this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2025
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^^^
Shit, even if I really wanted to help someone panhandling, it's not like I ever have any cash on me.
Probably as much cause as effect. Same with the substance abuse, everything in life is shit, you don't have enough to get off the street but you can afford to get high enough not to care in the moment.
Some people lick the boot. Some people vigorously apply polish with their tongue.
That last bullet point really drives home the point.
If you dump a bucket of water into another bucket from 6ft up, most of it will fall into the other bucket because of gravity. Some will splash out due to the turbulence of the water hitting the bucket.
Gravity and turbulence. We don't call those excuses for why the water winds up where it does, we call them the reasons.
Explaining why things are the way they are isn't making excuses. Panhandling doesn't net you nearly enough to pay for all your basic needs. Shelters often have several issues that make them worse than the streets themselves. Section 8 requires documentation that the homeless often don't have, meetings they can't often get to, and wait lists years long.
Of course that's not always the case, there are people that earn a decent living from begging. There are shelters that are safe and well run. There are areas where Section 8 housing is readily available and easy to apply for. But those are the exceptions. You're focusing on the water that splashed out of the bucket and saying gravity must just be an excuse, because clearly some water made it out.
Also, you are stuck in the 90's and don't have the first clue what homelessness is today. 40-60% of homeless people today have jobs. Let me repeat that with some emphasis:
40-60% OF HOMELESS PEOPLE TODAY HAVE JOBS.
Cost of living has gone up so much that, even with a job, you can find yourself on the street. In the US, there is no longer even a single county where the income from working a full-time, minimum-wage job is more than the monthly cost for a one-bedroom apartment.
If you think the issue of homelessness lies with individuals not working hard enough, rather than a society where working full-time no longer guarantees you housing; well buddy, your morals are utterly fucked.
Reported. Thanks :)
Oooh, so scary. Look out, we got a real badass over here.
You're also making excuses for your lack of empathy. I hope you never find yourself in the position of needing empathy and the only person available is someone like you.
Lol
Keep telling yourself that.