DARE TO ASK: To ignore or to 'see' homeless

By PHILLIP MILANO, The Times-Union

Question

Why don't people view the homeless as "real" people? I was homeless by choice for years, and the rudeness I had to deal with was insane. I would try to ask the time and be told, "No, I don't have any."

Margaret M., 21, Greensboro, N.C.

Replies

I've always viewed the homeless as human beings and nothing less. But many people feel the world revolves around them or that they are better than everyone else. It hurts me to see people homeless, whether by choice or not.

Jes, 20, female, Morgantown, Pa.

Anxious to get away from possibly being accosted or verbally assaulted, most people tend to be curt out of fear.

Frank, 56, Fort Lauderdale

Ninety-nine times out of 100, when a homeless person approaches me, it's to beg for money. They usually smell bad and may be dirty. They also have higher rates of such diseases as tuberculosis. They are more likely to be mentally ill. Having worked in a homeless shelter, I've learned the majority are able-bodied and have chosen a life of substance abuse over self-reliance. Most are out to manipulate the system to get everything they can without being responsible. People realize this and resent them. We're trying to have a society here!

Rick, Springfield, Ohio

Imagine what this world would be like if everyone treated others with love and respect, regardless of their fortunes or misfortunes, cultural differences and beliefs.

Pam, Greenville, Miss.

Expert says

Most people who fear the homeless are harboring a stereotype and should get to know them, says Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. Besides, giving a homeless person a buck won't upset the fragile socioeconomic balance of our culture.

"Giving directly to the homeless keeps us in touch with the fact that not everyone is doing well," he said. "We're not talking about giving a couple hundred dollars to someone who's going to go buy a 40-ouncer. How can you get yourself in trouble with a dollar?"

Still, the most common public reaction is to ignore the homeless, Stoops said.

"When someone walks by and doesn't acknowledge your existence, it's a form of existential blindness. The person knows that could be them, but ignoring a person and making judgments makes them feel superior."

Americans don't brush off homelessness in general, however. A recent Associated Press poll found 90 percent consider it a serious problem. And 56 percent said in the long term it's brought on by circumstances beyond a person's control.

But harassment and even killings of the homeless do occur. They are one of the last groups with whom abuse is fair game, Stoops noted. He pointed to the Bumfights video series, in which the homeless are filmed and paid to hurt themselves, and "Bumvertising," which pays Seattle street people to hold placards touting a poker Web site, as examples of recent exploitation.

Phillip Milano, author of I Can't Believe You Asked That! (Perigee), moderates cross-cultural dialogue at Y? The National Forum on People's Differences. Visit www.yforum.com to submit questions, answers and comments, or mail to Phillip Milano, c/o The Florida Times-Union, P.O. Box 1949, Jacksonville, FL 32231. Include contact information.