“… A runaway teenager who had been given good reason to run could find it impossible to work at an honest, aboveboard job. He or she could then starve, turn whore, or find a criminal gang that was hiring.”
Yes x 10000000. This is also why it’s near impossible to break out of the cycle of homelessness. Most job applications require you to supply your name, address and telephone number. What if you don’t have the second and third? Say one is otherwise able to work and wants to, but with no address or phone?? This infuriated and pained me in equal measure growing up and still does.
The overwhelming stigmata attached to homelessness (example: they are all drug users, losers, minorities we should not care about, illegal, lazy, etc.) does. Not. Apply. To. Everyone. And they are still human!! 😖😖😖😖
When I worked at Burger King for a couple of months (a rite of passage I argued my little brother NEEDED to ground him and understand what a lot of people need to go to make $5.75 an hour or whatever I made) (I didn’t win that battle with my mom) - but when I worked at BK I met some folks and let them use one of my parents phone numbers or addresses to help (leaving details out).
And back to stigmata - I’m not stigmatized per se because I worked in fast food, or had to get a job at 14, didn’t have money to buy new clothes in high school, or didn’t have a car until I was past 20, or that I’m technically an immigrant (I could go on…) because I come from a wealthy family so that covers all sins and washes away a lot of societal disgrace and explains it all away. What otherwise would cause me to be an outcast, made fun of, etc., instead through the lens of money becomes minimized as trivial quirks of my eccentric family. (As if people know me, or my family, right??)
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-10-02 08:49 pm (UTC)Yes x 10000000. This is also why it’s near impossible to break out of the cycle of homelessness. Most job applications require you to supply your name, address and telephone number. What if you don’t have the second and third? Say one is otherwise able to work and wants to, but with no address or phone?? This infuriated and pained me in equal measure growing up and still does.
The overwhelming stigmata attached to homelessness (example: they are all drug users, losers, minorities we should not care about, illegal, lazy, etc.) does. Not. Apply. To. Everyone. And they are still human!! 😖😖😖😖
When I worked at Burger King for a couple of months (a rite of passage I argued my little brother NEEDED to ground him and understand what a lot of people need to go to make $5.75 an hour or whatever I made) (I didn’t win that battle with my mom) - but when I worked at BK I met some folks and let them use one of my parents phone numbers or addresses to help (leaving details out).
And back to stigmata - I’m not stigmatized per se because I worked in fast food, or had to get a job at 14, didn’t have money to buy new clothes in high school, or didn’t have a car until I was past 20, or that I’m technically an immigrant (I could go on…) because I come from a wealthy family so that covers all sins and washes away a lot of societal disgrace and explains it all away. What otherwise would cause me to be an outcast, made fun of, etc., instead through the lens of money becomes minimized as trivial quirks of my eccentric family. (As if people know me, or my family, right??)
Ugh.
Ok, done venting. 🙃😳😅♥️