We say hi to each other regularly now. His name is George.
Isn’t it extraordinary to know the name of a homeless person? Unusual enough to make it the concluding point of a section of writing on LessWrong. After all, they are almost a separate species, with their own culture, way of life, habits, and an aura which causes a nostril-wrinkling response in any decent clean-living human. Why should upright citizens have to fund the needs of this feckless lot of wasters?
Except his name is George. He has a personality. He once had parents, maybe a school, maybe hopes and dreams. He is not detritus, but a person. Something terrible has gone wrong in his life, and we are of the opinion that it was his own fault. Karma. Just desserts. Because our opinion of him has been formed entirely by our own experiences, and they differ from his.
I live in Cornwall in the UK, an area that predominantly relies on tourism for its economy. We also have a significant homeless population. People pooping in the sand dunes has become something of a public health issue, because government cuts mean that some beaches have no public toilets at all. Not even in a cafe, because there isn’t a cafe. It is illegal to walk dogs on some beaches during the tourist season, yet unlike humans, dog walkers generally clean up after their dog, a legal requirement here.
I believe there must be solutions to this issue.
Some resorts have upgraded their public toilets to have turnstiles for entry, which are operated only by card payment. The charge is less than the cost of a cup of coffee, and in return the facilities are kept clean and there are decent handwashing facilities. Vandalism is minimised, because people don’t want to pay to smash stuff up, and there is no cash on the premises to steal. If the local authority were to issue some kind of pass card which would allow the homeless to use these facilities, would this be inviting anti-social behaviour? The only way to find out would be to try it and see.
Both tourists and homeless people have been forced to suffer the indignity of public urination and defecation due to the closure of most of the public toilets. It seems shocking that visitors to our county, who pay a high price for accommodation here, poop in the sand. But why should this be more shocking when it is done by tourists than homeless people? Because tourists are above having such a basic human need? Because only homeless people can be driven to such acts of desperation? Because we can’t face the thought that we might one day be forced onto such an act? Because we remember some past toilet-related moment of deep embarrassment? Who doesn’t? Can you feel how this man felt:
As I passed him, there was a moment where our eyes met. He sheepishly averted his gaze.
Some locals seem to think that everyone who visits a scenic wild beach should magically be capable of non-excretion, like God.[1] There are usually rubbish bins in these remote areas, and sometimes even bins specifically for dog waste. Maybe a solution worth trying is the installation of signs to encourage people to clean up after themselves in the same way they would for a dog? Various agencies feed homeless people; perhaps they could also distribute poop bags to them.
Now, If I can suggest two possible solutions, just because I have a little spare time on a wet Wednesday afternoon, consider what a truly determined body of intelligent humans could come up with! Or maybe Claude could help us with some even better ideas. Those who are in charge of big cities might find it more pleasant there if they devoted a few hours and a fraction of their budget to making provision for the welfare and dignity of George and those others in his dismal circumstances.
Robert Anton Wilson has successfully debunked the fallacy that this entity has a willy: The Historical Illuminatus Chronicles, Volume 3, Nature’s God, page 84. Therefore it is unlikely to be capable of excretion in the same manner as mammals.
Except his name is George. He has a personality. He once had parents, maybe a school, maybe hopes and dreams. He is not detritus, but a person. Something terrible has gone wrong in his life, and we are of the opinion that it was his own fault. Karma. Just desserts.
I’m fascinated by the bolded claim. Are you asserting that there was a part of his life that was terrible AND that it, the terrible part, has gone wrong? Please clarify.
Isn’t it extraordinary to know the name of a homeless person? Unusual enough to make it the concluding point of a section of writing on LessWrong. After all, they are almost a separate species, with their own culture, way of life, habits, and an aura which causes a nostril-wrinkling response in any decent clean-living human. Why should upright citizens have to fund the needs of this feckless lot of wasters?
Except his name is George. He has a personality. He once had parents, maybe a school, maybe hopes and dreams. He is not detritus, but a person. Something terrible has gone wrong in his life, and we are of the opinion that it was his own fault. Karma. Just desserts. Because our opinion of him has been formed entirely by our own experiences, and they differ from his.
I live in Cornwall in the UK, an area that predominantly relies on tourism for its economy. We also have a significant homeless population. People pooping in the sand dunes has become something of a public health issue, because government cuts mean that some beaches have no public toilets at all. Not even in a cafe, because there isn’t a cafe. It is illegal to walk dogs on some beaches during the tourist season, yet unlike humans, dog walkers generally clean up after their dog, a legal requirement here.
I believe there must be solutions to this issue.
Some resorts have upgraded their public toilets to have turnstiles for entry, which are operated only by card payment. The charge is less than the cost of a cup of coffee, and in return the facilities are kept clean and there are decent handwashing facilities. Vandalism is minimised, because people don’t want to pay to smash stuff up, and there is no cash on the premises to steal. If the local authority were to issue some kind of pass card which would allow the homeless to use these facilities, would this be inviting anti-social behaviour? The only way to find out would be to try it and see.
Both tourists and homeless people have been forced to suffer the indignity of public urination and defecation due to the closure of most of the public toilets. It seems shocking that visitors to our county, who pay a high price for accommodation here, poop in the sand. But why should this be more shocking when it is done by tourists than homeless people? Because tourists are above having such a basic human need? Because only homeless people can be driven to such acts of desperation? Because we can’t face the thought that we might one day be forced onto such an act? Because we remember some past toilet-related moment of deep embarrassment? Who doesn’t? Can you feel how this man felt:
Some locals seem to think that everyone who visits a scenic wild beach should magically be capable of non-excretion, like God.[1] There are usually rubbish bins in these remote areas, and sometimes even bins specifically for dog waste. Maybe a solution worth trying is the installation of signs to encourage people to clean up after themselves in the same way they would for a dog? Various agencies feed homeless people; perhaps they could also distribute poop bags to them.
Now, If I can suggest two possible solutions, just because I have a little spare time on a wet Wednesday afternoon, consider what a truly determined body of intelligent humans could come up with! Or maybe Claude could help us with some even better ideas. Those who are in charge of big cities might find it more pleasant there if they devoted a few hours and a fraction of their budget to making provision for the welfare and dignity of George and those others in his dismal circumstances.
Robert Anton Wilson has successfully debunked the fallacy that this entity has a willy: The Historical Illuminatus Chronicles, Volume 3, Nature’s God, page 84. Therefore it is unlikely to be capable of excretion in the same manner as mammals.
I’m fascinated by the bolded claim. Are you asserting that there was a part of his life that was terrible AND that it, the terrible part, has gone wrong? Please clarify.