Homeless Ethics Paper
Jessica Faulter
Instructor Bazer
PHIL102-02N
3 September 2013
The Homeless Perception and Reality I come from a fairly large city in California so I’ve been around many homeless people throughout my life. I’ve had good and bad experiences when it comes to being around them and dealing with them. My initial view of the homeless is that they are somewhat lazy and that a lot of them are on drugs. I feel this way because I’ve seen and dealt with so many sick, obnoxious people on the streets aggressively asking for money. I always think to myself, if I were in that situation I would find a way. There are so many resources that help people get back on their feet. Instead of begging on the streets, I would go get help. Instead of asking for money, I would ask for help from one of the many organizations so I can find a job and make my own money. However, there is another side of me that is extremely empathetic. This side of me knows that something sad and unfortunate must have happened to these people and that this life isn’t their choice. For example, children that are born into homeless families, people with mental illnesses, and of course people who have been laid off of work. Both feelings are very different but I can clearly see what influenced my thoughts growing up. I grew up in a middle class family. My father is the type of person that believes you get what you give. He believes that if you didn’t get something you wanted, that means you didn’t work hard enough for it. It all comes down to your work ethic and how much you really want something. That’s probably where one side of my opinion comes from. As for my mother, she is the most caring and compassionate woman in the world. She is very emotive; if she sees someone suffering she will do whatever she can to make them feel better. If someone is crying, she will cry as well. That’s how she’s always been. That is where I get my empathetic points of view. Although many homeless people are homeless due to
Instructor Bazer
PHIL102-02N
3 September 2013
The Homeless Perception and Reality I come from a fairly large city in California so I’ve been around many homeless people throughout my life. I’ve had good and bad experiences when it comes to being around them and dealing with them. My initial view of the homeless is that they are somewhat lazy and that a lot of them are on drugs. I feel this way because I’ve seen and dealt with so many sick, obnoxious people on the streets aggressively asking for money. I always think to myself, if I were in that situation I would find a way. There are so many resources that help people get back on their feet. Instead of begging on the streets, I would go get help. Instead of asking for money, I would ask for help from one of the many organizations so I can find a job and make my own money. However, there is another side of me that is extremely empathetic. This side of me knows that something sad and unfortunate must have happened to these people and that this life isn’t their choice. For example, children that are born into homeless families, people with mental illnesses, and of course people who have been laid off of work. Both feelings are very different but I can clearly see what influenced my thoughts growing up. I grew up in a middle class family. My father is the type of person that believes you get what you give. He believes that if you didn’t get something you wanted, that means you didn’t work hard enough for it. It all comes down to your work ethic and how much you really want something. That’s probably where one side of my opinion comes from. As for my mother, she is the most caring and compassionate woman in the world. She is very emotive; if she sees someone suffering she will do whatever she can to make them feel better. If someone is crying, she will cry as well. That’s how she’s always been. That is where I get my empathetic points of view. Although many homeless people are homeless due to