Homelessness: What Should You Do?

Does giving make you good?
The question of whether to give money to unhoused folks or not has become a surprisingly hot-button issue because of what it says about us and our ability to stick to our moral principles. So how should we think about homelessness, on an ethical level? Do we have a moral obligation to give, or is it someone else’s responsibility? Let’s find out in the Wisecrack Edition: Does Giving Make You Good?
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=== Watch More Episodes! ===
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Written by Rachel Van Nes
Researched by Michael Lodato
Hosted by Helen Floersh
Directed by Michael Luxemburg
Edited by Jackson Maher
Produced by Olivia Redden
Production Assistance by Matthew Keibler
#homelessness #culture #wisecrack
© 2023 Wisecrack / Omnia Media, Inc. / Enthusiast Gaming

[@BaristaWithADog]

As someone who used to be homeless, the most helpful thing for me was a bath, an opportunity to do my laundry, and a bag of kibble for my dog. I also needed to "borrow" addresses because you can't apply for a job without one.

[@Sarah-re7cg]

This is very helpful, thank you for sharing your experience

[@phlodel]

Never let anybody receive mail at your home. They can claim to be a resident and you can't throw them out. You have to legally evict them. A lot of homeless are scammers.

[@ChandlerSavage]

Good point! I've been homeless a few times over the years and found my quality of life and sanity was MUCH better when I had a gym membership or a shelter with showers and laundry. I feel like it's a small cost for the government or non-profits to offer safe, clean showers, a PO box, laundry facilities and a safe place to sleep at night. There are so many affordable solutions to offer these things that I have to wonder if those responsible actually want to improve the situation.

[@intellectually_lazy]

@@phlodel that's the banality of evil for you. go on, spread that fear and hate unaware you may not be as unlikely as you think to find yourself in the same position. i wish you luck though. you cannot see the peril we're all in, nor your own complicity in it

[@razieldumas]

Not to mention that you can't open a bank account with one, which means you would have to cash your check at a shady business that will take 20-30% off, and then you have a bunch of paper money that you then have to protect with your life, until you can get an address so you can open a bank account. Not saying that for you, none of that's new information for you, but for the cheap seats that don't think about the material conditions that the unhoused have to endure.

[@aircityryan]

Currently homeless person here, I think people would be surprised how many of us work full time. I even have a college degree. But let me tell you, when it comes to nonprofit or charity organizations who "help" us, many of us get very little help from these. The people or clients who found out about my situation and gave me money directly helped a thousand times more. The hard part is putting together enough money to actually get that dream of a rented room. Expensive to live on the street. The years I managed to live housed recently were literally because of one stranger who cash apped me 1000$ one day. I lived indoors for 3 years after that until the pandemic took my job away. Your personal gift really can change someone's life.

[@blackspiralstorytelling4402]

I'm a city worker and do bylaw enforcement once in awhile. Even years ago it was most shocking to see a mechanic living out of an RV at a pseudo-homeless RV encampment.

[@godlikemachine645]

What degree did you get, and at what level?

[@bigsad7524]

How expensive it is to be homeless is seriously overlooked. Great point. I really wish you all the love and luck, friend.

[@arthas640]

Statistics are hard to get but based off what I've heard the "hidden homeless" and "working homeless" are 2 of the largest groups among homeless people in the US, especially in places like San Fran and Silicon Valley where you need a 6 figure income to afford a shed to sleep in.

[@TheForeigner001]

just really curious what degree you got before i apply to college

[@chandlermorris2219]

As someone who works In a homeless shelter I am very grateful for you guys bringing attention to this issue. However, I get really annoyed at people guilt tripping people who say homeless. The word homeless gets straight to the point that people don't have a home. Unhoused implies they had a home to begin with which in many cases is not true. It should also be said that not having a home is different from not having a house.

[@aviendha1154]

Unhoused is insulting in my opinion. I don’t know a single person who’s experienced homelessness (myself included) who objects to that term. It’s the hate that comes along with it not the word that’s the issue.

[@Window4503]

“Unhoused” is right up there with “Latinx.” Literally nobody asked. It’s just virtue signaling without thinking about the implications of the new term.

[@frostpat3759]

Yeah I don't get the difference behind unhoused and homeless seems like an english phrase to make people feel slightly better about themselves. However, the intention of the 2 words remains the same, which seems like either used.

[@comicog3]

Definitely inclined to agree. The material conditions are much more important than the terminology used. Sometimes terminology is used to undermine material conditions (like describing people as "welfare queens" to try to destroy welfare programs), but if you're supportive of providing housing and do your best to help out individuals when you get the chance, I doubt many people without homes care if you use "homeless" or "unhoused".

[@aviendha1154]

@@comicog3 lol you didn’t even bother to read the replies, y’all are hilarious

[@raicoron3466]

My dad worked as a CO in the county jail for 15 years and was very cynical about the local homeless. He knew many of them by name and their pasts. There was this one old man who was always begging by the bridge, if my dad ever drove by him he'd say, "You stay out of trouble Carson." Carson was convicted of the murder of a child over 35 years ago over a drug dispute with one of his rivals. My grandma is a deeply empathetic person who comes from old irish catholic values where you help someone no matter what. She never judged a soul and keeps backpacks in her back seat that have water and some snacks to give out if she sees someone on the street. She used to drive me home from work when the family didn't have a car for me, and we one time helped a homeless guy that had to travel really far. We saw him walking next to the road in the middle of nowhere and drove him about 20 miles in total between a few destinations, and he managed to get his car out of impound and cried because he probably wouldn't have made it before closing without us. We bought him a meal too before I never saw him again. I've seen both sides of the human perspective of homeless. I've lived both sides too as I'm not a saint like my grandma who passes out charity to whoever she sees. I haven't helped anyone in a long time because I'm too focused on my own life and making end's meet. I'm in a situation where if I lost my job I'd be homeless in a month because I can't pay next rent, like most Americans. I think the average middle-class American being squeezed for cash and life style options makes us less charitable as a result. It's harder to justify going out of your way to help others when you're not that far from the edge yourself. It's a system issue, and people want to pretend like we don't inhabit the same system that created the homeless. The same greed that created homelessness en masse is the same greed that keeps us struggling. It's the same greed that will turn you into the next homeless person once your labor doesn't generate enough means for your ends.

[@arthas640]

it's depressing how close many of us are to homelessness. I've seen some movies and shows where people take a sabbatical, take a gap year, or take weeks or months off between jobs and i cant even imagine living like that. I was working part time through high school and havent taken more than a few days off at a time since I graduated high school. If I lost my job I'd be living in my truck, living with my parents, or turning to crime in a matter of weeks. During the recession i only got by by dealing on the side.

[@nagamata]

“…Decisions are made by those who don’t know what it’s like to be homeless.” This immediately made me think of public education in our country and how it gets dictated and defunded by rich, out of touch politicians who wouldn’t dream of putting their kids in a public school.

[@LucianCanad]

They're not really out of touch, though. A good many, if not the majority, know exactly what they're doing.

[@insaincaldo]

@@LucianCanad They are, just keenly aware what people they don't wanna care about.

[@Not_So_Slim_Shady]

Yesterday I watched this. Once I got home I went and grabbed 3 jackets that don't fit me and went and gave them out to people on the street. I bet we all have a jacket or two that we could give to someone that'll be cold this winter.

[@WisecrackEDU]

Amazingly kind thing to do.

[@JaceDeanLove]

Oh good, you let everyone know. That makes it double good

[@Skaz1hiphop]

Speaking as someone who used to live in his van, it actually depends more on the person asking than the person giving. For example, my friend B and I would go to the same subway station with the same people and ask for change. He always made more money than me, one hundred percent of the time. So then I began trying to look more like B, shaved since he was a baby face and stopped wearing my hat every time. And I got more money. Combing my hair got me even more money. This proved to me that the way the person looks goes a long way towards whether someone will help them…

[@Bladeofdeath311]

That little extra effort to be groomed and not smelling horrible. Clean-ish clothes went a long ways. I met a dude at a bar who let me crash at his house long enough (1-2 weeks) to get a series of job interviews, drug tests, &c to have some steady income. I when he found out I was H.L. he asked me - with a hint of confrontation - why I was at the bar drinking. I just looked at him and was like: dude, they're a dollar a shot right now. $5 ain't gonna make or break me.

[@arthas640]

@@Bladeofdeath311 yeah tons of homeless or nearly homeless people i've talked to have said the same. I'm able to get a lot further with people simply because I sound reasonably intelligent and i'm very straightforward so people think im honest. Dressing cleanly and being relatively well groomed also helps a lot. People make a lot of gut choices even subconsciously and if you're clean, well dressed, polite, groomed, and relatively intelligent people will be more liable to help you because they'll assume you're not in need because you're lazy, have drug or alcohol problems, or because you're a criminal and they'll be more liable to help you. Being viewed as trustworthy is also huge when it comes to things like people letting you use their bathroom or crashing at their place.

[@thevirtualjim]

I think putting the ethical responsibility of homelessness onto individual people is like putting the responsibility of environmental protection, reversing climate change, etc onto us as individuals and lets the systems actually at fault get off the hook and avoid their actual responsibility.

[@meggydon]

To that extent, though, we can do our part whenever we can. It is up to the primary systems in place to hold balance, but we can't just lie over and let the big groups do everything for us. Just because the big oil companies don't contribute anything to environmental cleanliness doesn't mean we don't have to recycle.

[@Jay-jb2vr]

So just don't help homeless people. It's that simple.

[@thevirtualjim]

@@Jay-jb2vr why would we not want to help homeless people. im pointing out that its the same problem as things like environmental conservation - by couching the problem as us individuals being the problem, all the systemic issues that are the actual causes never get looked at. Its a manipulation large corporations and rich interests have been doing for about a century at least.

[@Jay-jb2vr]

@@thevirtualjim of course it's a systemic problem. Gentrification and displacement contribute to homeless, ridiculous cost of living and rent also contribute to homelessness. But "normal people" very often look down on homeless people as if homeless are the problem in society when that isnt the case. Moreover, homeless people are an indication that there is a problem in society.

[@WeyounSix]

Vote local vote local vote local vote local

[@taylorlibby7642]

I give money to and volunteer my time at a local soup kitchen/homeless services organization. They supply three hot meals a day, clothing, toiletries, mailing addresses, phones, medical and dental care, etc. I very rarely give money directly to the homeless but I do make exceptions from time to time.

[@GaasubaMeskhenet]

I've never seen a soup kitchen provide meals that wouldn't irritate my IBS and build into ulcers over time. I'm glad I don't need them any more

[@taylorlibby7642]

@@GaasubaMeskhenet We actually go out of our way to accommodate different diets. You wouldn't be the first IBS sufferer that we've fed. Glad to hear that your circumstances have improved!!

[@GaasubaMeskhenet]

@@taylorlibby7642 I'm glad the places you've worked are so accommodating~

[@Jin420]

I've faced possibilities of homelessness more times than I care to count. And it wasn't because I wasn't working or some bs ... But unlike many -- I've been VERY fortunate enough to have some good & supportive people around me. ❤

[@dhj-i8g]

I'm a big fan of buying a few gift cards for coffee shops or fast food places and keeping them handy (usually $5 per card) - they don't take up space so you can keep a few in your wallet, and they give the holder not just a bit of food or drink, but also a chance to get out of the cold and use the washroom "as a paying customer"

[@sasabnis]

Why not just dollar bills instead of forcing someone to go to a specific store? I see your desire to empathize and fix the issue but just curious why gift cards instead of $?

[@batman5224]

My most vivid memory of helping a stranger in need was when my family and I were on vacation. After parking in a parking garage, we were approached by a man with a desperate look in his eyes. I was frightened at first, but he explained that he had just gotten out of the hospital and needed 10 dollars to buy some kind of medication. I forget the exact details. His sister was supposed to come and pick him up, but she was delayed. He showed us his identification and his medical records. What was strangest of all, however, was the fact that he lived only a block from where we lived in our hometown. The odds of us finding each other were very slim. My father gave him twenty dollars, twice what he was asking for. He could have been lying, but if so, it was a pretty elaborate lie. I also would rather be charitable and take that chance than behave indecently.

[@LivingItUp810]

In a country where the government serves the for profit health system and bans negotiation on prescription drugs prices, you dad did the right thing

[@hblee88]

I did the same thing. They walked off laughing at me for falling for the bait.

[@inigo9000]

Was it in Europe? because this is a trick often used by people here but even knowing it's a lie there been instances i gave them some money anyway. the problem with beggars here is that they often are part of a group and the money goes to their "boss" as a way of paying of a debt for getting them in the country or giving them a place to stay

[@TheAugustburnsbright]

​@@hblee88that reflects more poorly on them for taking advantage of a helping hand than it reflects poorly on you for reaching that hand out.

[@rollingtroll]

I honestly don't care if they lie. If they need money and are at the point where they have to beg for it, they can have a little. I'm by no means rich, but I am sure they need it more than I do at that point.

[@RJ_Ehlert]

Martin Luther King Jr. - 'The Other America' March 10, 1968: "This country has socialism for the rich, rugged individualism for the poor."

[@thedudefromrobloxx]

Even if you don't call them homeless the replacement word is going to take on the stigma eventually. It just seems performative to say "unhoused"

[@FUnzzies1]

Welcome to the modern left.

[@margotpreston]

@@FUnzzies1 It ain't the left coming up with this BS mate.

[@AJX-2]

The euphemism treadmill never stops.

[@FUnzzies1]

@@margotpreston it literally is

[@margotpreston]

@@FUnzzies1 Unhoused was a term created by liberals, not by leftists.

[@MichaelDodge27]

As with many problems in today's society, too much is asked of individuals when it is the powers of the state that have the ability (though clearly not the willpower) to solve these problems. Guilt can have many secondarily useful effects: it can make us feel guilty to see unhoused people sleeping on the sidewalk and this guilt could cause us to use our power of the ballot to vote for solutions to the problem. The real issue I see is when people don't feel guilt and feel only disgust: people who react this way are the people who use their voting power to vote to eliminate the appearance of the problem and not the root cause of it.

[@IizUname]

It really should be taken care of by the state because charity is a bandaid at best.

[@brocky69]

Some people really think it is primarily a personal failure to experience homelessness rather than a societal one. They want to believe that it couldnt happen to them because they would make good choices not bad ones The reason that people who aren't capable "winning at capitalism" are left with as close as possible to nothing is so theres more to go around at the top. How are CEO expected to be able to pay themselves hundres of millions if all those profits got eaten up by wages that were capable of keeping a small fanily out of poverty for all the peons. (The ones that do the necessary and hard jobs that actually make the company run/bring in money)

[@GallowayJesse]

Not with my tax dollars no thabks

[@deeem9500]

Unfortunately, public opinion has a near zero effect on public policy, said a Stanford study. It's not about will, it's about a culture of greed and inhumanity among our societal rulers. The most humane thing we can do is to make tangible change

[@nah82201]

The clip at the end, “double penetration,” actually frames it best. Systems & greed both going to town on people unless they can buy their way out of it. We’re not fighting for more; we’re fighting to not get f….

[@banjohero1182]

this is the internet. you can say fucked

[@nah82201]

@@banjohero1182 true. I like to imagine people filling in the blank with the wrong word though. Makes me smile a little. 😏

[@ExtraVictory]

Double penetration lmao?

[@pj9615]

Yes an ethical society should be helping people. People shouldn’t be put in a situation where they become homeless in the first place. It requires a complete overhaul of our attitudes and society. This perspective about virtue signalling is kind of gross

[@Trackrace29582]

A lot of people only do “good thing” when it has benefit to them. It’s not gross it’s fact. There videos of people giving food to homeless people even though some of them are fake

[@sillylittletroy]

The idea that being charitable is virtue signalling can feel uncomfortable, but at least it's grounded in reality. It might not feel that way if you're one of the lucky few who don't know anyone who virtue signals. But I would bet dollars to donuts that everyone virtue signals to some extent at many points in their lives.

[@intellectually_lazy]

@@Trackrace29582 let me get this straight, some of the people are fake? i assume you mean not really homeless? so what? it's food or shelter, not both? which do you have? i'm guessing both? how does that hurt you? you afraid there won't be enough? if so, you are blaming the wrong people

[@intellectually_lazy]

@@sillylittletroy who cares? we're s'posed to feel bad that you're a little uncomfortable when there are people dying every day so the can gdp keep rising unabated? if someone is trying to help, i'd hope it wouldn't be an act of coercion or control, some type of performative act which helps nothing or no one, but that aside, why can't someone feel good about doing good things? or talk about their passion, or notice a problem and try to address is? is it that someone else's action makes you feel inadequate about your own contribution? is it a discomfort at facing the dire situation we're all in? maybe you like having it better than someone or feeling superior? regardless of your intention, spreading that kind of narrative makes you an agent of the status quo and an obstacle to improvement. i beg you, reconsider your position

[@sillylittletroy]

@@intellectually_lazy If my position was the same as the one you claim I have, then I should consider changing it. However, you're making assumptions, false equivalency, and strawmanning, which is completely tangential to what I actually said.

[@jp4951]

My problem with the Singer argument is that it assumes that a drowning child is a rare occurrence. It's perfectly reasonable to sacrifice one pair of shoes to save one drowning child, but what if you live in a city where drowning your children is the norm? What if you walk past five drowning children on your way to and from work every single day? How many pairs of shoes is a reasonable amount to sacrifice before you accept that children are going to drown and it's easier to just wear headphones to work so you don't have to hear the screams?

[@inb4Vera]

Well, well, having been on the other side of that argument, I'd say the fact of the matter is that metaphorical drowning children ARE the norm in most cities, most of us DO walk past five of them on our way to and from work every day, and I'd say that ANY number of sneakers is a reasonable sacrifice before just giving up and putting in headphones to ignore the screaming. I'd say the Singer argument is totally applicable here, but that's a lot easier to see if you've actually been homeless.

[@RickReasonnz]

@@inb4Vera More to that, if more of us sacrificed our sneakers to save the child, the fewer occurrences of drowning children there would be.

[@LucianCanad]

Honestly, at some point you should look into why there are so many drowning children to begin with.

[@Rook6666]

Except it's not sneakers, and if you give them all up, you become a drowning child. Eventually everyone loses.

[@noBody-ue6cs]

I literally thight the same thing but in much shorter words. "There's homeless people every day I leave the house! That's gonna cost alot daily!"

[@StephenLeGresley]

I think it's better to buy them food and give it to them or buy them a blanket or other supplies to help them. If you really want to help the homeless, put pressure on your local city government to create programs to help them. Make sure they know you don't just want the homeless removed, you want housing for them. We have the largest homeless population since The Great Depression and it gets larger every day, we need to start looking out for each other.

[@blahblaahh3004]

All homeless people in the UK are entitled to free bed and breakfast accommodation, there is no homelessness here unless they choose to be or are thrown out of every b&b in their area.

[@Starcrash6984]

Money is fungible, and the most useful thing that you could give anyone. Why "buy them food"? I used to be homeless, and I'm well-aware of how stupid about homelessness the average person is. "I'll buy you a can of ravioli", they say to the person with no means of cooking food, no utensils, and no place to eat such a messy food in public. I know that something like fast food isn't very healthy or cheap, but the homeless know that it also comes with the side benefit of having somewhere to sit in a warm place for some time without getting thrown out. And when it comes to supplies, just because you don't see a homeless person _carrying_ a blanket doesn't mean they don't already have one in the place where they'll sleep. "Thanks for the blanket, as I have no good place to store it!" Money is king, and if you really want to be helpful, it's what you'll give. Sure, pressure on the government to do more might help, but the local government often supplies things like beds for nighttime sleep and then pushes those people out on to the street for the entire day while cleaning their mattresses to prevent bed bugs. The homeless, even with "government help", is still largely on their own.

[@shiftymcgee9359]

In my area, services are plentiful. Many choose not to use them.

[@TheGallantDrake]

@@shiftymcgee9359have you looked at the services to see if they’re actually doing what they say they do? If people don’t use a service, it’s because the service is bad.

[@StephenLeGresley]

@@shiftymcgee9359 No they don't, thats is just some Rep[ublican BS they've been spouting since the 80's totry and justify not helping the poor. save it, no ones listening anymore.

[@yo12546]

I agree, the debate is useless, because individuals won't be enough to solve the problem and we are almost at the same situation ourselves. The system is not working. We should all demand for change.

[@Shorty15c4007]

Until lobbying becomes illegal, the system isn't going to change. Whats the point of democracy if we have to go up against some corporation with a big bag of money and have them change the bill at the last minute?

[@firstlast8258]

Speak for yourself

[@firstlast8258]

@@Shorty15c4007change is the only constant

[@Somebodyherefornow]

the system is working. for the ones who profit from it.

[@justyncox8013]

Working in Housing and Homelessness Policy on the county level, you learn that you need a coalition of support. The reason homelessness is the way it is is because it's expensive to live and we don't have enough affordable housing. We need more housing to be built and a housing voucher program that works like food stamps when you need it you get it.

[@GaasubaMeskhenet]

There are more empty homes than homeless in the USA. What we need is property ownership caps to end property hoarding

[@firstlast8258]

Open your home first to start off

[@GaasubaMeskhenet]

@@firstlast8258 i have and I will again when I can

[@tomsnowden6201]

@@firstlast8258how is this an argument??

[@alexthewrecker4666]

​@@firstlast8258that wouldn't fix the issue genius. Societal problems need to be addressed on a societal level

[@r.dommizsed2377]

One of my fondest memories about just humanizing the people that have less than me is a memory that i look back whenever im depressed, it was in the midts of the pandemic and a homeless aproached to me crying and desperate talking to me about his dog, he was that sad since the dog had an illness and he love the dog so much, it wrenched my heart cus i love my dogs that much but i couldn´t do anything but listen to him and give him words of compassion but he told me that a wealthy leady took his dog and took it to the vet, he was confused as to why she would do that and if he would ever see the dog back but the lady told her to come back in a week or so to see what happened to the dog, i just wanted to hug that guy but i was to afraid of covid so i didn't but i listened till he wanted to go to sleep, the memory of it just phased out of me and a couple of weeks passed by i was at the peek of my depression but then i saw him, at first a didn't realise it was him until he start speaking to his dog with such joy and happyness in his heart "let's go doggie, we are gonna be late for x thing" and i remembered him, suddenly the cloud dissapeared from my shoulders and i was super happy lol, it's a memory that i recur to everytime i feel sad and it makes me feel a little less bad, since then i always try to help and hear those people if i'm not able to give them money or something.

[@shelbylynn9]

Oh God, that just breaks my heart!! I’m a huge dog person, and it would just kill me not knowing. I can’t even imagine being in that place to begin with. I am so incredibly glad that someone was able to help. Sometimes a dog is the only family people have. I’m so so glad someone helped those two and everything came out okay

[@lisadoes]

I went all in on trying to help a homeless man improve his life. I gave him paid work, food, a place to stay. He nearly destroyed my life, stole from me, and sold some of my possessions for drugs. I no longer help people directly, for my own safety and well being. I still donate goods and services, but I no longer directly interact with those I’m helping.

[@LucianCanad]

Probably for the best, because we, as individuals, have very little impact on the causes of homelessness. Doesn't mean you shouldn't help if you can, but we need systemic change in order to address the problem.

[@arthas640]

sadly happens a lot. I did the same for awhile, my dad ran a small charity giving people a place to stay, some food, and decent paying work and you'd be amazed how many stole from him. Especially when drugs are involved people can be shockingly psychopathic and will steal from people who are sacrificing to help them out.

[@rikki635]

3:57 so I don't disagree with this framing, but the distinction between homeless and unhoused is also a semantic difference. If my house burns down or my landlord evicts me and I stay on a friend's couch, I am homeless but not unhoused. Someone living on the street is unhoused and has more immediate needs to be met. This is why a distinction between the two is actually really useful

[@arthas640]

"unhoused" also ignores the "hidden homeless" which are what you're describing. Many homeless but not unhoused also live in places like garages, RVs, campers, and other places so they're not quiet unhoused but also still kind of homeless.

[@bigsad7524]

I've been homeless and have a psychotic disorder. I can tell you firsthand that I feel patronized when people have called me "unhoused" and a psychotic episode 100% lead me to those circumstances. I lost my job and my place to live because of a psychotic episode. Did it exacerbate my situation? Yes. Did it make drugs sound more enticing and accessible? Yes. That doesn't make it irrelevant. I was homeless. I am mentally ill. Maybe it's up to the rest of us to break those connotations without projecting it on a population people already don't listen to.

[@Datharass]

If capitalism didn't need these people to motivate the rest of us out of outright fear... this problem would already be solved IMO.

[@thelight3112]

We work a wage-earning job because we enjoy the modern luxuries of our society. Homelessness existed long before anything we would call capitalism has.

[@ubik5453]

Let's do some socialism ✊️✊️✊️✊️✊️

[@munchkinmunchlax2168]

"Capitalism bad uooga booga" smh

[@intellectually_lazy]

@@thelight3112 back then if you tried to build a house the cops didn't knock it down, throw away all your stuff, and beat you too

[@Datharass]

@@munchkinmunchlax2168 infinite growth, profits over people... a bought out democracy and a failing planet... you know what you have to thank for that? OFC you don't... but you should.

[@shelbylynn9]

My dad always gave money to homeless people even though his half brother, who he hated, bragged about making a lot of money by begging on the corner. I always deeply admired my dad’s generosity, especially since he’d have a good justification not to if he decided he didn’t want to anymore. And in response to people that say that homeless people are “just gonna use money to buy drugs”: not only is that terribly unfair and statistically the minority, Jesus says that it’s our job to give, and not our job to judge what they do with it. Even if you don’t like/believe in Jesus, I appreciate his viewpoint.

[@MoonOvIce]

I mean, if I was homeless with virtually no possibility of making it out in the near future, I would do the same. People don't understand that in a situation like that, maybe that's all the happiness they get (surviving isn't enough) in a day, some alcohol, some drugs... Self-destructive? Sure, but still. Different situations, and people have a hard time being on someone else's shoes.

[@AA-nw7px]

In addition, pls check Quran.

[@Starcrash6984]

Having been homeless, I know that most homeless people aren't homeless because of the drinking, but rather drinking because they are homeless. The streets are extremely difficult to sleep on with the cold and discomfort of whatever random thing you're sleeping on, and being homeless is sooooo boring. You would have never guessed that boredom is the biggest problem for a homeless person, but it really is. And getting drunk makes you not only survive the cold, but you also stop caring about the boredom. It's harmful to the person, especially over the long run, but it's a comparatively cheap and easy way to deal with the problems of a 12-hour night cycle with no entertainment, and possibly also the trauma of dealing with being unwanted and uncared-for by most of society.

[@darkshadowrule2952]

I'd rather somebody be homeless with drugs than homeless with withdrawal.

[@taylorlibby7642]

I get what you're saying but I disagree completely. I believe that it is my business and responsibility what someone does with the money I've given them. Especially if they use that money to harm themselves or others directly or indirectly. I've lost people that I loved and cared deeply for to alcohol and drug addiction. It's greatly affected the course of my life. I'm not going to be a part of supplying alcohol or drugs to anyone, not even the homeless.

[@arcanepandagaming8868]

When I was younger I was so hopeful for the world and helped out the homeless. I found out being too kind people take advantage, even transience. I'm indifferent towards the homeless and I don't care anymore. It's up to our government to help the homeless instead of giving the military billions of dollars. Wtf are they even do with our tax dollars?

[@arthas640]

a lot gets wasted. i used to work in government contracting and you'd be shocked how much just gets needlessly wasted on things like bureaucracy. A good example is healthcare: the US spends more per person on healthcare than most countries but we've got low quality healthcare and less coverage. but looking at medical industry you'll find tons of people working in administration. I read a study once and they found that in the last 30 years or so that the % of people in healthcare working directly with patients in some way (doctors, nurses, janitors, orderlies, etc.) compared to the number of people in administration used to be more than 1:1, so more than half of the people employed were making sure people were getting helped, but now there's multiple people in administration for every patient facing job doing things like billing and pointless bureaucracy. Similar story with schools where most people working in an education district were teachers, principals, etc whereas today half are working in the office doing largely pointless busywork. With government contracting it can get crazy, there were people who's only job in the government it was to write specs many of which werent relevant, then you had government contractors who had employees doing nothing but trying to read all the specs to pick out the relevant ones, and other people whos only job it was to make sure we followed those specs. Company i worked for did private sector and government work and our overhead was 4 or 5 times higher on government jobs specifically due to pointless bureaucracy making it cost 2 or 3 times as much to do the same job for the government vs a private entity. Eventually got out of it because we realized we were doing more work but not really making much more money, it was like if you got a 100% pay raise but had to work twice as many hours, it was more of a headache and we werent getting much further ahead.

[@rachel_rexxx]

Having lived in my car for 2 years in Los Angeles, followed by working 55 hours/wk and still only making enough to live out of motels for the subsequent 3 years, I can attest by way of anecdotal evidence that no amount of creative problem solving on my part led to my situation of being denied permanent housing being rectified. That is to say that, IMHO, the problem of homelessness is an institutional problem, not one of moral failing. Individuals are only ethically bound to help insofar as they should demand that their elected representatives use imminent domain in order to seize land from those with the most abundance of assets in order to rectify the housing shortage in areas where HOA, corporate, or NIMBY-esque interests are obstructing solutions to the problem.

[@Shorty15c4007]

They throw hoop after hoop even when they see you are actively trying to better your situation. God help you if you're an addict or going through some mental hardship. The system is there to just screw over the working class it seems because greed is what runs this country, not "In God we Trust"

[@interstellarsurfer]

I'm sure you miffed some entitled real estate tycoons by saying that. 👍

[@supa3311]

So while you were living in your car why didn’t you go to a community college? Fafsa would’ve absolutely payed for your classes and would’ve had money left over from financial aid to buy food on top of books. Then instead of working some shit job that only paid enough to afford motels, you could’ve had some kind of degree in your hands to put on indeed.

[@BrutalSnuggles]

Ive lived my life perpetually broke and always waste all my money. When it leaces me broke I always look back with regret at the waste, never have i regretted giving someone money, though. And it doesnt matter why people are unhoused, give people money when you can, they probably need that five a lot more than you do.

[@bimrebeats]

I was homeless for 4 years after getting kicked out of college. Long story, but my life changed once I decided to do the opposite of what most people in my position did. I started offering people help any way I possibly could. Yes, some tried to trick me into all kind of shady stuff but eventually a few good people started believing in me due to my consistency and helped me get off the streets.

[@NerdAboveALL8]

As someone who has been homeless, I feel that a majority of the people who are homeless are homeless due to others opinions and decisions. For instance I was homeless from 6th grade to the beginning of 8th grade and it was caused by a lack of support for single parents and their children as well as the mindset of if you don't have a formal education you are lesser than someone who has a college degree, this was something my mom had to face when trying to find jobs.

[@blahblaahh3004]

Ah yes, always someone else's fault.

[@chotakunerko5401]

Is it so hard to believe that factors outside of people's control can negatively affect them? Most people become homeless due to the rise in living cost and stagnated wages. As well as many other silent factors. So yes. It is often someone, or really something, else's fault. Show some empathy why don't ya.

[@Sillymodezeenith]

@@blahblaahh3004Dude they were in 6th grade. A child. Are you really going to let your bias cloud your judgement so much that you’ll blame a child for their poverty.

[@Lack_Of_Interest]

@@blahblaahh3004 Indeed, it is totally an employee's fault when they get laid off and become homeless due to the CEO and board members wanting their multi-million dollar bonuses and dividends.

[@modell1084]

This isn’t always the case when people reject systems that can get them back on their feet. For free. As like in my town. More people rather leave free housing to do drugs abd alcohol. Truly blaming the system takes away the decisions that a person made to put them in that position in the first place. Having empathy also doesn’t help or change their situation. You can make their day a little better, a little easier. But if they continue to keep making decisions to keep them in that same situation. Your empathy is doing more harm and it’s as if you are encouraging them to continue to suffer. Why? Because you truly do not care about these individuals. It’s easy to just be nice and give handouts just you can receive a “thank you” or “god bless” but if you truly wanted to help them. Then you have to be more repulsed by their decisions.

[@7sevin7]

One angle I consider a lot that wasn't covered here is the thought of equity when you're struggling yourself. The state of the Economy right now is such that people at every level may 'feel' like they're struggling. Everyone from the minimum wage worker not able to buy food or pay rent, to the hedge fund manager having to not get that thousand dollar bottle of Pinot noir. The level of self justification of weighing your own needs against the needs of another is also a huge part of the giving decision.

[@jamesdaniels6741]

I once heard the phrase "broke at a higher level" which I guess is kind of supposed to describe this.

[@rosaecrux]

It is also a question whether homelessness is understood as a societal problem or a personal. Years back in Germany and Europe it was accepted as a social one, but over time the narrative of personal responsibility was more appealing as it allowed better being proud of personal success. That things can happen which are out of personal control gets ignored regularly, and poverty overall makes it harder to alleviate the shortcomings of societal organizations like a state, especially when ideas like a prosperity gospel dillute things further.

[@Montgomerygolfgator]

It shouldn't be the job of the general public to directly address homelessness, but it should be the expense. We can afford the meager taxes required to sort, house, and set people experiencing homelessness on a path to normality.

[@charleslavoie7622]

If I started giving 2$ to every homeless people I see when I go out, it would cost me 20$ at least, every single time. Now 20$ isn't that much from time to time, but it adds up really quick ! Going back to the drowning child analogy, it would be like seeing one child drowning in a pond. You decide to help them, but you're then grabbed by 20 other drowning kids who drag you down to the bottom of the pond. You may or may not drown yourself, but your act of kindness still ended up putting your own safety at risk. So my question is, how much risk should you take when giving to homeless people ? Aka should I give to the first one I meet every day ? Or to everyone I see ? If I give to one, is it morally acceptable NOT to give to the others who are just as deserving ? At what point does my 1-2$ donations start hurting me more than it individually helps the homeless people I give to ?

[@cfri9332]

When you become homeless.

[@mjbakermd414]

toss a coin?

[@RickReasonnz]

Why do you assume you are the only one to try and save the child? Let's take it further, someone sees you struggling with additional drowning children (ffs, why did Singer have to choose dying kids as his metaphor) and chooses to help you rescue them. Thus working together makes the attempt of helping easier on the whole of society. It ain't easy. It ain't gonna be quick. But the more people helping, the less individuals will have to give up - by which I mean structurally, via govt or organisationally we need changes.

[@daivambrosia6647]

This is generally another good Wisecrack video, but I wish you guys tackled the issue in a more "specifically" systemic way - as in, less that governments "don't care" about homelessness in the abstract systemic sense, and more that homes are made for profit and so those who can't afford them are left by the wayside in a systemic sense. There are shades of complexity to this issue, sure, but in another sense it's really quite simple: things are made to accumulate profit, not to meet tangible human needs, and this very much includes homes. If you want to solve homelessness, you have to look at things from that starting point and realize that a society needs to guarantee resource essentials to everyone regardless of their ability to pay. So, say, rather than *just* expanding welfare or instituting a universal basic income as a means of getting more people to partipate in capitalism, you instead create a set of policies which directly decommodifies the things which people can't live without (in addition to having welfare and UBI where needed). Housing, food, healthcare, etc. They should be produced because people need them, not because a capitalist can turn on a profit on their sale. Additionally, we need to stop looking at low-income or unhoused people as opportunities to prove our moral fortitude through giving. People are poor because all class systems across history have required there to be an underclass that does the "grunt work", as well as an implicit threat of homelessness if you don't adequately perform said grunt work. Wealth "trickles up", in the sense that capitalists control the means of production in the same way nobles controlled the land in feudalism. *Owning* gets you wealth, not working. If we want to remedy that eons-long injustice, we have to create an economy that is democratic and which dissolves the division between worker and owner. Democracy inside the workplace and democracy in the broader economic goals.

[@Bluespicygreen]

China managed to solve homelessness as well as the Soviet Union. Was very impressive

[@godlikemachine645]

​@@Bluespicygreenyes. All it took was murdering more people than in the Holocaust.

[@arthas640]

@@Bluespicygreen there are nearly 3 million homeless people in China, and that's not counting the many migrant workers who are borderline homeless, or as we'd call them in the US "hidden homeless". China is also kind of a bad example since they're having an economic crisis related to building too much and wastefully investing in real estate and construction, not to mention the fact their housing prices are similarly unrealistic due to speculation similar to the US. People in China often end up taking large loans, leveraging the savings their parents and grandparents developed, and soliciting money from friends and family to afford a home. China's also a bit weird since unlike the rest of the world when you buy a home you only own the building, not the land. The USSR had its own issues as well. Housing was cheap but also incredibly low quality and they "solved" homelessness through some questionable means as well, similar to Victorian England they had work houses and you could be arrested for being homeless and stuck in inhumane conditions. During Stalin's time they rounded up homeless and worked them to death and under Krushchev they had programs like the Virgin Lands Campaign where people were forced to move to central Asia and Siberia to work on farms, which failed and lead to people working backbreaking labor in freezing temperatures with little to no housing all to eventually amount to nothing when many farms failed. It's like if the US rounded up all the homeless and gave them each a few acres of land in Alaska, got handed a hoe, and told to grow enough food to feed themselves and to feed their country and left there to sink or swim.

[@anthonym9494]

Anecdotal Story: My mother made poor decisions her entire life. Shelters her children, stayed in abusive relationships time after time, never trusted doctors or nurses, generally looked for ways to con the government for money, and tried to get ahead of people with manipulative behaviors. After I grew up, she spiraled. I tried for 4 years to listen to her and guide her to make better choices. It was hard and I was young, in my late teens and early 20s but I still tried. I became a nurse so I had a good understanding of the path out of poverty and into healthy living. She rejected every single attempt I made, again and again. Our relationship was tarnished but I still spoke with her from time to time and eventually she became homeless. She then asked me for money. I told her no and gave her the number and address to the local women’s shelter. Money is not going to fix a gapping wound. For someone in her position, a realization of the situation she is in and personal accountability will. Take this story as you will. I thought it important to share for the topic.

[@weatheranddarkness]

Did your final tactic work?

[@ScottHess]

That is sad to hear. Unfortunately, sometimes it ends up being not about solving the person’s problems, but about limiting the damage they do to you on their way down.

[@Ramschat]

The fact that 'effective altruism' doesn't challenge power structures is absolutely *not* an excuse to act selfish and ignore individuals in need. You can help in both ways.

[@kkrypto1894]

Sure, though one might argue that spending the same amount of money on say housing first campaging, or xyz candidate election might be more beneficial in the long run (asuming you have limited resources and can not sponsor both at the same on the same level). One can thik it as a toss up between various helping investments that are difficicult to accurately enough compare in the eyes of the giver... so the conundrum remains. no hard feelings. Just wanted to use this line of thinking.

[@cfri9332]

@@kkrypto1894 In order to be effective, the entire populace of the country would have to get together and pool resources in order to out-lobby the lobbyist who benefit from the stagnation and decline of the country, in order to sell solutions, or sell whatever they're selling unimpeded. However, being the smart business people they are, they also invest in swaying culture and information to divide the populace into smaller groups who don't have as much bargaining power as they do. And do everything in their power to placate people to stay where they are. The main problem, I believe, is that the middle class is comfortable, and trusting of those above them. With the power of the middle class, change could be created. But they already "got theirs".

[@Ramschat]

@@kkrypto1894 Well, if someone donates money to givedirectly, or a housing program/foodstamps/etc, then they're certainly doing more than most for the vulnerable among their fellow human beings! But I suspect that the vast majority of people are not doing that and merely choosing whether to give to a homeless person or not. And in that context, it would just be an excuse to do nothing at all and 'blame society'.

[@Vasiliosx2]

The point of charitable giving for the 80% of us who only own 20% of the wealth (old statistic, feel free to correct) is not to fix the problem of homelessness but to make the problem bearable until time, money, and opportunity can come together to fix it. Since such a high percentage of Americans are 2 emergencies away from homelessness (again old stat I heard a while ago) it is important to recognize that the problem is indeed systemic and multifaceted, and the people with the most wealth and power exacerbate the problem by paying lower tax rates and hording all the resources necessary to fix such problems.

[@Sarah-re7cg]

I always feel awful seeing people on a corner asking for help. There’s a paralyzing dialogue that plays out in my head about what to do when reminded of the dystopian reality we live in. What I’ll resort to is donating clothes or food, but it always feel futile because it’s a systematic issue. I do what I can with passing money here or there, especially quarters so they can do their laundry. A lot of the time though, honestly I feel unsafe being approached which I’m sure they feel the same having to ask strangers for help.

[@PhilM_Jr]

We as a society continue to look at homelessness as its own issue within a vacuum when in reality it's the result of a much larger picture. The narrator herself pointed out how most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. In a state like California which has its fair share of unhoused individuals, the problem needs to be examined on a macro scale. Cost of living in California due to regulations, high taxes, and lofty "pie in the sky" idealistic laws make the state even more unaffordable for many working Californians. In doing so, they put thousands of people in that category of "one paycheck away from being homeless." Compound that with the weakening dollar due to inflationary actions by our central governments and it becomes harder and harder to avoid becoming homeless. The issue then becomes how do we provide a more prosperous society, brimming with abundance rather than scarcity. When the cost of living is affordable, when your dollar keeps pace with goods, when rent is not sky high because of burdensome regulations, then you can start to truly solve homelessness.

[@nannywhumpers5702]

I've been homeless, only for a bit. My little brother was homeless for years. If I have a dollar, I give what I have. If I have food, I offer it. I don't care what the city says, if I am capable of helping in the moment, I will, as often as I can. I can't often, cause being a breathing adult in the USA is expensive.

[@TheIgnoramus]

IMO, it’s a pretty simple. If we all made homelessness the no.1 issue tomorrow and pressured every person in power to do so, we would find out really quick it’s due to EVERYTHING ELSE. Healthcare, income disparity, inflation, crime. The only way to remove it is to remake how we distribute everything. (Which we are approaching that possibility. AI, if real, makes that possible in the long term. Before, it really wasn’t before, dictated by nature.)

[@THELIFEOFVIEWS1]

I just seen a video about the foundation in California called the home team that’s giving housing to the homeless along with medical treatment and drug treatment which I think is pretty awesome

[@JohnDoe-jp4em]

I'm from germany, I have a different perspective on homelessnes than most people here. Homeless people do get a lot of help in germany, and if a homeless person really wants to, the government will help them to a job, housing, and treatment for drug addictions. Healthcare is free and available anyway, so nobody is dying of any diseases because they are homeless. Nobody goes hungry or cold either due to all the soup-kitchens and free clothes donated to homeless people. The exception are people who don't have germany citizenship, but even those people get food, clothes and treatment, just not the same help in getting a job. And yet germany still has a very large amount of homeless people. On par with the US actually. So just from that it's obvious that just increasing benefits for homeless people is not going to reduce the number of homeless people necessarily. The problem is that in germany the large majority of homeless people are addicts and/or undocumented immigrants. These people don't necessarily want to get off the streets, because that would mean withdrawal from their drugs, and a low-wage 9-5 job. With the benefits given it's not THAT bad to live on the streets, especially when you're an addict and mostly care about getting to keep using drugs. People always pretend that these people don't exist, and every homeless person is some normal working person that became homeless out of misfortune, and wants nothing more than go back to their old life.

[@modell1084]

I come from Tucson Arizona. I have learned there are different levels of homelessness. Though the biggest is due to drugs, especially fentanyl. Then there’s mental illness, and mental illness due to drugs. There are legit homeless people but more often than not they are on drugs. Or simply they just like being homeless. Some people do not want help. If they are ok with that then we the none homeless should be ok with it. The homelessness in my hometown has increased drastically. I am also a first responder and I often work with these people on a day to day basis. This is where I’ve learned everything I know about the homeless in my town. Half of them have created little homeless villages through out the city, street corners are covered with people hunched over in a daze due to fentanyl. They look like haggard goblins. The conclusion I’ve come to. People that are homeless in my town are perfectly capable of being homeless and they are more than prepared to continue to live like this. They do not need help nor do they need it. Because they know how to use the system. Aka. Abusing the 911 system. There’s a lot that goes into that statement but it’s all from experience.

[@firstlast8258]

So you would like to congratulate drugs for winning the war on drugs?

[@modell1084]

@@firstlast8258 drugs and homelessness are one in the same in my town. So my prejudice hates drugs as well.

[@enaidealukal4105]

Whether giving makes YOU "good" isn't the question (odds are, whether you are good or not has to do with a whole lot more than just this one specific thing), the question is whether ging helops. Whether it improves the persons situation. And while giving to homeless ppl helps that particular person, homelessness is a societal problem that requires a societal solution

[@aeonsiege1806]

As a college student, I had a homeless friend. He was in his late sixties. I couldn't give him much money because I, too, was struggling. We used to talk every few days, and from time to time, I would make him food. He was a really funny guy with a lovely dog. One day, he got ill and ended up in the hospital. I didn't know he was sick and in the hospital. A few weeks passed without knowing anything of him, and my gf at the time told me the bad news. He had passed away. That ruined my week. I wish he had a proper send-off.

[@Xokzu]

Politicians set the ultimate example 🙄

[@br3nto]

Just watched the vid and the discussion is pretty much all about the individual… the homeless person or the person walking past them on the street… I’ve come to the realisation that any philosophy revolving around the individual will not make a dent in fixing homelessness. You can give to another individual, but you won’t be changing anything, maybe briefly. Homelessness is a societal system breakdown that requires knowledgeable people to change the system. The best thing you can do if you are not knowledgeable is to just shout “fix it”. Keep doing it until someone knowledgeable and in the right positions do something that works. You could also get knowledgeable yourself and do something. But just giving, that helps a person in a point of time, but does nothing to solve the real problem. I don’t know why that wasn’t discussed as a philosophical position… it should have been.

[@slayerat5280]

To quote another channel on KZbin, Rule 303: if you have the means, you have the responsibility.

[@AJJ129]

we live deeply unethical lives and i don't think there is a way out without massive societal upheaval and restructuring

[@SpinDoc420]

as someone who has been HOMELESS more than once over my 53 years and thankfully escaped it without too much issue, i have to say i am glad this PC unhoused neighbor BS would have set me off. don't dumb is down to be PC, titles are powerful so they matter, which is why we stopped calling them bums and beggers. they are literally without homes, there is nothing degrading about facing the truth, thats what help you get out of it.

[@arthas640]

"unhoused" is a pretty stupid phrase. Reminds me of how some people say "differently abled" instead of "disabled" because they want to virtue signal about how PC they are and because they're afraid of offending some imaginary group of people who hate to be called "disabled".

[@KamilaBrito]

Stole mac and cheese from the hot bar at wholefoods many times when I was a poor student. No guilt.

[@7SuperJ]

If you want to not see homeless people on your towns/cities streets, vote for policies that protect your neighbors right to housing, rent control and social services. If your city installs anti-homeless infrastructure, vote them out immediately.

[@stevenruyf4044]

Or, better option, we can enforce anti infestation policies. Banning vagrancy and all similarly problematic behaviors is the only compassionate and charitable thing to do in a civilized society. Crushing the rights of tax payers for derelicts is barbaric and gives the homeless nothing to aspire to and work for.

[@FUnzzies1]

Rent control literally makes it harder to get an apartment. Not easier. And maybe if the homeless stop shitting and pissing on the sides of buildings we wouldn't need the "anti-homeless infrastructure". I would vote in favor of that 10/10 times.

[@DanAdeyoju]

​@@FUnzzies1rent control stops landlords for jacking up rental prices in a way that makes it unaffordable for those already in the apartments to meet up with the new rent prices. Which means that landlords can increase rent but not above standard inflation rates. As for the homeless pissing on the side of the road, if the government were to put money towards more public infrastructure including toilets, I doubt that would happen. But I'm open to hearing your side of the equation.

[@DeraafRaaf]

People not wanting to see homeless people in their towns/cities is why the anti-homeless infrastructure exists.

[@PsychicFrogBoi]

​@DanAdeyoju rent control does reduce the cost initially to people's rent but at costs that outweigh the benefits. The problem becomes incentives and what happens next. If making new property isn't profitable due to rent controls and various other factors, new places won't get built and getting a place to live is converted from one lottery (being rich) with another lottery (having friends and family with rent controlled apartments).

[@davidknightx]

I'm currently making plans on how to survive when I eventually be homeless. It's not a matter of if, but only a matter of time. I simply do not make enough money. I'd have to work 120hrs/week to afford a one bedroom/studio apt in Vancouver, WA. Believe me, I know. I'm an expert on personal financial budgeting. So instead of doing what everyone else does and wait to spend the last paycheck on rent, I'll leave when I still have a lot of money in the bank and basically live the most comfortable lifestyle possible homeless. I'm researching how to best go about homelessness. I need to have a plan. I need to throw away everything America has ever told me and use critical thinking skills to my max on how to replicated as close to the feeling of being housed in a tent. For example, how much water do I normally use everyday. How much electricity. And then problem solve how to meet those needs. Some people practice camping. I'm practicing homelessness. I should be ready to actually try out a few of my ideas in the field by 2025. I'm even going to stream it so other's can copy what I learn. America is a failure and we need to stop pretending it's not. So since no one is going to fix it, it's either adapt or suffer.

[@kevinsanchez7452]

I had a homeless guy get mad at me for saying I didn't have any money on me which I really didn't I hate having loose change in my car and I rarely carry cash. The funny thing is it was 3am in the morning on my way to work which pissed me off. I'm here waking super early getting this money and he's upset I didn't share.

[@Trackrace29582]

A lot of homeless people are assholes. They don’t mention in this video a good chunk of homeless people are homeless by choice. They rather not have a place to live than have the every day responsibilities of life.

[@MisterCynic18]

Now imagine what a shitty day that homeless guy had

[@kevinsanchez7452]

@MisterCynic18 and he will keep having if he doesn't do anything about it. I moved out at 17 thinking life without rules would be great. It was actually tough earning 8.25 after taxes I would be at 240$ a week barely could afford anything some days all I had to eat was a Pepsi and there was time where I had to sleep in my car. Now I'm making 1,000$ a week after dedication and struggle

[@RabMcGlinchie]

​@@MisterCynic18now imagine how little I care. Why are their bad choices our problem? Getting angry at people who don't have money on them is acceptable behaviour is it?

[@RabMcGlinchie]

​@@MisterCynic18 his day would have gotten a lot worse if he got mad at me for the same reason.

[@TodayDoesNotExist]

Got a video addressing how homelessness/poverty/meaningless death is required by our system to function and used as an in your face warning for the rest of the Proletariat?

[@AJX-2]

I'm glad that there are so many homeless people because it gives me lots of chances to prove what a good person I am by helping them. Thanks homeless people!

[@Residentevilfan1989]

Housing and health care should be a human right.

[@kianchristoffern]

I travelled India for 6 months. Me and my travel partner reflected thusly: India has a practically infinite amount of poor people. We could not help everyone, even trying something way smaller would make us as poor as they were. Our conclusion was that the homelessness and poverty of the country was a decision of India itself. It chooses not care about its poor. Tourists with bleeding hearts and wallets actually only make the problem worse. Societies need to decide, on a systemic level, if they want unfortunates to die on their street. Basically all societies protect the rich, while the poor are allowed to rot. It has been shown that it is those that know poverty who give the most (as a percentage of their $ worth) to other poor people Philosophy provides a plethora of answers. None of which are really useful in our world, dominated by fascist capitalism (basically all countries I've ever heard of). Capitalist fascism (or, as some call it, neo-capitalism) owns our rationality at the moment - and it states people should 'earn what they can and they are entitled to keep what they earn'. So in most peoples minds it is at least partly justified that some unfortunates die in the curb.

[@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana]

I mean... wouldn't bleeding heart people be just as big of an issue in any other nation?

[@mannysmandatories5595]

Hi, Indian from India here. "It chooses not to care about its poor". Blatantly wrong. Also, capitalism is the reason why India's poverty rate is actually shrinking - which is funny because India is a socialist country

[@kianchristoffern]

@@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana Yes, the same in every country.

[@kianchristoffern]

@@mannysmandatories5595 Yes, always the same song. However, capitalism shows up as a helpful feature against widespread poverty beause it is THE allowed means (an example is what has happened to social democrats in South America). To be clear: Capitalism in some form, meaning the free of the people to trade and produce wealth - thumbs up! Capitalism as the marriage between the state and existing wealth and large companies - thumbs down. This is my opinion and it will never be important.

[@MrLense]

Norway

[@valuethug]

I dreaded watching this but you did an excellent job. I had my carbon footprint argument all ready to go but you covered the topic extremely well. I hope more people get a chance to watch this.

[@wearegeek]

There are BILLIONAIRES! Nobody deserves to be a billionaire. Their money can help ALL homeless people without actually lowering their living standards.

[@Emilio1985]

The most evil people that have ever existed are billionaires. The amount of suffering that billionaires cause dwarfs the suffering caused by even the Holocaust. But the cruelty of billionaires is rendered invisible and so we are more tolerant of it... which is saying something considering how tolerant the entire world was of the Holocaust for years, and only really objected to the expansion of the German empire into other nations.

[@younghan3573]

Should bring back "the poor house", or "work house" Concepts

[@Emilio1985]

Damn. Nothing brings out the ghouls like the mere suggestion that people without homes are still people and should be afforded even the bare minimum of dignity and decency by society. I love that the Wisecrack community is predominantly a thoughtful and compassion-forward community, but the comments section for this video seem to have a disproportionately higher percentage of very cruel commenters than I normally see in Wisecrack videos.

[@sintanan469]

As a person who lives paycheck to paycheck and has been permanently crippled by a homeless man that attacked me with rebar... I have no interest in helping a homeless person on a individual level. I've been too jaded to go out of my way to provide what little I have to try to help another when I already struggle. However, I am not against my government using some tax revenue to assist those in need. I'm already paying taxes, so if that money can go to helping others instead of furthering something already overfunded like our military then help those in need.

[@RevRaptor898]

Where I'm at we have a major problem with people pretending to be homeless and begging in the streets. It's making people ignore all people begging in the street, after all no one wants to get scammed.

[@Justforthefifteen]

I literally never ask myself ANY of the questions in this video… 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

I’m always in the lookout! I love youe content AND your delivery Helen, and thank you so much for the time and attention you give towards making your videos so great to watch! Your'e amazing!

[@boiledelephant]

What chafes with a lot of the rhetoric around homelessness and charity is that it treats modern first-world citizens like they've got it amazingly good and should be able to easily afford to help other people out of extreme poverty. We haven't, and we can't. Most of us are broke. Having a home and a car doesn't mean you're not broke; it means you're barely holding on to the system's requirements of you to perform as a worker (you generally can't hold down a job without an address and transport). The cost of remaining an economically viable worker leaves many people with almost no spare cash, and if they sold all the petty luxuries in their life, it'd only raise enough to pay someone's rent for a month, maybe two. Those of us who aren't broke generally have no free time to meaningfully contribute to the problem, and figuring out where to give their money so it won't be wasted is extra mental work they don't have the resources for. This is a systemic problem. It requires a systemic solution. We, ordinary working people, did not create homelessness. Just as we didn't create climate change or mental illness epidemics. These problems were created by a complicated system which is now very reluctant to take any responsibility for them. If you want to solve these problems, contact your representatives, loudly and often, about the disgrace of the situation. Nothing you as an individual do can ever be adequate.

[@comicog3]

I make decent money now relative to my age. I know being unhoused has varying degrees to it, as I've spent time living out of my car, crashing on couches, etc. So my rule is, whenever I have cash on me, I will give it away. I pretty much never need the cash I have on me, and sometimes I'll stop at a bank or store just to pick up cash if I know I'm going to an area where there are lots of homeless people. If I don't have cash but I have the time (like when I'm waiting for a rain at GCC) I'll buy food with my debit card when asked. I never ask questions or try to ascertain whether the people are "deserving." if they need help and I can give it, I'll always try to.

[@MWhaleK]

The nation of Finland basically ended homelessness within its borders some years ago by simply giving everyone a place to live.

[@michaeljebbett160]

It's less than homeless people failed society, and more society failed people it made homeless.

[@eksbocks9438]

It's a judgement call..... Some folks are homeless because of toxic people. Others are toxic themselves. Usually, the dishonest guys will try and upstage those who really do need help. Since they don't have "street smarts" anyway. But the reason why there's homelessness is simply because of our society's Lassiez-Faire ideas. People who are addicted don't get treatment. And people escaping domestic violence have to take their chances on the street. There's just so many paywalls for basic needs. Which is why it's difficult for people to get out of this cycle. Once they fall into it. These folks just need basic stuff. Laundry, something hot to drink, shelter, etc. Some of them don't even have a typical family home. Which we take for granted. And then once that situation is stabilized: There has to be a correct avenue for them to take (Salary opportunities, Disability/Retirement, Mental Health, relationships, Addiction rehab, etc.) But we have to stop putting these guys into one single category of "undesirables." It makes the situation more complicated to resolve.

[@hrishikesh-s]

The point about calling someone “homeless”, instead of their using it to mean their condition is a great one. So many people live under the delusion that however they/others are at this time, will be how they will always end up being. This also touches upon the concept of a person’s identity. I remember seeing people who had come to think of themselves as “employee at company A” (because they’d worked there for years) go through an identity crisis when their employer laid them off. I like the concept of seeing the “I” in the “we” and vice verse.. so it probably means we should help out those right in front of us while simultaneously working together to ensure people wouldn’t have to rely on such help because of a good social safety net.

[@blackparadoxx9656]

America has the most people incarcerated and the most homeless people. How the fuck did we manage that??

[@kinoko9053]

I don't give money to homeless people ever. I am not a particularly good person so I don't think about that kind of stuff. If I have to pay a bit more in taxes for a systematic response to a systematic problem though, I'm happy to do that. I think that's more of a "practical person" than a "good person" opinion though.

[@darkmyro]

what needs to happen is systemic change. There needs to be money put into mental health. A lot of people who are homeless have some kind of mental health issue, and it's something that could be treated, but if you don't have the money to do it in the first place, then it becomes and issue. It's also an issue that affects americans that have homes too. I also think that there needs to be a change in the kind of people that are against "handouts" it's not really a hand out if your making the quality of someone's life better. We really need to get out of this " I got mine and they can get theirs" mentality because a lot of things could be keeping them from getting theirs, that the former never had to deal with, like racism or injuries, or a mental health issue or they may have had to deal wit it, but they had a safety net that helped them like a relative or money. I also feel like there's way too much focus on the short term, and not enough on the long term. for example, it's easy to put spikes on the bottom of a window so a homeless person won't sit there, but it takes a lot more work to help the homeless get a home or get into a position they can get a home. The short term solution of the spike doesn't really help the homeless and just moves the issue somewhere else, the long term solution is getting that person into a home so they can start building some wealth. honestly I feel like homelessness should be treated like healthcare, its something that improves people's lives when they have it.

[@nebojsag.5871]

I usually give. Especially if they explicitly tells me they need money for booze. I appreciate homesty.

[@sir_ridley388]

The revulsion at the phrase "innovative market based solution" is becoming real

[@cultmecca]

I always give money if I’m asked and have it. I actually disagree with giving them food, clothes, blankets, etc. instead of money because you are assuming what it is that they need. I support giving them money because they know what they need at that moment. What if what they need isn’t a sandwich but rather an outfit for a job interview? In this case, me going and buying them subway isn’t going as far as I think it is. While I do acknowledge that people that do give materials are doing it from a good place, I think that this idea is informed by stereotypes about homeless people and is paternalistic

[@firstlast8258]

They need crack

[@beleden1215]

Can we address how much we pay in taxes should give us actual social security when this happens to Americans? Or how about the Monopoly currently on housing/rental prices which is leading to a ridiculous stat of almost half of Americans homeless have a JOB!

[@goatsiahthelegend]

My biggest problem is that I don’t have enough to give. Between working all the time to be able to survive, and being able to give to a possibly hostile populace there’s no way to navigate. 1 billionaire donating 1 of the billions they have would solve this. How is it up to the people that have the least to support these folks and not people who have their 3rd house??

[@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana]

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, it would cost *$20* billion to end homelessness in the United States.

[@0wn-nothing-be-happy]

I am currently and have been homeless for about 6 years of my life. I have always been able to make money, so I have not yet needed to resort to spanging. But, here is my advice about how to deal with people who don't hold the same advantage as you and/or don't conform to the same social norms as you. 1. Maybe homelessness isn't a problem? When I see someone in a tent or in their car, I don't think it's a bad thing. I know plenty of pretty interesting lives are led that way. Modernity started with all homeless people, and they have always existed. 2. You should never feel guilt for not giving money to someone worse off than you. Give if you want, when you want. But, if someone engages you, at least greet them and tell them no, then wish them luck. It has to suck to put yourself out there like that and constantly get ignored or worse. 3. I would rather the stigma of homelessness go away over forcing people into the lowest rung of housing. That is just taking from taxpayers or the generous and giving to slumlords at worst or investors that buy the securities a mortgage gets rolled into.

[@troywalkertheprogressivean8433]

If you answered anything other than "change the system", then you are wrong.

[@horrovac]

Fixing homelessness is simple. Give the homeless a home. Don't tell me about the couple of scroungers who exploit charity cynically, everyone has stories about them - but they're not many. For most people, having a place to sleep, take care of themselves and be safe would help them get back on their feet. Then you also have to regulate the housing market. If living in a home is too expensive, build and rent nice housing at an affordable price. That will keep the prices from spiralling out of control. Or you can cap rent. Or you can cap rent increases. Most European countries do some of the above or a combination thereof, and have very few homeless people - basically just the "hardcore" ones, people who can't become self-sufficient due to addiction or health issues. And there are organisations taking care of those as well. I think charity is bad. It just helps mitigate the worst effects of poverty and homelessness, and allows the society to rely on it. Charity just helps to "take the edge off" and prevent people from literally starving or dying of exposure in the streets by the thousands. Charity doesn't help people live dignified lives. The proper way to be charitable is not to donate a couple of odds and ends and a bit of money you didn't manage to spend on luxuries, you have to COMMIT to it. Accept higher taxes to provide people with a safety net. Support unionisation and workers' rights. You shouldn't give to make yourself better about yourself, you need to make sure that everybody gives, and to make sure that everybody knows you and the whole of the society are committed to have their back.

[@justinholz480]

The best way to help the homeless is to stand in opposition to central banking. Inflation is societal blood letting.

[@trinodot8112]

My trouble that I have with giving money to homeless people isnt the act itself, but picking and choosing when to give. I am not so well off myself, and unfortunately, there are so many homeless people where I live that if I donated any meaningful amount to every person I see, it would be a substantial financial burden for myself when I am barely scraping by. However, I cant just pick and choose when to give because that feels kind of scummy to me. As though I am implicitly deciding which homeless people are worthy of my charity.

[@tomshady3530]

Say a homeless guy gets $5 from just 1 person, every 15 minutes of waiting at a light (they get more). He gets $20/hour, doing nothing. He will never work again.

[@ontheroadwiththejrxfoundat7349]

The reason why I started doing what I do is because I lost everything and promised myself when I got back on my feet I'd help those that were in the position I was in.. Whoever I see on the street, tent cities while also doing disaster relief search&rescue. But there is a way you have to do it. Of course I run into scammers but that is my job to weed out the real from the con artists. Many homeless just want to be left alone. You see I was there eventhough I was living in my foreclosed house I was that close and very worried while trying to get out of situation so I know how many might feel I say might because I can't read someone's mind. In the end I just do what I do, this is on me I chose to help others all the negative comments I get that's fine all I know is I do me and keep on doing it.. When I saw people lose everything to Hurricane Michael I knew I was doing the right thing.

[@ada443]

Don't think you can blame the negative preconception of homeless folk on "media representation" when every city you go to now has plenty of homeless. And although I have had a few positive experiences when helping em out, most are either not in their right mind or ungrateful for anything other than money. Just in my personal experience.

[@blahblaahh3004]

And mine, I caught my next door neighbour begging in the city centre a few years ago. He has benefits (pips, esa, rent paid, free bus pass etc all counting up to around £1,500 per month) but still chooses to take money from hard working people to feed his habit.

[@MrSlayerkid117]

I'd consider statistics with mental health, and I'd also consider how being homeless and being looked down upon might shape someone's disposition. I think it's wrong to expect people to just be grateful, and if that's what it takes to be kind is something in return like (another person's affirmation, them being grateful to you) then you helped for the wrong reason. You should help because they are people.

[@ada443]

@@MrSlayerkid117 I could help 8 billion other people in the world, why would I help someone who shuns help? I'm no millionaire, I still work 40 hours a week and pay rent to wealthier folk than me. This is the "high horse" type of bs that makes no sense to me; if I wanted or needed help and received it from a stranger, you best believe that I am making my appreciation known. About 4 or 5 times now I have brought gallons of cold water to homeless folks in the scorching summer and their response was "Well I already have water, I need money." SO DO I BRO

[@Starcrash6984]

Are you familiar with the concept of confirmation bias, and how that might affect your "personal experience"?

[@nieznajomy4398]

Like someone said "With every shit in the yard you start to respect them less and less... but then you need to ask who is taking away free and public toilets so homeless people can do those stuff in proper places". And yeah, money is best thing to give, if they aren't hungry then they would need to walk with that food often occupying one of the hands or could get dirty (same with water). Money is easy to handle, it doesn't matter if it fell on the ground and can be spent accurately to the person who is using them, like you don't know if homeless person have eg. allergies.

[@mightyone3737]

I've always looked at homelessness as a societal failing (mostly), and have given them money now and then despite not being a very charitable person, my justification was always that I should treat others roughly how I expect to be treated, I would hope for some compassion if I was desperate (but I'm not sure I'd expect it tbh, we're awful to homeless people).

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Whenever i have spare change i do give. But when it comes to more substantial help I contribute to those homeless people that actively trying to get out of their situation.

[@Starcrash6984]

How exactly would you do that? I used to be homeless, and I had a full-time job for the _entire 5 years_ that I lived on the street. A home, ironically, is what got me financially stable enough to live in a home because living on the street is really expensive. I've never met a homeless person that _wasn't_ "actively trying to get out of their situation", but it's harder than you know. I'm curious -- what exactly do you contribute to "those homeless people" that you feel are "actively trying"?

[@ada443]

​@@Starcrash6984 Do you need links to welfare programs and section 8 housing? As someone who grew up on both, they are not that hard to get. My mom did not work for 10+ years and only had to show that I was fed enough and going to school to receive aid every month. Idk where you live but you would be able to get assistance here in CA if you showed proof of employment

[@Starcrash6984]

@@ada443 I've had a home for about 5 years now. I _used to be_ homeless, but no longer am. Nonetheless, I still struggle to afford things even on a full-time job because it's not true that "[welfare programs] are not that hard to get". If you don't have a child living with you, most government programs are out-of-reach. You say that "your mom" got them easily, and that implies that she was raising a child. Our society doesn't like to fund the needy, but they find it much harder to let children suffer no matter whether their parents work or not.

[@ada443]

​@@Starcrash6984 I literally have the links to social service programs and have several friends that receive aid from them, half of which have no children. Seems like you are reaching because my easily attainable solutions don't fit your pity party narrative. You're not interested in actually helping folk, you just want excuses for your shortcomings as an adult.

[@Starcrash6984]

@@ada443 I already told you why we have different perspectives on this. Your experience was different from mine, given that you came from a household with children and I don't. It has nothing to do with a "pity party narrative". I applied for several programs when I was homeless, literally homeless, and was accepted by none of them. Part of the difference may be state -- literally all welfare programs except medicare are state-run, and they all have different qualifications. But in general, society is stingy and wants to limit who they give welfare to, and it's hard to resist children. Perhaps you live in a less stingy state. Awesome. Perhaps you're not interested in actually understanding the problems, and want excuses to rationalize your ignorance.

[@nardo218]

It's cheaper to house them, feed them, give them free healthcare, set them up with jobs. Most people who are homeless are only homeless for a few months. The people who are hoemelss for longer have a disablity. Removing barriers to getting back into a home -- like free healthcare, home-delivery pharmacies, and meals on wheels -- keeps people housed. In other countries that do this, the only people who don't immediately return to work are mothers with small children and those too disabled to work.

[@courtney6248]

Wow super early👀

[@EvanWisheropp]

Hey, how long till “unhoused” becomes a bad word also?

[@evensteven1950]

I've had too many bad experiences from beggars to give any homeless person on the street a second look. And I don't feel bad about it either. I'll help out at the food pantry or soup kitchen P.S. these experiences were not due to mental health issues, just very aggressive begging

[@djrakman3909]

KEEP GIVING THEM NOTHING BUT ESSENTIALS. Dont give them money. Everything they need can be purchased by you and gifted to them. Give them money and you are part of the same problem keeping their addiction fueled and the dealers keep getting paid for trapping them with addiction in the first place....

[@beccangavin]

My mom has a bunch of homeless friends and they aren’t homeless because of addiction. Some of them made bad decisions, some of them ran into bad circumstances (like moving for a job and then the job disappearing), some of them need therapists that they can’t afford. Of the homeless people I know who did have drug problems, just about all of them became addicted to opiates because of prescription pain killers they got from their doctors so we can percentage out some blame for their doctors. I only knew one homeless guy who obtained his drug addition all on his own without the help of medical professionals. I guess I’m just pointing out that assuming they are all drug addicts isn’t accurate or helpful and it’s not their dealers getting them addicted, it’s doctors. It changes the systemic solutions we should be thinking about. I’m not sure why I chose to respond to this comment in particular. It just felt like defamation for a bunch of people I know who are really just unfortunate.

[@djrakman3909]

I am not assuming they are ALL addicts. I know the difference between someone who is sick, addicted and plain lazy. Some of these addicts have turned begging into a profession...@@beccangavin

[@midnightarts228]

Zoning laws that often severely restrict where any type of affordable or multi-unit housing can be built is a huge problem. And that's before you get to the NIMBYs who will fight any attempt to build more affordable housing options in their neighborhood, all while displaying We Believe signs in their front yards.