You know their answer will be that the homeless just need to work harder.
And "stop doing drugs" as if homeless people are the only drug users and the rich never use them.
I've started getting angry when people declare that they refuse to give money to people begging because they'll just use it on drugs. More because of how frequently it comes up.
They aren't obliged to help anyone but just assuming every homeless person is a drug addict is so condescending.
And even if they were they are still a person and the money they beg for will is some part contribute to feeding them. You can't subsist off of drugs.
I see the same people burn money on the dumbest shit but act like giving money to homeless people is a sin against God.
If a homeless person is going to use that money for drugs or alcohol, good. I would too if I was homeless and needed to forget it for a little while.
I don’t give money to homeless people anymore.
I used to work near a shelter and I’d get chased and harassed for money, I got threatened and yelled at regularly, and I got mugged once. Now being around the homeless makes me incredibly uneasy.
I donate to food banks and the shelters, but no way am I ever giving some unaccountable homeless person cash. If they want my help they can go through the proper channels, I know many won’t, but I don’t have the tools to find or help those people.
And you're not obliged to. There's nothing immoral about not going out of your way to help people especially at risk to yourself.
While they are people and should be treated with dignity and not like animals, they are still people and like any stranger can be dangerous and unpredictable, especially in desperation.
Not to mention at least near where I live about a third of the homeless are mentally ill due to the state's incapacity to care for such people.
It's similar where I live.
I feel bad mainly supporting the shelters because there are a lot of stories about people who go in and get robbed or assaulted and they avoid them after. They tend to build camps which get perennially torn down by the city/cops. I wish there was a better way to help those people.
The only reason not to give food, clothing, or cash is because I’m already late for work or I have nothing to spare right now. I try to find something even if it’s just a smoke or something.
Are you posting these links in reply to me because you think I am suggesting the homeless need to work harder?
No just resources, if you had that conversation with a coworker.
Thanks, sorry for the misinterpretation!
All good!
Luckily they unionized..
"Libertarian" always seems like a misnomer. Libertarians only want people like themselves to experience liberty. They aim to do nothing to address inequities like social and systemic discrimination against LGBT+ people, BIPOC, women, and others. They aim to do nothing to address poverty. It's social darwinism at its ugliest. This is why they are practically indistinguishable from conservatives here in the US -- the way they arrive may look different, but the outcomes are the same. At best, they are wearing blinders. At worst, they actively support the power structures and systems that result in things like poverty and abuse.
People who legitimately do seek liberty should instead be looking to things like anarchism, which is interested in addressing the root causes of all of these problems, such as hierarchies and the state.
"Libertarian" used to be a synonym for left-wing anarchism until Murray Rothbard purposefully co-opted the term and even bragged about it.
Yep it's just a propaganda campaign.
Fellow left-wing anarchists: should we just give up on trying to reclaim this word? What do you call yourself among people who don't know the context?
In Europe it's way more ambiguous. Also: you can simply specify "left-wing", or "right-wing" libertarian.
I usually just say "anarchist", though ;)
People who legitimately do seek liberty should instead be looking to things like anarchism
Interestingly, 'libertarian' was originally a euphemism for 'anarchist', until it was co-opted by the right
You can't fully experience liberty unless everyone is free
I've had this conversation, he thought everything would be fine if we eliminated zoning laws.
Hell yeah, now Industry can have its workers live next to them, no more commutes! They'll be so healthy :) /s
Seriously though, being able to work somewhere that's within walking distance, so it's possible to have a job without also needing a car or spending hours taking the bus, is a great advantage for the person as well
I agree which is why I think remote work is the way to go for jobs that it can work for.
However, I think that guy was talking about industry pollution messing up the environment around. But I think that's a separate issue entirely and needs to be handled by another set of laws.
I mean, wasn't the elimination (or extreme relaxation by American standards) of zoning laws one of the ways Tokyo has been able to afford to house so many people at such affordable rates?
Not saying we need kindergartens between the sewage recycling plant and the land fill, but being able to build housing over shopping centers would be nice.
Their actual answer is volunteer donations.
And considering how many libertarians think that poverty is essentially due to personal choice, we can all imagine how many of them are willing to voluntarily donate money to helping the poor.
We just need more Billionaires and they will solve the problem since they ara morally superior and know whats best!!! /s
Easy: Let them starve and the invisible hand will take care of their bodies
Something, something, invisible hand of the free market and Social Darwinism. Dead people can't be in poverty, right? Problem solved!
I like this meme, and praise Dale raise hell, but I really like Jeff Gordon :/
if there's enough people who can't afford a home, there will suddenly be a lot more homes on the housing market - thought that one was obvious... /s
Raise Hell, Praise Dale!
Charity.
