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"Liberality And The Tramp" by readthemandeat

This is an article about how the homeless are sometimes treated

Category: Article / Essay

Tags: homeless, discrimination, tolerance, vagrants

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Throughout history, the despondent and destitute have always been alienated, consciously ignored and sneered at. We, as a society do not like to see our shortcomings and one of our biggest flaws is our total lack of empathy for the unpalatable and uncomfortable." Wait a minute," I hear the outcry now "What is she talking about? I care. I give to the annual telethon to help those snotty nosed orphans in Bangladesh or was that Darfur? Whatever, I give therefore I care." If only it were that simple.


Giving is needed, always, and because we cannot rely on the government to provide funding for absolutely every cause out there, we turn to charities. Yet charity is not always about money. Another definition is kindness and tolerance in judging others, and this is where we fall short. If a stinky unsightly man stands next to us on the bus, I don’t somehow think we’ll look him right in the eye and say “hi there, how’s it going today?”. As each stop passes, trying not to make it too obvious, we will naturally wobble away from him using all kinds of excuses like moving over to check the bus route even though we know it by heart or stepping aside to tie our loafers . We try to distance ourselves from the offensive odor in what we think to be an unnoticeably clever way but the thing is, although that person is no spring time bloom, He knows what we are up to as he experiences this type of evasive behavior daily. Without realizing it, our getaway is discriminatory since the only difference between him and us is that he doesn’t look too hot and smells like a toilet. A bit like our ailing grand father don’t you think? But we let grandpa get away with it, after all we care about him, he’s old, has lost a few neurons and can’t fend for himself...And the person on the bus can?


On Sunday August 17th at 6:40 am, a vagrant man walked into Starbucks on the 3rd st Promenade in Santa Monica California and headed towards the bathroom. The staff, having had problems with these “types” before, refused him the use of their restroom and asked him to leave the store. He proceeded to defecate in the store and hurl his waste at the staff. This was no doubt an awful situation, repulsive not to mention unhygienic. But no sane person would do this. The man it has been confirmed by both the police and a staff member at Starbucks was homeless and suffered with mental illness. "I remember the case," Sergeant Akulfi said, smirking ever so slightly, " We don't have a report on him because he was mentally ill so was taken to the hospital."


When I heard about this incident I began to wonder what would happen if I tried to use the restroom without purchasing a Mocha Latte Frappe Mocha Madness Venti Pricey BelicimoYummy. So I set off to the coffee shop in question and waddled in, my cute 5 month old pregnant belly leading me all the way to the back of the shop towards the restroom without anyone stopping me. I got away with it because I looked just fine. I passed the Starbucks standard test. Committed to my investigation I waited a while in the loo, then stepped back out and started a conversation with an employee of Starbucks named Thorn. With the trade mark green apron and cap on armed with a mop in hand he told me that he remembered that fateful day when human turd was flung out of anger and frustration ”Yes the man definitely was mentally ill,” he whispered a little afraid of the Starbucks Gestapo lurking around the Turkey and cranberry pesto paninis. " So am I, ” he surprisingly continued “Nobody knows it in here of course, I mean you would never know it? Would you?” Interested I encouragingly shook my head “no never,” I replied a little confused that my interview had taken such an unexpected turn. So now potential turd throwers actually worked here. The enemy was on the inside!This is interesting. I know you must think me a little glib, but I truly believe any one of us, be that the man officially labeled as “mentally ill” or the one in front of me camouflaged as mentally ill, you or even myself are all potential poop pitchers. The brain is a fragile entity, one that can lead us into all kinds of different mental lairs. After all my new friend Thorn said he was fine in his 20’s and early 30’s. His problems began instantly and unexpectedly at the age of 35. “Nobody knows what goes on in people’s heads, the voices in my head are there, I have no choice, it can happen to us all.” With a heavy sigh, he explained that he works hard at keeping things together "day by day," takes his medication, and working helps him stay focused but it isn't easy.


Looking around at the customers, a good looking bunch, with tight Ambercombie & Finch T shirts on, all eagerly licking wispy bits of croissant off their fingers I turned to Thorn and asked “Did anybody try and help?” Eyebrows crossed, he became very serious and replied “Nobody tried to help, people, especially in here, are biased and discriminate.” And there it was in front of me shining brighter than a Vegas sign can with a gospel choir behind it, that dirty word discriminate .


The question is, was this indeed discrimination? After all, Starbucks should have the right to refuse whomever it wants. They pay the rent therefore it’s their toilet. But they did refuse him yet not me, so on the other hand they were biased in their selection, again probably in the wish to protect their property and to keep it clean. Yet this is very presumptuous as I have quite a track record for clogging up toilets and maybe, had he not been stopped, he would have walked in and walked out with no damage done whatsoever. Who's to judge a book by it's cover? So where does charity come in? When do all legalities and rights simply get tossed out of the window and a decision is made to let this vagrant use the toilet, because he simply needs to go to the bathroom as we all sometimes do? As Miriam, a cute young homeless girl I interviewed said to me after I eventually left Starbucks “If they would have let him use the bathroom, that wouldn’t have happened.” Although we will never know that for sure, I think my doped up new friend Miriam was probably right.


According to the most recent census, 38% of the homeless population in Santa Monica are mentally ill, 24% of them also abuse substances. It is a vicious circle as most people who walk by, think that they are addicts as opposed to mentally ill. Yet if one looks into the evolution of children with mental issues, it is widely known that a great percentage of these children will eventually use drugs or alcohol to medicate their illness. Drugs and alcohol are not a cause, they are used to numb the cause. Yet it is about perception, what we see then label. You see someone looking a little strung out, he or she is labeled a junkie. You smell someone reeking of booze the name given to that person is an alcoholic and somehow these two types of people are okay to ignore because in your eyes that's all they are. My new friend, Miriam was high for sure but I did not see a junkie or a transient, I saw a bubbly young woman with freckles on her nose, eager to talk to me and share her experience of how she came to be on the streets.


When I pass a homeless person , especially the ones that are mentally ill. I see a child. After all, he did not come out of the womb unwashed with a needle in his arm. That grisly man standing next to me on the bus, whom I haven't yet managed to escape, was once a child and who knows what happened to him? Why he is here in this state now? But I empathise because life is tough and even tougher for those who do not have the coping skills or life skills many of us take for granted. The fact is we will never know anything about this man unless we engage in a conversation and if we do that, he might just make us smile, and suddenly he just doesn’t smell so bad anymore. That man in Starbucks on August the 17th was someone’s little boy and we judged him because of what he looked like and what we presumed him to be and there is no kindness or tolerance in that. So he pooped. Wouldn't you?.


















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Category Name: Mechanics

The story contained so many mechanical errors that it was hard to follow the piece or understand certain sentences or paragraphs. Occasional mechanical errors were distracting, but these errors did not inhibit me from being able to understand the piece or understand what the author intended to convey. I rarely if ever noticed mechanical errors. As far as I could tell, the writing was clear and correct.

Mechanics includes sentence structure, verb agreement, grammar, spelling, voice, punctuation and aspects of basic style.

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Category Name: Structure

The organization needs to be improved. This piece was cluttered and unconvincing. The organization was okay. The ideas were generally organized and mostly convincing. The organization of this piece was outstanding. The ideas were organized very well and presented in a convincing manner.

Category Name: Voice

The voice was not strong, consistent, or appropriate in this piece. This piece’s style and grasp of language need serious improvement. The voice was generally strong, consistent and appropriate. This style was good and the grasp of language adequate. The voice was delivered in a strong, consistent, and appropriate manner. This piece was skillfully styled and demonstrated a strong grasp of language.

Category Name: Subject Matter

My terminal insomnia has been cured. The subject matter was presented in a very dull and cursory manner. The examples did not illustrate the points well. I found this piece fairly interesting and the examples somewhat effective in illustrating the points. It could have been a bit more thorough. The subject matter very interesting, thoroughly presented, and the examples helped illustrate the points perfectly.

Category Name: Logic

The sentences did not flow and transition naturally. The ideas were presented out of order and hard to follow which discredited the argument(s). Overall the sentences flowed and transitioned naturally. The ideas were generally presented in orderwell ordered and easy to follow which strengthened the argument(s). The sentences flowed and transitioned naturally. The ideas were presented in orderwell ordered and easy to follow which solidified the argument(s).

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Click on a paragraph or highlight text from the paragraph to provide inline comments. While detailed grammar correction is welcome, the purpose of inline commenting is to spark the author's creativity. This is best done by expressing feelings, questions, and concerns you have about the story while you are reading.

1. Throughout history, the despondent and destitute have always been alienated, consciously ignored and sneered at. We, as a society do not like to see our shortcomings and one of our biggest flaws is our total lack of empathy for the unpalatable and uncomfortable." Wait a minute," I hear the outcry now "What is she talking about? I care. I give to the annual telethon to help those snotty nosed orphans in Bangladesh or was that Darfur? Whatever, I give therefore I care." If only it were that simple.

2.

3. Giving is needed, always, and because we cannot rely on the government to provide funding for absolutely every cause out there, we turn to charities. Yet charity is not always about money. Another definition is kindness and tolerance in judging others, and this is where we fall short. If a stinky unsightly man stands next to us on the bus, I don’t somehow think we’ll look him right in the eye and say “hi there, how’s it going today?”. As each stop passes, trying not to make it too obvious, we will naturally wobble away from him using all kinds of excuses like moving over to check the bus route even though we know it by heart or stepping aside to tie our loafers . We try to distance ourselves from the offensive odor in what we think to be an unnoticeably clever way but the thing is, although that person is no spring time bloom, He knows what we are up to as he experiences this type of evasive behavior daily. Without realizing it, our getaway is discriminatory since the only difference between him and us is that he doesn’t look too hot and smells like a toilet. A bit like our ailing grand father don’t you think? But we let grandpa get away with it, after all we care about him, he’s old, has lost a few neurons and can’t fend for himself...And the person on the bus can?

4.

5. On Sunday August 17th at 6:40 am, a vagrant man walked into Starbucks on the 3rd st Promenade in Santa Monica California and headed towards the bathroom. The staff, having had problems with these “types” before, refused him the use of their restroom and asked him to leave the store. He proceeded to defecate in the store and hurl his waste at the staff. This was no doubt an awful situation, repulsive not to mention unhygienic. But no sane person would do this. The man it has been confirmed by both the police and a staff member at Starbucks was homeless and suffered with mental illness. "I remember the case," Sergeant Akulfi said, smirking ever so slightly, " We don't have a report on him because he was mentally ill so was taken to the hospital."

6.

7. When I heard about this incident I began to wonder what would happen if I tried to use the restroom without purchasing a Mocha Latte Frappe Mocha Madness Venti Pricey BelicimoYummy. So I set off to the coffee shop in question and waddled in, my cute 5 month old pregnant belly leading me all the way to the back of the shop towards the restroom without anyone stopping me. I got away with it because I looked just fine. I passed the Starbucks standard test. Committed to my investigation I waited a while in the loo, then stepped back out and started a conversation with an employee of Starbucks named Thorn. With the trade mark green apron and cap on armed with a mop in hand he told me that he remembered that fateful day when human turd was flung out of anger and frustration ”Yes the man definitely was mentally ill,” he whispered a little afraid of the Starbucks Gestapo lurking around the Turkey and cranberry pesto paninis. " So am I, ” he surprisingly continued “Nobody knows it in here of course, I mean you would never know it? Would you?” Interested I encouragingly shook my head “no never,” I replied a little confused that my interview had taken such an unexpected turn. So now potential turd throwers actually worked here. The enemy was on the inside!This is interesting. I know you must think me a little glib, but I truly believe any one of us, be that the man officially labeled as “mentally ill” or the one in front of me camouflaged as mentally ill, you or even myself are all potential poop pitchers. The brain is a fragile entity, one that can lead us into all kinds of different mental lairs. After all my new friend Thorn said he was fine in his 20’s and early 30’s. His problems began instantly and unexpectedly at the age of 35. “Nobody knows what goes on in people’s heads, the voices in my head are there, I have no choice, it can happen to us all.” With a heavy sigh, he explained that he works hard at keeping things together "day by day," takes his medication, and working helps him stay focused but it isn't easy.

8.

9. Looking around at the customers, a good looking bunch, with tight Ambercombie & Finch T shirts on, all eagerly licking wispy bits of croissant off their fingers I turned to Thorn and asked “Did anybody try and help?” Eyebrows crossed, he became very serious and replied “Nobody tried to help, people, especially in here, are biased and discriminate.” And there it was in front of me shining brighter than a Vegas sign can with a gospel choir behind it, that dirty word discriminate .

10.

11. The question is, was this indeed discrimination? After all, Starbucks should have the right to refuse whomever it wants. They pay the rent therefore it’s their toilet. But they did refuse him yet not me, so on the other hand they were biased in their selection, again probably in the wish to protect their property and to keep it clean. Yet this is very presumptuous as I have quite a track record for clogging up toilets and maybe, had he not been stopped, he would have walked in and walked out with no damage done whatsoever. Who's to judge a book by it's cover? So where does charity come in? When do all legalities and rights simply get tossed out of the window and a decision is made to let this vagrant use the toilet, because he simply needs to go to the bathroom as we all sometimes do? As Miriam, a cute young homeless girl I interviewed said to me after I eventually left Starbucks “If they would have let him use the bathroom, that wouldn’t have happened.” Although we will never know that for sure, I think my doped up new friend Miriam was probably right.

12.

13. According to the most recent census, 38% of the homeless population in Santa Monica are mentally ill, 24% of them also abuse substances. It is a vicious circle as most people who walk by, think that they are addicts as opposed to mentally ill. Yet if one looks into the evolution of children with mental issues, it is widely known that a great percentage of these children will eventually use drugs or alcohol to medicate their illness. Drugs and alcohol are not a cause, they are used to numb the cause. Yet it is about perception, what we see then label. You see someone looking a little strung out, he or she is labeled a junkie. You smell someone reeking of booze the name given to that person is an alcoholic and somehow these two types of people are okay to ignore because in your eyes that's all they are. My new friend, Miriam was high for sure but I did not see a junkie or a transient, I saw a bubbly young woman with freckles on her nose, eager to talk to me and share her experience of how she came to be on the streets.

14.

15. When I pass a homeless person , especially the ones that are mentally ill. I see a child. After all, he did not come out of the womb unwashed with a needle in his arm. That grisly man standing next to me on the bus, whom I haven't yet managed to escape, was once a child and who knows what happened to him? Why he is here in this state now? But I empathise because life is tough and even tougher for those who do not have the coping skills or life skills many of us take for granted. The fact is we will never know anything about this man unless we engage in a conversation and if we do that, he might just make us smile, and suddenly he just doesn’t smell so bad anymore. That man in Starbucks on August the 17th was someone’s little boy and we judged him because of what he looked like and what we presumed him to be and there is no kindness or tolerance in that. So he pooped. Wouldn't you?.

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