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  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

A social experiment...

Shadow said:
Lastly every one is entitled to their opinion, and I personally, who have worked with the homeless (not boasting about my work here, merely using it as a way to show that, I hope, I know a bit about their lives) believe that you are wrong, not enough people know about this problem, and not enough people really understand how big this problem is.
Click to expand...


you might be right with not many people understand how big of a problem being homeless is, but as BREAKa suggest, I really don't think this is offering anything to the homeless community at all but rather taking away from it.
 
I think what preacha is trying to say is that you won't be "truly" homeless in the true sense of the word.... as you do have a job and earn an almost 6 figure salary. At the end of 2 weeks, you can go back to that. These people don't have that luxury.

Regarding "Trading Places" (i love that movie)... it's a movie.

The reality for homeless people is very different. They have nothing to fall back on, except for the kindness of strangers, and charity organisations. You may try to emulate this, but your reality is very different from the truly homeless.

If you choose to do this, then be safe, but don't go into it thinking that your situation is the same as the large number of people that are truly homeless. (which i don't think you will anyway :)). I also would like to applaud you for trying to begin to understand the desperation and sometimes hopelessness that someone who is homeless often feels. I don't think you will truly feel it, but you will gain some understanding.

In my previous job, i worked closely with a large number of homeless people, trying to find them accommodation, helping them get their lives back on track, generally helping out. I hope, in a way, that you don't fully understand what it's like to be truly homeless and feel everything that a homeless person feels, because i wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy. :(

I'd also like to add that I think your parents are very admirable people. The examples you gave of your parents sacrifice remind me of my own parents and the hard times we had periodically.
 
When I used to do social work in Geelong I found out that out of the core group of homeless (the ones you always saw in the Mall just hanging out), about 1/3rd of them actually had homes to go to but chose to live on the streets cause 'it was cool' or they just wanted somewhere to fit in. I guess this was about 10ish people out of 30-40.

Regarding sleeping, you will probably find a local squat to go to if you talk to any other homeless people.
 
^^^

That's interesting... and i certainly don't doubit it. Although, my mind boggles at why someone would think that being homeless is cool. :\ The people I worked with had no help whatsoever from family, no homes, etc or kids that came from abusive families. They were pretty down on their luck. I'm sure that they're are people who do have homes to go to, i was just clarifying that there is a difference between people who choose to be homeless and those that are homeless in the true sense of the word. :)
 
Like I have originally mentioned, I have no intention of taking someone's bed. I will eat food from the missions, I will accept food from strangers, I will accept money from strangers..

What I am trying to identify is the plight that homeless people suffer. I'm trying to identify and show people that people do not choose to be homeless.. That the beggers we pass on the streets are desperate. I'm trying to discover how long it will take before I become desperate. How long will it take before I loose all hope.. even though I will hopefully never have to live in those conditions.

I remember there was some experimenet that simulated a jail with inmates and guards. After a while the guards fell in to the position of guards and ended up abusing the inmates.. Again, I want to see and experience the suffering that homeless people experience everyday.

Everyday when we walk past these people and ignore them... what are they thinking.

I KNOW that I will never ever ever truly understand what these people experience but I will do my best to make the world a better place. I will do my best to understand the plight of these people... I know I may be insignificant but if I can change just one other person's perception.. have I not achieved something?

Again... I do respect all your views and I will do my best not to take the resources that the homeless so desperately need. May be i'll just donate some money to these organisations.. to try and cover for the food that I may eat.

Hopefully i'll be able to speak to some homeless people and speak to them and try and help them if I can. I know 2 weeks isn't a long time.. but I would like to tell them that some people in this world care.. and that we do feel for them.. and may be I can spread that message in to the wider community. Give these people a voice.. in the wider community.

Shadow... i'll send you a PM.. and an email.

F
 
^ honestly I think if you tell other homeless people that you come from a high-paying job and are only living on the streets to get some sort of outlook on life they'll probably not like you at all...


it'd be like a millionaire coming upto a struggling family-home-owner and saying "hah!, I can buy as many houses and have as many kids as I want and I still don't need to worry about money!"


I guess *shrugs*
 
Heya! Good luck with your experiment. I had such a marvelous idea a few years back now. I was going to do exactly the same thing you suggested.

I didn't go through with it for a number of reasons. The one thing I realised though, that my time could be better spent doing other more constructive things. Thats not to say your idea is not constructive, it could potentially be very enlightening for many. Thats just the reason I used to not do it.

Its not going to be easy, but good luck! :)
 
wow, mucho respecto bruvva

i'll be following this one ... anything that removes you from the day to day box is a good thing in my opinion!

good luck kind soul
 
Great concept friskk. Also, at the end of it, it may also help to realise that the way you lived is the way millions of people around the world live, the majority of people in some countries. I went to the Philippines about 2 months ago, and I was absolutely astounded at the poverty there. No doubt this experience will open your mind a bit more, and realise that some people have bigger worries in the world than just whether to have chicken or beef for dinner. Good luck with it man, and I hope you are safe.
 
If you just wan't to learn about what they go through just buy some maccas and go sit with some street person and give him a happy meal, give them some smokes, or have a drink with them, then you can ask them whatever you wan't, talk about anything for hours..

But if you wan't to experience it.. good luck, it should be an adventure, try to make mates with other street people and they might look out for you a bit, don't tell anyone about your experiment though.
 
I should add that it is very dangerous, so be careful mate, don't get killed. Alot of homicide occurs with the homeless that does'nt get reorted in the media
 
Well, I have applied for holidays between Jan 3 - 14th so i'm tentatively going to set that as the date for my experiment.

I appreciate all your comments.. both negative and positive as it's helped strengthen my resolve. I'm hopefully going to record my experience down and will use that in the future... somehow.

It's funny how many people claimed that this 'experiment' wont gain any knowledge.. and that all i'll manage to do is change a few people at the pub... I'm not sure if you guys realise how little some people... I think the vast majority of the society... actually know about homeless people (myself included).

I think it's quite special that we are part of a forum board that has such a diverse group of people (fuck.. i'm sounding like ocean boy!)

Anyway.. will keep you up to date as things go on.

F
 
personally, i think this a good idea, as long as it is used to educate the right people. breaka said that we all know how bad homeless people have it, and whilst *we* here do, not everyone actually has their eyes open to it.

Originally posted by dh@whyd
You could try sending it to the local university's student unions to chuck in their student magazines. I know the union at UQ pays for contributions too :)

If the expereince is enlightening and you can write up a decent report then this is the kind of thing that'd definitely make it into a student magazine. It would then be read by 1,000s of people =D

Throw in some contact details at the end for some charities and you never know what long-term effects your experiment may have...


friskk: i will publish it in rabelais (la trobe uni magazine) if you write this up.
 
Originally posted by dh@whyd
ha ha, I wouldn't worry about the quality of writing if it was for a student mag.


screw you hippy :p
 
wow, i'd forgotten about this...did you follow through with your experiment?
 
ahahaha, i remember this thread
i still think you're an extreme wanker because of this friskk
 
Hahaha what a dickhead.

I tried so hard to write something decent to reply to this but its hard to sound sincere when you read something like this.

Bravo you made my week, whenever im feeling sad ill smile for the fact that im not you or anyone who actually responded positively to what you are proposing.

Hope you dont get raped lol
 
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