Homelessness: The Absurd Arena – Useful Idiots Discussion Board
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Homelessness: The Absurd Arena – Useful Idiots Discussion Board
For the Useful Idiots who think they can talk back to a podcast.
Hey Useful Idiots,
Everyone has their number one issue that they see as the most important problem in the United States. For me, that’s homelessness. Mostly because I don’t understand it.
We hear liberals and progressives always talking about poverty and protecting the working class: raising wages, fighting for affordable healthcare, defeating hunger. But those same people, when asked about those who live on the street, so often treat it as just another issue, something to be dealt with, and, hopefully, pushed away. What I don’t understand is how a stance against helping the unhoused is an acceptable opinion in circles that claim to fight poverty.
I usually try not to share too much opinion in Absurd Arenas. After all, who wants to hear what the producer thinks? Maybe reading Breakfast of Champions has me looking at everything from a more-than-usual alien perspective, and maybe finding myself agreeing with the crazy man yelling at everyone on the street this week has me in a weird mood, but I’m saying it.
The argument I most frequently hear is that helping the unhoused leads to crime and dirtier neighborhoods. This mindset has made it easier for most people to step over humans who are begging for help.
As Aaron said in last week’s uplifting interview with Darcia Narvaez, “We have an audience that really cares about the world. And they’re troubled by the state of the world right now.” That’s why I want to hear your thoughts on the issue. And don’t worry, next week I’ll go back to something silly like who in Congress would look dumbest in bike shorts.
As usual, the best comments and questions will be read on the show. Here’s the prompt:
What are your thoughts on the homelessness crisis? Should it be seen as another policy issue or an emergency human rights crisis? What questions do you have for Katie and Aaron about homelessness or bike shorts?
Homelessness: The Absurd Arena – Useful Idiots Discussion Board
I love Breakfast of Champions and I teach part of the opening every year when I talk about narrative to my freshmen English classes. I think there's a lot of emphasis on disparity but not enough discussion about actual wealth inequality. Walter Benn Michaels has often pointed this out along with Adolf Reed and others, so I'm not saying anything original. It feels like under capitalism, so many people work all the time and just barely get by and while you think that would create sympathy with people who have fallen through the cracks, often those people who work all the time are buying into narratives about those "people who don't work that get more benefits than I do." I'm not sure if anyone has ever read the immaculately titled Deer Hunting with Jesus by the late (great) Joe Bageant but that goes into these issues in a way that's both fun to read and really eye opening.
The city I live in has made it illegal to give money to "panhandlers", and if they catch the "panhandlers" they haul them off to a huge tent city close to Palm Springs near the Morongo tribal lands. I guess we're using the "out of sight" approach to solve it.
I honestly don't know what to do. I'm retired, so I'm living off a fixed income and barely getting by myself. I just don't understand this nation's hatred towards Russia and this dumping of funds and materials to another nation that honestly shouldn't even be our concern. Simply irritated with our politicians that are in love with the MIC and don't take care of our own.