Repugnance by colinian

[Graeme]

Repugnance by colinian

 

Commuting lets us encounter a lot of different people Some of them you'd rather not encounter. Like a person who might be homeless.

 

 

:nuke: :nuke: Spoilers Below!!! :nuke: :nuke:

[Nephylim]

That was so sad. I mean really sad, in so many ways.

 

It was extremely well written and raises a lot of questions in me. Thank you

[Dolores Esteban]

Your story points out the attitude we all often have towards other people. Not interested. Not my business. And yet, a brief encounter can sometimes make us think about what we have never thought before, if only about our lack of interest, out selfishness etc. Then again, the weather forecast can distract us from these thoughts... Good story. :

 

[Toast]

A well written and thoughtful story. No one likes the harshness of life. We deny.

[C James]

Very thoughtful, and raises some troubling issues. The use of 2nd person was very appropriate for the story, I think.

 

Well done.

[Former Member]

In the Bay Area, anyone can call 211 free to get information about social services. It’s not reasonable to expect most of us to be able to assist someone who’s homeless because most of us do not have the resources required. But there are many organizations out there who have the training and resources to do just that.

 

I personally do not believe in handing out cash to random homeless people. When I used to have money and went out to eat at nice restaurants, I’d sometimes offer my doggy bag to people asking for ‘spare change.’ They’d usually accept and I’d feel better because I knew they were actually getting food rather than something I’d prefer not to subsidize.

 

Now that I have very little money, I like offering information instead. It took me a while to gather information on how to find out who is serving free food and when or how to get into homeless shelters or where to go to get other assistance. There are places that specialize in free mental health therapy, assistance in finding a job or housing, or legal services. But it’s difficult to learn where it all is because, for most of us, homelessness is a new and scary situation.

 

 

There are all sorts of reasons why someone becomes homeless. Homeless people each have their own stories and are not all alike. When others can identify you as homeless, you become invisible. But not all homeless people are visually identifiable – few people realized I was homeless unless I told them. The government counts someone as homeless even if they are couch surfing or staying in a shelter.

[Timothy M.]

I haven't read the story yet, but I have to say it's difficult to feel too sorry for homeless people in my country (Denmark). I get really annoyed when they walk around begging in the subway (that's mostly done by the Danish homeless guys). It's undignified and encroaches on my personal space. 

 

And we have a group of people from certain countries whose begging is organized to make money for criminal backers. Those homeless people live in parks and local nature areas which they destroy by littering and burning remnants of stolen stuff. Then we have to spend money restoring the area, while they move on to ruin another part of our rare nature. This really pisses me off.

 

However, I have no problem with my tax money being used to create shelters and help homeless people in other ways. Some Danish homeless people sell a magazine which is produced by and written about the homeless, and I buy it fairly often, as a dignified way of giving support. And I do feel sorry for them, because they're often homeless due to massive problems which are hard to deal with. But at least here, there is help to be found, if they want.

Edited March 4, 2017 by Timothy M.

[Timothy M.]

OK, I've read the story now - and I guess it's more about our automatic reactions to homeless people, than anything else. Very well written and realistic too.

 

However, the person I feel really sorry for now (and don't read the spoiler, unless you know the story)

 

 

 

is the poor train driver. He must feel awful.

Hmm, didn't I read a story by Cole or someone, dealing with a train driver hitting someone and falling to pieces.

 

 

[Former Member]

I haven't read the story yet, but I have to say it's difficult to feel too sorry for homeless people in my country (Denmark). I get really annoyed when they walk around begging in the subway (that's mostly done by the Danish homeless guys). It's undignified and encroaches on my personal space. 

 

And we have a group of people from certain countries whose begging is organized to make money for criminal backers. Those homeless people live in parks and local nature areas which they destroy by littering and burning remnants of stolen stuff. Then we have to spend money restoring the area, while they move on to ruin another part of our rare nature. This really pisses me off.

 

However, I have no problem with my tax money being used to create shelters and help homeless people in other ways. Some Danish homeless people sell a magazine which is produced by and written about the homeless, and I buy it fairly often, as a dignified way of giving support. And I do feel sorry for them, because they're often homeless due to massive problems which are hard to deal with. But at least here, there is help to be found, if they want.

 

 

I remember watching a story about a woman who started a program to get restaurants to be able to have someone pickup their excess, edible food for delivery to programs that serve food to the needy. This makes it very simple for the restaurant and provides much better food to those programs (the usual food provided at soup kitchens, Rescue Missions, and shelters is often very heavy on starch, but often not very imaginative or particularly tasty).

 

She was inspired by a homeless vet in downtown Berkeley who hadn’t eaten in three days. She bought him a meal and thought about all the food that was wasted at cafeterias and restaurants.

 

The problem I had with the story was that a guy could possibly stay in downtown Berkeley and not know about all the numerous churches and other groups that provide free meals every single day, several times of the day, admittedly in varying locations on a complicated calendar schedule.

 

But there is a group funded by the downtown business owners called the Berkeley Ambassadors who sweep the sidewalks and provide information on the various services available in the numerous organizations scattered around the city. They also have a booth outside the downtown Berkeley BART station which they usually staff during the busiest times of the day. The Berkeley Ambassadors are quite knowledgable and informative and could easily tell you where and when the next free meal is being served.

 

You pretty much have to go out of your way to avoid people to not find out where the meals are. Plenty of homeless people are clearly visible on the streets and most are very willing to help someone who hasn’t eaten in several days. It seems inconceivable to me that someone could go hungry in downtown Berkeley!

[Former Member]

Not all locations in the US are as generous as Berkeley or San Francisco. I realize that. The US has a very long way to go to provide the services to those who want and need services. (And there will always be a small number of people who will refuse help.)

 

A huge problem is the lack of affordable housing in the large urban areas where the homeless are. There are innovative proposals to build micro housing to quickly accommodate large numbers at a reasonably low cost. Some cities, like San Fransisco, have opened shelter with fewer restrictions which accommodate people who cannot otherwise stay in shelters (eg couples, people with pets, people still struggling with addiction, etc), giving them a step away from the streets.

 

There is a lack of assistance for those struggling to get out of the deep black pit that is homelessness. There is still difficulty finding jobs for many of those out of work. There is a lack of mental health care for the large percentage of homeless people who suffer from a wide range of issues from depression to bipolar disorder to various forms of psychosis and beyond. There aren’t enough spaces in rehab for those trying to get clean.

 

 

Big obstacles to progress include scapegoating and punishment instead of assistance. Some towns try to export their way out of the problem. Others attempt to encourage the homeless to leave by not providing services to their own friends and neighbors. The main branch of the public library in an otherwise homeless-friendly town actively discourages the homeless from using their services – at one point banning bags and packages larger than a specific box, somewhat like the ones used by airlines. There are many mean-spirited strategies with few working to try to actually solve the problem.

[Former Member]

A YouTube video-type compilation TV show just had a bit on activists in Oakland, California who cut the vinyl sheet from billboards and stretch them over frames assembled from plastic pipes to create tent-style homes for homeless people.

 

 

Since the billboard companies have to remove the old images before they can put up the new ones, it seems to me that the vinyl sheets could then be recycled (legally) into those homes. It would just take some cooperation and trust-building to get this to happen. I doubt they recycle the material into new billboards.

 

 

 

On a side note, I remember a company that used to use the same material to make carry bags for laptop computers.