I just love the language used to describe homeless people: Drunk, crazy, helpless, ad nauseum. It’s also shrouded in industry-specific terms like “experiencing substance abuse issues.”
Alphabet soup of acronyms that only a handful of insiders know. My all-time favorite though is “service resistant.” Google the term. There is no definition for it except when applied to the homeless. Common sense leads one to conclude that there is a whole army who resist services.
Hmm, if we put this into a business context of homeless people as customers or consumers we gain a new perspective. Aha! You have a product which you are trying to sell to a customer. Sadly your goods are shoddy. I, for one, don’t eat in soup lines. While the food at Quarter Meal is pretty good, I always wind up at a table with people who smack their lips or chew with their mouth open. Here you are enjoying a pretty yummy dinner considering asking for seconds. As you get that last spoonful the person next to you farts. Not one of those yucky silent ones. Oh no, it’s the window rattler type. Would you want to endure this kind of conduct?
My friend, Teapot Annie, has an interesting perspective. She shared with me that at her advanced age, she doesn’t want anybody but me to fiddle with her. She explained, “I was sitting there minding my own business when I got hit on. ‘Yo baby what’s your name?’ ‘Hey, I’ve got a bologna sandwich with your name on it.’” She understands the whole survival sex thing. Doesn’t understand why a girl would take up with someone with no ambition or sense of self-reliance, but she sees it all the time. What she doesn’t understand is why she has to be bothered. “Now, Mike, I tried to tell them I was spoken for and that I was your girlfriend, but that didn’t do any good. So instead of experiencing that abuse, I just don’t go to Quarter Meal. If I’m hungry, I’ll just find you and endure your declarations of love.”
At the end of the day, the term “service resistant” denies the fact that homeless people are bribe-able. We will jump through hoops for a double cheeseburger or a least a slice of bread with our bowl of beans.
I love the government. They spend money to build shelters and not housing. Wait. Let me understand this correctly. You spend the same money on a temporary solution and not on a permanent one of housing. Why is it that you think this going to solve the problem? This is like having a hole in your gas tank but everyday you keep filling it up then wonder why you’re always broke.
It’s not a shame to be homeless. It’s an economic condition that people use to make millions of dollars. Without you, a lot of people would be unemployed. Changing your circumstance means changing the way you feel about your economic condition. Once you consciously don’t give a hoot if people know you are homeless, that’s when things will change for you as an individual and us a group. After all membership in our army is easy. All you have to do is be evicted illegally, get hurt on the job, etc.
So I’ve wasted your time enough with my silliness. If you find something I’ve written here interesting, entertaining or having no value let the editor know. Warning: all haters have to buy me lunch at the Mark. The rest of you in the cheap seats feel free to adopt me. ≠
Take care speak with you soon. From the Barricades, Mike; oldbumformayor@gmail.com
Boring disclaimer. The thoughts, opinions, rants etc are those of the author. This paper does not endorse or necessarily with them.
