Tuesday 15 April 2014

Homeless on Queen St.


Homeless human beings vs. homeless nuisances

It is hard to ignore the human beings sitting, lying, slouching and even sleeping on the pavements of Queen Street, Central Auckland. Passers-by, university students, business people avoid eye contact with the homeless. Ignore their outstretched arms, a shaking cup, a cardboard sign pleading for "spare change". The idea of helping someone is an innate behaviour, especially someone who looks bedraggled and ill-fed. But why do we often find ourselves hesitating to help these people. This illustrates the concept of the human rights approach; the idea that these people are human beings, homeless human beings who are in need of help.
Although some would argue that there's no denying the uncomfortable feeling of having to walk past the beggars, the feeling of obligation niggling at your conscience. To feel a sense of uncomfortable obligation is what we as the general public should not be subjected to. But what makes it worse is the feeling of being intimidated by these homeless beggars. Having to walk on the opposite side of the pavement, or avoid your usual store at the expense of their advances. The homeless are causing people to feel the unwanted feeling of being intimidated and even providing for strangers. This brings to light the concept of the public sensitivty approach; the idea that the general public should not be financially responsible or be intimidated by the homeless. 

(Banner image: google images)

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6 comments:

  1. Anonymous6 May 2014 at 19:12

    Hey Etena, this is James (iWrite tutor),

    I like where you're going with this. It's a great introduction, good use of convincing language, and it's obvious where you're going from the get-go. An introduction that says "You're a shitty human being, read on to see what you can do about that" can be pretty effective ;)

    Pinterest page looks like it has some great links on there. You'll probably need to find some evidence of people who are not interested in helping out, of which there is probably a few outspoken bastards that fit the description you'll come across in your research. Because your topic is specifically Auckland based, you won't have the abundance of resources available to some of your classmates. You may need to rely on case-studies from other countries who have had success' in addressing homelessness. Also, I remember reading some stuff last year about the Labour party working on "ending homelessness by 2020" you could follow that up?

    Because you are using such persuasive language so far, it will be obvious what your standpoint is, but remember that you are arguing for one side of the coin, so don't forget to include an argument for "WHY" we should help them rather than just "HOW".

    I'll keep an eye out, but let me know if you have questions. Good work so far!

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    1. Unknown6 May 2014 at 21:37

      Thanks James! I really appreciate your feedback and have found it so helpful, especially with the Labour party issue. Also, it's given me a good indicator as to where I am now, and what I can do more to develop my blog.


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  2. Anonymous13 May 2014 at 18:06

    Hi there,
    I agree, looking good so far, and good links on your next post. Also, you may need to address counter-arguments to this, in order to make your own argument stronger.

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    1. Unknown20 May 2014 at 21:14

      Thanks for the feedback, appreciate it!

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  3. Anonymous19 May 2014 at 16:52

    You have made some great points in your argument! It is hard though to determine whether the homeless are genuinely homeless. I've walked up and down Queenstreet and im many people have and you see homeless people holding a cup in the air for people to give them money, and its hard to keep walking and not stop. However I sometimes think that people who put themselves out there as being 'homeless' are actually using this as a way of getting money easier, they take it for an advantage. Its hard to tell though but I think the more people who give them what they want, its just going to encourage more and more people to do this because its easier. There are definitely a lot of arguments for this issue and debates on how to help the homeless by giving them a better life, but how do we this? is it a choice they are making or do they have no choice at all..

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    1. Unknown20 May 2014 at 21:19

      Hey aulltimbers. I understand the point you are trying to get across. I hear you. I just want to let you know that the prevalent reason for homelessness is housing deprivation. These people are being denied proper living and are being told by government organisations such as Housing New Zealand to reside in caravan parks only to find that once the winter season is over, they are being forced to move again to make way for the seasonal summer campers. I personally believe that the homeless are not homeless because they want to be, you can see that in this One News article: http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/homelessness-not-choice-lifewise-5488715
      So in answer to your final point, I personally believe that the reason these people are homeless is because they do not have a choice. And what this ultimately boils down to is social, economic and political factors that influence an individuals way of life.

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