A new B.C.-based study undercuts the persistent stereotype that homeless people can't be trusted with cash, according to the lead researcher who says it also highlights a different way to respond to the crisis.
I absolutely agree. But I do think it’s interesting how there’s almost never any discussion of drug use and alcoholism among housed people, as though that’s not a social problem in itself. And imagine how much more severe the consequences are of people going to work fucked up, driving their cars, selling drugs in their dorms and getting kicked out of college, raising a family while trashed on xanax, and so on.
But when this happens, it’s an even more individualized matter than it is with homeless people. When we look at homeless folks, we individualize the blame and socialize the consequences (it’s the homeless person’s fault they’re homeless, but that’s fucking up our city etc). Somehow, we never consider the social repercussions of housed people with addictions, especially if they have an addiction to alcohol. Alcoholism can get pretty far in an “average” person’s life before anyone really steps in and sees it as a serious problem. Same with prescribed drugs, because they have some psychiatrists signature on them. Millions of people drink when they get home from work. But if we see a homebum with a 40, we first make a snap diagnosis, then widen our judgement to everyone whose ever been evicted or had to sleep in their car.
All I’m saying is that half the problem is ingrained social stigma, when they’re really not much different from the rest of us.
As a housed person, I’ve also spend roughly the same amount on alcohol and other drugs pretty consistently since the age of 25, regardless of changes in my income level.
Same for almost everyone else I know, whether above or below dependency levels.
Yep. That’s pretty much the result of otherization. “Well, this group significantly different from ourselves and their issues must be thought of as a social problem”, “but that has pretty much nothing to do with my neighbour though, he’s just got a little drinking problem”.
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I absolutely agree. But I do think it’s interesting how there’s almost never any discussion of drug use and alcoholism among housed people, as though that’s not a social problem in itself. And imagine how much more severe the consequences are of people going to work fucked up, driving their cars, selling drugs in their dorms and getting kicked out of college, raising a family while trashed on xanax, and so on.
But when this happens, it’s an even more individualized matter than it is with homeless people. When we look at homeless folks, we individualize the blame and socialize the consequences (it’s the homeless person’s fault they’re homeless, but that’s fucking up our city etc). Somehow, we never consider the social repercussions of housed people with addictions, especially if they have an addiction to alcohol. Alcoholism can get pretty far in an “average” person’s life before anyone really steps in and sees it as a serious problem. Same with prescribed drugs, because they have some psychiatrists signature on them. Millions of people drink when they get home from work. But if we see a homebum with a 40, we first make a snap diagnosis, then widen our judgement to everyone whose ever been evicted or had to sleep in their car.
All I’m saying is that half the problem is ingrained social stigma, when they’re really not much different from the rest of us.
As a housed person, I’ve also spend roughly the same amount on alcohol and other drugs pretty consistently since the age of 25, regardless of changes in my income level.
Same for almost everyone else I know, whether above or below dependency levels.
Yep. That’s pretty much the result of otherization. “Well, this group significantly different from ourselves and their issues must be thought of as a social problem”, “but that has pretty much nothing to do with my neighbour though, he’s just got a little drinking problem”.