Also, I've had plenty of contacts with homeless people over the years. There's a story behind each and every one of them. Just strike up a conversation with one, then judge. They are humans like you and me. If they weren't born with physical or mental disabilities, somewhere along the lines, tragedy hit. Sometimes it is by choice, but would you trade places with them? Try living like them for a day. Hell, some of you probably wouldn't survive six hours. Then ask yourself why? Why would anyone want this kind of life..................

You are aware that the majority of people who are homeless have mental or developmental issues? Or come from broken homes, had issues with drugs in the past. Having spoken to many homeless in the DTES for an undergrad project, it's kinda fucked to realize that the reason these people are homeless comes from 1 or 2 bad mis-steps that any of us could easily have made.

I highly doubt that the people sleeping in their own filth, out on the street when it's -5 out are thinking "gee, I'm so glad I chose this lifestyle... look at all of these numpties going to work when I can just sleep here and get handouts from the government".

Your mom also came to Canada at a time period where anybody making just under $20 an hour could afford a decent sized home. Both of my parents arrived in Canada in the late 80s, made roughly $17-20 an hour, and still bought a lovely duplex in East Van for $250k that is now valued at almost 1 mil. I have no doubt in my parents' work ethic, but they were also damn lucky. It would be impossible to accomplish buying ANY house making 20 bucks an hour these days....

And my point was you can't just cut people a check for nothing and expect them to better their lives.

We already know that doesn't work.
It's not a money problem. It's a people problem.
I'd be much more inclined to see that money spent on mental health facilities. You think it's responsible to hand people with mental issues and drug addictions a check?
Just because I don't think money is the answer, doesn't mean I don't have empathy.

Strong username to post content ratio

Prob a combination of life experiences and age. They have't realized most of us are a couple steps away from the same situation these people are in.

Everyone has a story.

Your parents were probably highly educated/or in a skilled field, or like you said, extremely lucky to make 17-20 and hour. $20 an hour in the 80s is like making $60 nowadays. If you Make $60 an hour, you'll have no problem buying a $2million home and paying for mortgage. My mom didn't have any education relevant to the work force here, and made $3.50 an hour as a clerk and later as a factory worker on an assembly line. I know for a fact luck was not on her side, and was cut throat dedication in the goal of providing a better future for us.

Mental disability/developmental issues is something I have sympathy for, but they should be in a care facility or a developmental center not a homeless shelter.

I know tons of people from broken homes, myself included, that are doing very well. In fact 80% of the people I know from broken homes are doing much better than my friends from a loving and caring home. Their childhood pain drove them to push harder to create a better life for themselves. Broken homes is just an excuse for being weak and pushing responsibility and failure onto the previous generation instead of accepting reality and taking responsibility for your own future. MJ came from a pretty fucked up family, Elon Musk, JayZ, Eminem, all pretty fucked up backgrounds. Were they homeless?

Call me cold-hearted but having a drug problem is their own fault. If they had the power to buy drugs and become addicts, then they have the power to get off it. If not, then too bad, only you are responsible for what you put in your body. If I was stupid enough to be an addict and can't get out, I'd rather kill myself than be a burden to my family and society having everyone else pay for my poor choices.

I'm sorry but I believe your future is in your own hands regardless of your past. If you're mid thirties and homeless/broke, that's your own fault and no one else's. You'd better get your shit together or just die on the street. I'm going to do the best I can to provide the best education and surroundings as I can as a parent to my kid, but if he decides to throw it all in the trash and fuck up his own life with poor choices. That's his own fault and I don't expect society to give him a handout.

From my many interactions with homeless (through a couple of jobs I had years ago), I learned how many of them, despite their circumstances, want to live. They may not have the abilities to hold a job due to their physical or mental ailments but they want to keep going and experience life in their own way. It would be unconstitutional, unethical and immoral to deny them of their rights as a citizen. Nobody asks to be born into the body they inhabit or to deal with the hand that continually slaps them (unless karma exists) but those at the bottom of society's totem pole still reach for life day-to-day despite everyone's preconceptions about them.

Contrast that with many younger people who live very comfortable lives who don't want to live due to depression. People obsessed with the electronic lifestyle, tapping into 'other worlds' so to speak and thus feeling unhappy about themselves. They grew up privileged and slowly throw it all away because once mental illness manifests, it spreads viciously.

Of course there are exceptions in either case but it's something I found fascinating as I watch technology move so fast and absorb everyone into it.

A lot of the jobs our labourer parents took on during those years either don't exist or took huge pay cuts. With housing on a steep rise, it's next to impossible to afford anything. Hell, I wonder how many graduates in a popular discipline such as IT or Finance live in the red due to debts and not-so-exciting wages? Also there are people out there who work FT and live in their cars / shelters. Completely normal people who just can't find a place due to their wages and the market pricing for purchasing / rentals. As stated, they aren't going to be here discussing it. They're too busy working and trying to achieve their goals.

How the fuck did a "guy kicking a librarian" viral video turn into a philosophical debate on the merits of a welfare society? Only on Revscene :confused:

^
What, do you think we keep coming back for tegra girl?

:fullofwin:

People coming from "regular families" -- with 2 loving and caring parents, grandparents, etc. -- they tend to have this thing called "compassion" which you seem to lack.

For all your success, I recommend you to look into how you might accquire some of this "compassion" stuff. FailFish

*puts popcorn down* soooo has the chinese crazy man been caught yet? :)

I only came once and I was drunk, okay?

:okay:

My compassion is reserved for hard working and contributing members of society when they have difficulties. It is not for people that drive themselves to the streets due to deferral of blame or laziness asking for handouts. If you are even slightly hard working, you won't be homeless.

I have no problems helping out "homeless" citizens that dig through trash for bottles to return, they're at least making an effort to make a living. But if you sit on the corner with a sign asking for change, fuck off.

Just last night I saw a young woman who appears to be homeless with a backpack probably in her 20's walking up to my car at the light with a sign saying "traveling with no money, any amount helps". If you have no money, why the fuck are you traveling and not working. I haven't taken a vacation in 4 years, my mom hasn't had one in forever, because we're hustling trying to make a living to provide for our families.

So no I don't have compassion for people who don't make an effort to contribute to society.

One of the stumbling blocks with the homeless is, they don't have a fixed address. Without an address, they are at a disadvantage from the get go.

For some of them, the hand outs they get from the government is like a crutch. It's human nature, I suppose. Indigenous people suffer from this, as well. No self esteem and stuck in a rut. Add to that substance abuse and generations of hopelessness. It's easy for people who are successful in life to not comprehend any of this.

Another story........... a good friend of mine, who is very successful, actually the entire family is blessed, has a sister-in-law who chooses to be a bag lady. She is very intelligent and has what it takes to survive the elements. The family is worried about her all the time. She refuses any kind of help from the family and loves the lifestyle. Is she mentally ill? Not likely. Some people enjoy being who and what they are. I've never met her, but I bet she has three lifetimes worth of interesting stories. I would say she has lived life to its fullest.

In this dog eat dog society, I understand why people do and say certain things.......... no compassion. I grew up disadvantaged and know what poverty is like. Like Scarlet O'Hara, I swore my family will never starve like I did.

My family and I did what was necessary to claw our way out of that life. Now that I have and live a comfortable life, anything I have that I can spare, I give back. I don't believe in greed. I retired as soon as I qualified. I was asked why I did that. First, I have a decent pension and the house is paid off. Me retiring gave some young person a job position. Why would I deny a young person from getting a much needed job? I've done my stint.

I've said this in another thread ages ago on RS, I find that people who don't have much give back more than those who make and keep making money. People born into a comfortable life have no idea what it's like to starve. Not knowing where the next meal is going to come from.

Some may say, how about someone like Jim Pattison, who is very rich. He gives and keeps giving to organizations. Well, he didn't come from a great background. He, I have respect for.

Anyway, this post is waaaaaay longer than it needs to.

Honestly people, be thankful that you live a decent life. Don't take it for granted and help those who are less fortunate.

To those who were born filthy rich and continue to want more and more, I feel so sorry for you.

god bless..........



EDIT: I also want to say, I'm not judging anyone. I really don't care what your feelings are on homelessness and shit. I really don't. Just hoping people would make an effort to try and understand.

$60 an hour can't afford a $2 million dollar home. Unless you meant being paid $60/hr + OT at 60 - 100 hours a week. Otherwise your mortgage at current rates would be like $8k a month for 25 years with a $400k downpayment. While only taking home like $7,400 after tax a month if you only work 40 hours a week at $60/hr lol. Include Property tax of like $7-8k + Utilities + Car + Groceries. That would be like another $2k a month.

Idk what fairytale world you live in where you think $60/hour is good enough money to afford a 2 million dollar home. But to be fair you probably feel this way because you already have a home because of your parents.

I think he meant 60x2 as in both parents working.

The kind of jobs left for a 25-45 year old without a University degree are very low pay. If they live near town, with the $1000 they take away a month, $500-600 of that is going to go for rent.
Then there are daily work and home food costs that will be expensive. Leaves around $100-200. Thats like $2000 a year.

Living far away from downtown and the rent might be $300-400 but then youre commuting to buy food and theres nothing to do but work in life. That still gives you a savings of ~$3000 a year... if you save.

Waste a decade of ones life to save 20-30k? With eating garbage food and constant work, that is going to catch-up to health problems and an early death. As mentioned in the budget thread, better to pop out a kid at a young age and keep to welfare as much as you can... this way when youre old ones kid might look after you rather then be a cripple and in a factory nurse home waiting to die.

I feel the same... Their whole lives they're told not to do drugs, stay away from drugs, etc... They didn't listen, they're hooked on crack and they want everyone else to bail them out.

Same applies to fat people... Don't eat so much Jimmy, go out and play Jimmy, stop playing video games Jimmy... Jimmy didn't listen and is now 30, weighs 400 pounds, has a heart attack and want us to bail him out..

Sure, everyone makes mistakes but it takes a whole series of mistakes to get to the point where you're homeless. You don't just do crack one day and poof, you're homeless. There is plenty of time to get your life back on track... but they don't...

Meh. Either that or backpacks

Drug addiction, alcoholism is a weakness, not a disease.
There is no argument, unless you're a new age pussy liberal.

I was in cache creek a few weekends ago for ice racing, talking to the old lady bartender (who was the definition of haggered). She described her multiple DUI’s as a medical condition trololololo

Nope. It is a disease, and the cure is more money. Oops, I mean compassion.
I always get those two confused.

The same social responsibility that this government have for the mentally disabled is the same compassion that your mom received as a low-skilled refugee to be able to enter this country.

Now sit down.

Legend has it he's still kicking people to this day

J____ are you someone who's never worked with the vulnerable population yet gives a blanket statement from your encounters with an apparently able-bodied panhandler and a begging backpacker?

and the wage you argued against in the low 40s in today's dollar, good luck buying a Richmond home in the original topic with that.