Opinion
Homeless need to find their bootstraps and pull up
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Also by Ben Patterson:
- Liberal arts must not be forgotten in deficit shuffle (February 12, 2009)
- Large apartments threaten Langdon (January 30, 2009)
- Why college debt hurts generation (December 5, 2008)
- Local solutions for energy crucial (November 21, 2008)
- GOP needs to reinvent itself to survive (November 3, 2008)
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"Spare change?" How many times a day do those words catch your ear as you walk to class, eat lunch or even buy your new stick of deodorant? Madison's homeless have turned us all into one of Pavlov's dogs. The jingle of change in a plastic cup sparks a guilt trip almost immediately.
Unfortunately for all, that is exactly what Madison's homeless are aiming for. Being homeless is not a light issue, however. Many people fall into a homeless life for an array of reasons, many of whom have no desire to continue to live that life. Notice how I use the word "many" though.
We have a unique homeless population in Madison. The same homeless are in the same places every day all day. In essence, we have a "professional homeless" population. Attempting to gain job skills seems to have been reduced to fighting over the legal peddling spots on State Street. Chances are that on your walk to class today you may have walked past one of the homeless "regulars."
In the three years I have lived here, the same homeless have been in the same spots, hoping to get a buck the easy way — standing there with an outstretched hand, trying to look desperate.
The sad thing is I always question whether or not these people are truly homeless, have really hit rock bottom or are just lazy. For example, two weeks ago, I was walking by one of the homeless stakeouts near the Subway on State Street when a gentleman wearing an array of gold rings, a gold watch and some stylish sunglasses was charging his cell phone while looking me in the eye and asking if I could help the homeless. I laughed at him.
How gullible have we become as a society to believe that these people have no other option other than to stand and beg all day? The same homeless are out on the street every day because they know we are suckers for a guilt trip. Every time you drop that quarter into one of their cups, their incentive rises to keep standing. Because we give into Madison's homeless, they will continue to beg, annoy and accost.
What many homeless seem to not comprehend is that there are other options to panhandling all day. Begging for change will never get them out of being homeless. Instead of waiting on a corner for the next person to drop some change in a cup, they should try to gain some sort of job skills any way possible.
Porchlight Inc. offers Madison's homeless an opportunity to obtain employment services, counseling and many other opportunities to get a leg up and hopefully contribute to society rather than to drain it. It's a matter of actually taking advantage of the opportunities that are offered. Many have become comfortable doing nothing but begging because they know the people of Madison will fill those cups. They have no incentive to change. Essentially, it's our own fault.
While many may argue the homeless programs are underfunded and space is at a minimum, there are reasons why Madison's homeless are in fact homeless. Poor decision-making and a history of drug and alcohol addiction often lead to one's homelessness, in addition to other reasons. But when does it become the duty of society to shoulder the mistakes the homeless have made?
Change can happen. It is a matter of the homeless population becoming frustrated that its old ways of surviving on the backs of hardworking people will no longer work. A need to find steady work for survival must become its primary goal. So, next time you think about dropping that spare change into the cup of a homeless person, consider whether you are actually doing him or her, or society, any good.
Ben Patterson (bpatterson@wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in political science.
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After reading this online exclusive, the homeless community will undoubtedly have some real soul-searching to do. Well done! - Germain Q. Stemme
Hitler would have just killed them, like Giuliani. 9/11
Wow, you are a narrow, naieve kid. Did you write this from Brookfield? An expert in in the issues of poverty and mental illness/addicition from that tower above. OK, don’t give them any money, I agree, but to sit there and judge others’ lives/values when you have no clue given your likely idyllic upbringing….brass ones on you for sure. The world bites everyone in the ass, kid, I hope you know this.
I’m sick and tired of panhandlers harassing me to and from classes. For them to try to intimidate young students into giving them money is appalling. They are grown men! I’m also tired of liberals harassing me for refusing to give them money. F%*$ off!
Instead of catching a bus on State Street, I have to walk all the way over to University Avenue to avoid them. It shouldn’t have to be that way. God damn all you liberals! You think that bullying people will help solve every problem. I hate the homeless. I wish they’d die. Who’s responsible for my hatred of homeless people? You liberals are. Go to hell and take them with you.
Hmm. Have you ever actually talked to a homeless person? Through regulating and driving up the cost of everything (food, especially housing, etc.), government actually does a lot to keep them down. Not to mention all the energy they have to spend dodging vagrancy tickets they can’t afford… and paying them when they fail to avoid them. How many quarters does that take? I’m not saying they shouldn’t try, but there are lots of people who are and you barely acknowledged it at all, just to get it out of the way so you could ignorantly bash them. For example, did you know that Scanner Dan isn’t homeless, just crazy? He lives in the apartment building next to the Market Basket on East Mifflin St.
Yeah, they eat garbage because they’re just too lazy to get a job. That must be it. And it helps me sleep at night!
Respect the troops until they get home. Then let them live in the streets. What a country!
We need to pay attention to the homeless, but neither should we coddle them .
Ben, you are to relinquish your father’s credit card immediately so that you may have retroactive credibility in authoring this on-line exclusive.
—Signed, the poor, aka, most people on this planet
If I was homeless, I’d live in a warmer climate.
No one seems to understand that there is a difference between helping and handouts. Madison’s homeless want handout, they don’t want help.
“Yeah, they eat garbage because they’re just too lazy to get a job.”
Maybe they are just Freegans and choose to live as they do?
9:30: “I’m sick and tired of panhandlers harassing me to and from classes.”
Harassing you? By talking to you? What kind of world do we live in where you can get pissed about someone asking you a question in a public place? If you think someone going, “Spare change for some food tonight?” is harassment, I’m sorry: you’re too soft to live.
“For them to try to intimidate young students into giving them money is appalling.”
Again, asking is not intimidation.
“They are grown men!”
The definition of adulthood is variable and people have drastically different mental capacities even in adulthood. Plus, many homeless people are mentally ill (and many are women, thank you) so you’re betraying your narrow-mindedness to everyone, if you were in fact trying to hide it.
“I’m also tired of liberals harassing me for refusing to give them money. F%*$ off!”
When has this ever happened? Seriously, tell the story and don’t lie. Again, what’s your definition of harassment? Vocally disagreeing with you?
“Instead of catching a bus on State Street, I have to walk all the way over to University Avenue to avoid them.”
Um, you could walk ‘all the way’ over to the other side of the street for the portion of State around the ‘hobo park,’ if that’s what you’re talking about. Or you could just stop being a wimp. You could even lie: try this one: “Man, all I got is a debit card.”
“It shouldn’t have to be that way.”
Yup, the world should revolve around you. God forbid we inconvenience you of all people!
“God damn all you liberals!”
What do you even mean by ‘liberals?’ Such antiquated labels are now no more than pathetic polarizing political rhetoric. Plus, I’m sure many ‘conservatives’ would appreciate it if you wouldn’t use the Lord’s name in vain. ; )
“You think that bullying people will help solve every problem.”
Where do you even get this? If I’m right in thinking that by ‘liberal,’ you mean ‘Democrat,’ this doesn’t make any sense. The warhawks/bullies are mostly on the Republican side.
“I hate the homeless. I wish they’d die.”
Have you thought about seeing someone for your anger problems? Thoughts like this are bad for both your mental and physical health. I mean, do you like indiscriminately hating a group of people?
“Who’s responsible for my hatred of homeless people?”
You are. Take responsibility for your own thoughts, opinions, and actions.
“You liberals are. Go to hell and take them with you.”
How can anyone force you to think something? Oh, and by the way, lots of so-called ‘liberals’ are against giving cash to the homeless. Ignorance + stubbornness + opinionatedness = making yourself look like an ass with no credibility.
“For them to try to intimidate young students into giving them money is appalling… Instead of catching a bus on State Street, I have to walk all the way over to University Avenue to avoid them.”
1) Stop being such a whiny little twit and show some guts. If you don’t want to give them any money, don’t. You can only be intimidated into giving them your money if you’re a gutless idiot.
2) As for having to walk a whole extra block, my nose drips for you. I’ll play a special dirge for you on my very tiny violin.
“Plus, I’m sure many ‘conservatives’ would appreciate it if you wouldn’t use the Lord’s name in vain.”
It’s funny that we think God’s name is “God.” Ask a Jew if you don’t know it… actually, they’re not allowed to say it or write it completely, so you might never know.
Just say no. The reason they stay is that they get money. Give no money and they will go away.
If you don’t want people to hang around asking for money, then don’t give them any money when they ask - it’s just that simple.
Anyone who really wants help can get it.
C’mon, folks, 9:30am is part of a large consensus. Panhandlers get mad, cuss you out, call you every name in the book, sometimes spit or take a swing at you. That’s asking a lot for someone to have to put up with that kind of abuse. Remember, a large percentage of these panhandlers have serious psychiatric issues. They think nothing of beating up on someone, even if a police officer is standing nearby. They just don’t care about the consequences of their actions. Say no to one of these lunatics and you could end up in the emergency room.
And 9:30am is right. No one owes these people anything. There are homeless services in town they can go to for help. In the meantime, lighten up. Not everyone out there is out to get the homeless, but not everyone cares to have their safety jeopardized by someone who’s too deranged to know what they’re doing.
They want handouts. Not help. I have had homeless people literally walk into the restaurant I am inside of and demand the food I am eating as well as the money in my pockets. That is harassment. Get a job.
My heart stopped bleeding for the State Street homeless aka panhandlers after I saw the same faces asking the same tired question day in and day out. One could say I suffered from “donor exhaustion”.
The regulars know they can hustle the college student because a student would rather grab the lose change in their pockets than look like sheltered spoiled brats or lose face to someone one with a more-liberal-than-thou attitude. I agree with Patterson’s suggestion students need to be a part of the solution to the rampant panhandling in Madison.
And to the posters pulling the “Brookfield” and “Daddy’s Credit Card”, was that the best you two could do? Way to attack the writer and not the idea…You should have left the rich kid hate at home.
@1:57,
I was attacking the writer. Thanks for acknowledging that.
Judging from the Colbert-escence of the title, I at first thought this was supposed to be satire. But because satire is supposed to be funny and the article was not, it’s unclear if he genuinely feels that way or was taking a jab at “heartless” conservatives.
You liberals need to chill out. This is the real world and you can’t save every polar bear in ANWAR or give every homeless man a pretty little house with a white picket fence. The article is well written and accurate. The city needs to continue providing some options to homeless to get education, as the article states, but those that do not take advantage of the opportunity should be swept out of the city.
We don’t need Bills that let them pee all over the place or sleep wherever they want. Those we can’t help need to move to the next city, mot panhandle on State and cause safety issues.