![]() I think we can begin to answer the above questions in two ways. ![]() Why? What feelings does seeing people who are homeless, specifically individuals who are homeless, bring up for us? What do these emotions mean for advocates trying to both engage and mobilize the public? How can we humanize/put a face to people who are homeless? Struggling with these questions At least for the majority of us, we usually keep walking. Or we see someone who is clearly homeless, and in dire need of basic services. I know many of us have had the experience of walking somewhere, and encountering someone asking for food or money. Taken to its extreme, however, dehumanization of those unlucky enough to be without shelter can yield devastating results, which I discuss later in this blog. In its everyday incarnation, dehumanization of those who are homeless might involve crude jokes, or rather than seeing a human being sleeping on the sidewalk, you see merely a form that you have to walk around. Does the author seem “compassionate and understanding,” or do you think dehumanization is happening here?ĭehumanization is an acquired response none of us is born viewing some people as less than human. This is a screen shot of an opinion piece written for the University of California, Santa Barbara’s student newspaper. While neurobiological research into dehumanization can tell us what the brain looks like ‘on bias,’ that still leaves us the question of why some people do it (consciously or not), and others don’t. Try this: “Rats are everywhere in New York, so I’ve learned to carry about my business and not get so on edge when one wanders into the subway car and sits across from me…” Whenever you can substitute an animal for a person in a sentence and have it still work, it is worth reflecting on whether dehumanization is occurring. She seemed to be talking about people the same way she would about some sort of nasty pest, rats for example. Perhaps she got some negative reactions to it. Interestingly, the post has been taken down since I first read it, so I cannot link to it anymore. I began with this quote because I think it illustrates some common reactions to homelessness - namely, barely concealed disgust, lack of empathy, and a worldview that separates people who have homes into “us” and those who don’t into “them.” The above quote is from a young woman’s travel blog the post, from last August, was titled “Feelings of Pure Disgust.” I found it when I decided to write a blog post on how general society responds to people who are homeless. With my walkway right in the center of the six feet of distance between the trashcan and the man, I decided ‘play it cool’ and walk between the two, not wanting to appear as if I was walking 15 feet out of the way to my right to purposely avoid him. Homeless people are everywhere in New York, so I’ve learned to carry about my business and not get so on edge when one wanders into the subway car and sits across from me, not having showered in who knows when.” “I saw an older homeless man ahead of me rummaging through a trashcan, and as I got closer he started to move away from the can and began to scratch his back, his clothes tattered and dirty, wearing navy sweatpants in August. Written by Perry Firth, graduate student at Seattle University Community Counseling, and Project Assistant for Seattle University’s Project on Family Homelessness
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