This may be an unpopular post, but it really needs to be said.
More and more there are those of us who are homeless and speaking out for others, trying to sway public opinion, but we really need to do some "in house" work to make ourselves presentable to be taken serious.
There is a picture floating around twitter tonight from a Mcdonalds stating along the lines that "This is not a hang out, or a shelter"
Granted they could, and should, have used more tact, but lets be honest with ourselves. We, meaning the homeless, abuse the shit out of Mcdonalds across the country on a daily basis.
How about "we" learn to flush a god damn toilet once in a while. Maybe they won't dislike us as much if they're not spending the day cleaning up your piss and shit.
Maybe "we" can learn not to curse, abnormally loud no less, in front of every woman and child. Maybe 5 of us, don't need 4 tables!
We have to start being responsible for ourselves, and teaching others to do the same.
When you're getting a free meal somewhere, how about we just stick to "thank you", and not bitch about the selection, or even in cases I've witnessed, even complain about the presentation! The fucking presentation!!! Seriously? Shut your ungrateful mouth and be thankful someone is willing to look past that and feed your stupid ass.
I know it's a sickness, but maybe even cut back on excessive alcohol and drug use before noon! Especially when you are holding a sign about how you're sober and just going through a tough time, while hunched over nodding.
Jesus even projects like home first.. Yes, the numbers make sense to house someone rather than keep in shelter, but how about we also acknowledge the cost of the damage "we" do to some of these apartments, or the fact that the furniture from a voucher is turned around and sold right away for drugs or booze. The numbers start to change!
I don't know the answer, or how to "police our own" so to speak, but we're speaking for a group, and alot of us are fucked up, so we better have some good stuff to say, because we have alot of slack to pick up.
Just sayin'
Gary aka John Doe
Your points were well spoken and needed to be said. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteSuch an interesting post because I have noticed that my homeless contacts in Auburn, NY are extremely polite and are very neat and organized within their "HomeBase" area.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I certainly agree regarding the points you have made. It is important to behave in a thoughtful and considerate manner even when other people don't behave that way towards you if only because it is much better for your own mental health to behave with grace and dignity at all times. It is a self-respect thing.
I have taught people this coping skill for years: "You can behave with grace and with dignity no matter what anyone else does."
Hello there. I just wanted to say that I agree with your statements and remember in the days I spent on the streets. Many hours were spent thinking of ways to shock the public. It was not to be mean or to disrupt the lives of those living out the dream, but to get some notice. HEY!! LOOK AT ME!! I NEED SOME HELP!
ReplyDeleteIf people find that they want to get out of the gutter, they need to begin to live life as if they are.