Lonsdale denounces “the Marxist idea that American capitalism causes homelessness, and that only far-left activism can fix it.”
But… American-style capitalism DOES contribute to homelessness. It’s not the only contributor, but it definitely is a component.
And I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone but the far right claim that anyone thinks far-left activism can fix homelessness.
What fixes homelessness is providing homes to everyone who needs one, along with a support network that allows people to actually live in their home with the freedoms afforded to advantaged people. How that’s accomplished is up to the community.
Homelessness is evidence of a failure or lack in our social safety net. Providing housing is a necessary part of rehabilitation, but we also need to work on fixing what got them homeless in the first place.
Money… also known as… capital?
You’re saying that it’s not capitalism at fault, it’s people who are bad at capitalism who are at fault.
If you house those people, they’re no longer homeless. Problem solved. Other problems (like lack of consequences for bad life decisions) will still exist, but not homelessness.
In my experience, drug and alcohol abuse is compounded by capitalism and by homelessness. The biggest contributor to homelessness though is neural atypicalness - people who don’t think in ways that directly benefit the society they live in. Often this expresses itself through coping systems that lead to addiction.
The other thing of course is that if society doesn’t like someone, they’ll likely end up unhoused in that society.
If I had shitheads like you telling me why I was homeless, I would also be a heroin addict since it's not like I had anything else to do anyway.
Can you name a county where the federal minimum wage can pay for a 1 bedroom apartment?
How about state minimum wage?
Did you know that in some cases it is literally cheaper to just give homeless people houses?
Why do Americans consider houses to be their primary asset which must appreciate in value?
What do these questions have in common? Capitalism (particularly of the American variety)
But… American-style capitalism DOES contribute to homelessness. It’s not the only contributor, but it definitely is a component.
And I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone but the far right claim that anyone thinks far-left activism can fix homelessness.
What fixes homelessness is providing homes to everyone who needs one, along with a support network that allows people to actually live in their home with the freedoms afforded to advantaged people. How that’s accomplished is up to the community.
Homelessness is evidence of a failure or lack in our social safety net. Providing housing is a necessary part of rehabilitation, but we also need to work on fixing what got them homeless in the first place.
Money… also known as… capital?
You’re saying that it’s not capitalism at fault, it’s people who are bad at capitalism who are at fault.
If you house those people, they’re no longer homeless. Problem solved. Other problems (like lack of consequences for bad life decisions) will still exist, but not homelessness.
In my experience, drug and alcohol abuse is compounded by capitalism and by homelessness. The biggest contributor to homelessness though is neural atypicalness - people who don’t think in ways that directly benefit the society they live in. Often this expresses itself through coping systems that lead to addiction.
The other thing of course is that if society doesn’t like someone, they’ll likely end up unhoused in that society.
If I had shitheads like you telling me why I was homeless, I would also be a heroin addict since it's not like I had anything else to do anyway.
Can you name a county where the federal minimum wage can pay for a 1 bedroom apartment?
How about state minimum wage?
Did you know that in some cases it is literally cheaper to just give homeless people houses?
Why do Americans consider houses to be their primary asset which must appreciate in value?
What do these questions have in common? Capitalism (particularly of the American variety)
Some light reading for the curious: USA overview
Helsinki Homelessness Solution (the Guardian)
California info (refer to the sources in the footnotes)
Fuck, take the Wikipedia page of you want
Lol