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What would you do if a scraggly homeless person knocked on your door, and all he asked was for a sandwich, a bottle of water, a bath, and perhaps a beard trim? (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 months ago by over_clox@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

151 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I've actually skipped work just to help a homeless guy get his beard trimmed. Bought him pizza too. Kinda hard to get anywhere in life when you look like shit.

Be kind to the homeless, they just need a helping hand here and there.

What would you do?

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[–] wuphysics87@lemmy.ml 11 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Several years ago, my mom started making care for folks out on the street. Some water, a bag of chips, a piece of candy. Little things like that. I started doing the same thing. It's good to help those down on their luck in small ways. Even to to look at them and say "no, I'm sorry" when they ask for money, rather than to just ignore them. You are acknowledging them as a person. If we wish to make a better society, actions speak louder than words.

I also prefer the term 'de-housed' to 'homeless'. I feel the latter places blame on them rather than the former which places blame on the society which has failed them.

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 9 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I remember a skit by the late George Carlin where he suggested that instead of calling them homeless, that we should call them houseless instead, so yeah I get what you mean there.

[–] wuphysics87@lemmy.ml 5 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Plow the golf courses and cemeteries! Give these folks a place to live!

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

Ah, I see you're a fan of the late George Carlin as well.. 👍

[–] CorruptedArk@lemm.ee 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

This is the first time I'm hearing plow cemeteries, and I'm not sure I'm on board with that. People usually spend time there to deal with grief and losing a little bit more of a dead loved one would be incredibly painful for a lot of folks

Fuck golf courses though

[–] wuphysics87@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

It's a joke from George Carlin. I wouldn't advocate for plowing old ones (although dead stuff makes fertile soil). Personally, I wouldn't make new ones, but perhaps a middle ground is to make mausoleums wbere people can be burried vertically.

[–] CorruptedArk@lemm.ee 1 points 4 months ago

Fair, never heard that one, but I can agree with not making new ones

[–] 0laura@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I think homeless is more fitting. at least to me, it's a more emotional/painful word, which is a good thing. being homeless sounds a lot shittier than being dehoused to me.

[–] wuphysics87@lemmy.ml 2 points 4 months ago

That's an interesting point, provided it motivates people to do something about it, rather than assigning a moral failing to the individual. I.e. they deserve it for their sins. In my mind, dehoused elucidates the lack of a basic human need: shelter. There is a solution, especially in the face of the greed of rent seeking.