boomboomsroom

editor’s note: The post that follows is not meant to demean the downtrodden.  It only expresses our view that while many are well intended to help those in need, perhaps the problem and the solution needs examination.  Further we know many of our readers do great work in this area to make the best of this problem.  We would appreciate your candid feedback on this if you wish.

From 1951-1971 a very popular TV show had a 20 year run with an unbelievable 672 episodes in “the can” as the Hollywood crowd used to call it.  Impressive.  It was called The Red Skelton Show.   It starred none other than a quite famous actor/comic named, you guessed it, Red Skelton.  Red did standup, had a couple of guests, an occasional musician, and did several skits with characters that he developed quite well.  It was truly a variety show.

One of the characters that Red developed quite well was Freddie the Freeloader.   As you can see from the linked clip the jokes were about a down on his luck homeless man.   Let’s repeat that, “the jokes were about a down on his luck homeless man.” In today’s world even the thought of that would not be whispered in creative circles.  It isn’t what we do today.  Today we help people.  We make all feel good, feel equal.  Or, at least we think we do.

This writer actually met Red Skelton at a poorly attended book signing of his many years ago.  It was so poorly attended we had the opportunity to get better acquainted.  My impression in a short 15 minutes was that what Red actually attempted to do in all of his works was show a world as it was and do so in a kind and funny way.

Today his message would not even be heard because his premise would be looked on as outrageous by those who choose what actually goes “in the can.”  It would also be panned by those who wish to shape the narrative for political gain by telling those that are willing to listen that others are insensitive.

You see Freddie the Freeloader, by his own admission was a “hobo.”  If you can believe Wikipedia,  a hobo is a migrant worker or homeless vagrant, especially one who is impoverished. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States around 1890.^[1] Unlike a “tramp“, who works only when forced to, and a “bum“, who does not work at all, a “hobo” is a traveling worker.

So, a hobo was a homeless worker as opposed to a tramp, vagrant, or a bum.  That’s a small consolation prize perhaps. Eventually, the words tramp and bum fell strongly out of favor for “the homeless.”  Homeless, soon enough, sounded too demeaning and was replaced by “the underserved.”  Recent trips to Portland and other cities that embrace/accept high populations of whatever you choose to call “them” now refer to “them” as “campers.”  Yes, if you haven’t been to sunny Portland you haven’t seen the many campers.  If you haven’t been to downtown LA you haven’t seen the square city miles of sidewalks of tents pitched.

So, we must wonder aloud, does what you call a person who unfortunately has a problem or problems that lead to this life make that person’s life any better?  Does it make you or them feel any better about their plight? More importantly, what are we doing as a society to reduce the number of campers by solving the root cause or causes of their descent?

We ask because we don’t know.  Recent surveys by multiple services and government agencies show that in spite of everyone’s best efforts the homeless population stands at a guesstimated 550,000 people.  It’s down from a 2008 Great Recession peak by about 70,000.  If you look at a glass as half full I suppose that is progress.  But, if you look at a glass as half empty, isn’t having over one half of a million people sleep on the streets of the most developed country in the world sad?  It is.

Some folks are in the camp (no pun intended) of “you are what you make of yourself.”  Others want to give everyone everything to either make themselves feel better about themselves or truly think they are making a bad situation better.  We wonder if there is a middle ground that should be vigorously explored.

Goodness knows a warm bed for a night or a sandwich during the day is a nice and needed humane gesture.  We just wonder if the root cause is being addressed aggressively enough.  In other words what got someone to this spot?  Are we treating the symptom or the illness?  The symptom is homelessness.  The illness is?  Addiction?   Mental illness?  Physical disability?  Job loss?  Indifference?  Laziness?  Several of those can be helped.  At least one or two don’t deserve it.

We are very familiar with a worthy mission in Houston, TX.  It is The Star of Hope.  It has multiple programs for men, women, and children.  Taken from their mission statement is “Positive life changes are encouraged through structured programs which focus on spiritual growth, education, employment, life management and recovery from substance abuse.”

The program within the program that we are most familiar with helps mothers who have been domestically abused and have or would be living in the streets with their children were it not for this program.  Picture an old school motel layout.   Hotel rooms are more like small efficiency apartments.  There is a cafeteria, a meeting room or two, and a few offices.  The one and only goal is to get them back into society in a productive manner ASAP.  The requirement to live there is that either you have a job, are actively looking for one, or are headed back to a school to get to a trade or job.  All children must be enrolled in a school.  The help given is only for those looking for a hand up, not a hand out.  But the help given demands that you understand the difference between the two.  And, that, we believe is a real key to success.

We don’t know, but are fairly certain, that there are many fine outreach programs across the US.  We wonder aloud though, “isn’t there a better way, a quicker solution, a more concerted effort available to us if we put our collective heads together?” No, we aren’t talking about another bloated government tax dollar throw away.  We are talking about civil people doing civil things.

Or, is this the far end of the tough side of the bell curve and we should just do what we can(whatever that means)? We’ve been to black tie fundraisers and ate steak and drank champagne and donated money for a couple other homeless causes.  It felt good I guess, but it didn’t do anything.   In 1986 we connected our hands together for “Hands Across America.”  It felt good I guess, but it didn’t do anything.

We suppose the answer lies in who you think “campers” are.  We suppose the answer lies in what you think “campers” can become.   We don’t think it’s what you call them.