had a remark along the lines of “if you never feed or provide for them they will eventually go away” I never give to them because its what invariably keeps them in the streets in the first place…
I don’t know who you refer to as lesser nations, but even the US doesn’t have wraps on the homeless problem (by the way, the UN identifies it now as houselessness, but whatever…). We don’t provide enough resources to support our current programs. Meanwhile, as Bush calls more soldiers into active duty AND strips them of benefits, he’s perpetuating the problem.
One thing I noticed in Paris -which is probably no different in NYC, or Chicago, or London, or… - is that the homeless aren’t just crazy old men. There are homeless children. There are homeless families. There are homeless women. And none of them are monsters. Where I live, many of them are celebrities. I’ve met crazier people who have homes, and are half the fun to hang out with. My girlfriend used to host her back porch to many of them, putting old couches and mattresses back there for them, and brang out food occasionally. No problems. I was shocked to find that one of them was discovered on the internet (jail website posting bookings) by someone in Jimmy Kimmel’s crew, and he was a highlight for a week - “James Brown” for those of you who watch his show.
The point is that it’s a problem of society, not necessarily of the individual. Just like the mentally ill, the disabled, etc., these people need a little help, and everyone who is capable should do so. If not actively, atleast support the processes already in place to help them.