Re: BAN-THE-BUM MERCHANTS Oppose Homeless Aid: San Pedro, CA FWD
P. Myers (mpwr@u.washington.edu)
Mon, 20 Jul 1998 17:28:04 -0700 (PDT)
So many thoughts went through my mind as I read this article. It
perfectly exemplifies the process by which "caring" language is co-opted
and used to further stereotypical thinking--and to infuse, maintain and
increase fear of anyone perceived as different.
But it also illuminates the failure...abysmal!... of those who *really
wish to begin and support social change...*our failure to respond quickly
and effectively to this sort of "play the fear" "reasoning." We so need
a rapid response team, to counter this sort of thinking, and offer more
useful, accurate information about ourselves, as homeless and especially
as previously homeless (since that latter group has more energy and
resources to devote to the effort...as well as, sadly, for the moment,
more public perception of validity).
There are several groups here in a damnable relationship: the "caring"
folks of CARES, and business people in San Pedro (and most business
districts, I suppose), and their customers. And it is, in my opinion, the
interaction between these three groups that needs to be challenged and
reconstructed, with better information. Hopefully that can lead to
changed behavior in the latter two groups. I do not think we can
reasonably expect to change with reason the mindset of the first group
mentioned.
Of the three, the worst and most intractible are the CARES folks, as they
seem to be offering themselves as self-defined professionals; educated and
informed w re to what "homeless and poor are and need." Their minds are
not going to change, as their *identity is invested in a twisted concept
of tough "love," and how that toughness is all that is needed to give poor
and homeless incentive (love that word!) to just pull themselves up and
"get with the program." Unfortunately, they use both fear of poor and
homeless, and stereotyped thinking about same to continue to spew their
messages of hate and build borders between them and "us."
Business owners, though, might be brought to a different mindset, if they
understood that many of their customers would value them, and would shop
with loyalty, were these businesspeople more tolerant and supportive of
poor and homeless.
Why is it so hard to access the good in people and help them understand
how to express that?
Wouldn't it be great to see a sign in a merchant's window: "Homeless
Welcome to use Our Facilities!" or "All are Welcome on Our Benches" or
just little signs, inside, reminding folks that "Homeless are People,
too"... might begin conversations that create... ripples of *real caring.
I've heard my daughters, who have never been homeless, but have heard
about when their mother was, talk to people, in offices, hospitals, any
casual meeting, when fear of homeless was expressed, and leave the fearful
with alternative thoughts to ponder. Of course, this will never be good
enough, because, as Anitra's two stories (remember? the babies and the
starfish?) remind us, there are immediate needs that are not being met;
immediate housing crises that make the above seem irrelevant and
simplistic. But speaking consistantly to the fear, and perhaps, with
time, to the guilt that people feel, is *one way to begin to change minds.
My $.02 of long-run remediation of public stereotypes/fears, demands that
we address, with as much caring as we can muster, for as long as we
believe that posture to be working (because modelling tolerance and
patience and caring confronts and contradicts the fear-mongers'
viewpoints, and because non-abusive behavior is what will prevent
alienation of folks we want on our side)...to address the anxieties folks
have: about homeless and poor themselves, as well as fears generated
by the scarcity-type thinking that seems to be so easy to trigger.
We need to speak to those fears; interrogate them for validity; and find
them wanting...then support alternative ways for the public to support and
think about those with less than they. We need to help effect a change in
reinforcers, and try to do that in a way that modells the same behavior we
want to teach.
Pretty hard to do, when you'd rather rip off their heads and spit down
their necks...but we've gotta try to give what we want to get, I guess.
Pat Myers