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Posted by: Tideliar
Posted on: Wed, Sep 08, 2010, 2:34 pm CDT

I remember one poor kid in DC, maybe 19/20yrs old, crying and begging near my neighbourhood because someone had urinated all over the blankets he'd hoarded to stay warm. He looked totally lost - like he was very new to the homeless side of life. Poor guy. I had literally nothing to give him, seeing as I was a half-step from being there myself. Right before I faced the street and a one-way ticket to the UK I managed to convince my ex-wife to let me use her apartment as a base while she was working in Florida. Not long after that I managed to get another job and start supporting myself again.

Being unemployed and broke and unemployable is horrid. I came close once in the UK a long time ago, but someone gave me a good cuff about the ears and I got my act together, got a job (2 actually0 and worked to get back into college instead of dropping off the grid altogether.
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Posted by: Suzy
Posted on: Wed, Sep 08, 2010, 12:28 pm CDT

I like to think that will all the research into mental illness and the genetic tests for it, that maybe a few years from now (maybe in the next 20 years?) mental illness will be curable (or stabilizable) or at least families or doctors will be able to handle it better- even for the uninsured.
Maybe the homeless population will go down as a result.

For even the best parents, handling a child with schizophrenia must be tough.

I was in Seattle recently and they have a lot of homeless hanging out on every corner. They were even a little aggressive. San Francisco has a lot of homeless too. Portland has 20 year olds sleeping on sidewalks. I know Portland has a bad crystal meth problem but not sure if these kids were really homeless.

I would have a hard time feeling empathy for a young kid begging for cash.
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Posted by: Tideliar
Posted on: Tue, Sep 07, 2010, 5:20 pm CDT

hiya Jade,

You're absolutely right, of course. Our homeless are shipped by the bus load from AR and MS - literally. And there is an infinite divide between the truly homeless and the parasites that prey on them. Back IN DC my girlfriend worked with a charity that tried to keep mentally handicapped adults off the street.

When I lived in the UK I was a big supporter of a couple of charities and foundations that worked with homeless people. It is frightening how close any of us are to that awful place and depressing how many abused teenagers and ex-military end up there.

However, what I take umbrage to is the professional-homeless who preys on the charity of the individual to scam a buck. I knew plenty of those in the UK too and most of them made a very handsome living. Of course a quick glance can't tell the two apart and I appreciate your reminder that I need to reign in my ire and stop tarring a diverse population with the same brush.
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Posted by: Genomic Repairman
Posted on: Tue, Sep 07, 2010, 5:06 pm CDT

We have a local homeless dude that trolls the strip, everyone gives him money, people even hook him up with places to stay. I think he ran for mayor a few years ago and got like 6% of the vote.
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Posted by: Suzy
Posted on: Tue, Sep 07, 2010, 4:14 pm CDT

Hi Tideliar,
I understand how frustrating it can be with the homeless stationed at every corner of a bustling city and being asked for money every block. And its true that cities handle it differently with what they allow. It is unfortunate that there isn't a way to provide all the truly mentally ill or just down-on-their-luck people with ways to get help. Most of the truly needy don't have family to support their recovery.

I've spent some time with people who were bordering on homelessness for one reason or another, and people who were homeless. I can tell you that no one wants or chooses to be unemployed or to live in a shelter or the park bench. People with mental illness are in a particularly bad situation. In one city where I lived (a city with a major university educating 50,000 students), a homeless mentally ill woman was living in a shed a little bigger than a doghouse on a neighbors property and using his lawn as a bathroom. He allowed her to stay there in exchange for sex. You see, the leeches are not just the homeless ones.

I tried to call and get her help and the city would not pick her up. They said she needed to call them herself and basically institutionalize herself. Obviously, she's not going to do that. She doesn't have a fucking phone for fuck's sake.

In another city I lived where there were quite a few homless people on the streets, sometimes I would give them my bus tickets so they could take the bus to the shelter. Bus tickets are money too. (Don't think the bus drivers appreciated that but I can't please everyone.) Shelters filled up fast though.

Begging is a big problem. We are fortunate for the few people who do volunteer to work in homeless shelters and do what they do to feed homeless. Imagine how much worse the problem would be without them?



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Posted by: Suzy
Posted on: Tue, Sep 07, 2010, 3:56 pm CDT

I did do an act of kindness this morning, I hooked a homeless guy up with a few bucks and a spare raincoat in the back of my car this morning. Where I live, we have a lot of homeless, including those that are famous and some that actually choose to live this life rather than work. They are in the minority, but they seem to somehow glamorize the lifestyle.

Very awesome.
Every human being is important and valuable. It is someone's brother (or sister), father (or mother), grandfather etc. somewhere. Your kind act will not be forgotten, I can assure you of that.

So what do you mean by famous homeless people?
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Posted by: Tideliar
Posted on: Tue, Sep 07, 2010, 3:19 pm CDT

I fucking despise these parasitical motherfuckers. Almost all of them are professionally unemployed and my town is fucking ankle deep in their grinding, begging bullshit. On top of that the cops don't give a fuck most of the time and the city ordinance supports their parasitism. You did the right thing bro. Maybe next time he'll fucking take no for an answer, the scabrous leech.
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Posted by: Genomic Repairman
Posted on: Tue, Sep 07, 2010, 10:48 am CDT

I did do an act of kindness this morning, I hooked a homeless guy up with a few bucks and a spare raincoat in the back of my car this morning. Where I live, we have a lot of homeless, including those that are famous and some that actually choose to live this life rather than work. They are in the minority, but they seem to somehow glamorize the lifestyle.
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Posted by: Suzy
Posted on: Tue, Sep 07, 2010, 12:56 am CDT

GR,
You may have over-reacted a bit, probably the stress of working so much and really needing a day off...or maybe just tired of people not listening to you when you tell them something? In retrospect, it seems like the guy was pretty harmless.
I think that all homeless people want and need to be treated with a tiny bit of respect. Most of them are mentally ill and really don't understand right from wrong. Next time, try giving the person some change or a dollar and keep the icee for yourself.

I know people will say never give homeless people and beggars money. I think about if the shoes were switched and it was me, I hope that someone would show mercy. There are a lot bigger, more deserving assholes around to unleash anger at.

(I can't help being a bleeding heart liberal but I always root for the underdog, in sports, and in life.)

For your penance, do something kind for the next homeless beggar you meet.


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Posted by: Genomic Repairman
Posted on: Wed, Sep 08, 2010, 2:34 pm CDT

So while most of you were off today, I was at work doing a litany of tasks today:
-working on figures for a grant supplement that my boss told me about that morning
-making some large scale pain in the ass nuclear extracts
-routine cell culture bullshit
-isolating RNA

So today on my way home from work, I stopped to get my car washed at the local in and out joint. And since I just got paid I decided to treat my unfuel efficient vehicle to a tank of premium gas. Now before you get all fucking preachy, my car is an equal opportunity gas guzzler. She doesn't give a shit if you are on the highway or in the city, she gets 17.4 mpg. Will I buy a fuel efficient car? Yes, when this one dies and since its paid off and running in good shape, its going to be a while. But I digress, so while filling up my car a bum came up to asked to wash my windows for money. I told him no thanks, I just got my car washed and more importantly I had no cash. While the car was filling up, I went inside to take a piss and buy a cherry icee, I love icees. When I come out, the guy is washing my windows. I told him to stop and get away from my car and he holds his hand out for money. Here is the situation folks, I have no tolerance for fucking crazy people. I told him I didn't want him to do it and I wasn't going to pay him. He started shouting and spat on my windshield and turned to walk away. I'm going to admit it that I might have snapped. I wound up like Randy Johnson and uncoiled a 32oz icee fastball that slammed straight into this dude's back. The styrofoam ended up busting and the shit went all over him as he ended up going down on one knee. He looked scared when he turned around to face me and I began to shout at him.
"Touch my car again asshole and I'll rip out your eyes and skull-fuck you death motherfucker. You got it?"
He nodded and scurried off. I'm not mad about the windshield, however I'm kind of sad that I wasted a perfectly good icee. So if you like to donate to the Genomic Repairman's legal defense fund, please make checks payable...
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