• Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
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    3 months ago

    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.

    • Pulptastic@midwest.social
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      3 months ago

      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.

    • mke_geek@lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      People deciding to use drugs and/or alcohol, getting addicted, then spending money on that stuff rather than food and housing, can cause homelessness.

      It’s not capitalism.

      • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
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        3 months ago

        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.

        • mke_geek@lemm.ee
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          3 months ago

          But then you’re saying people don’t have any personal responsibility for their actions.

          • Zombiepirate@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            No, they’re saying that we should, as the wealthiest society in history, look out for desperate people.

            Does WIC mean people don’t have personal responsibility? Does Medicaid? Does any other social program we’ve implemented?

            Raising the floor means the society is healthier for everyone.

            • mke_geek@lemm.ee
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              3 months ago

              I’m not talking about people who need a temporary leg up. I’m talking about able bodied people who just don’t feel like contributing to society. Everyone should just give them free money so they can sit home and play video games all day? (For example)

              • Zombiepirate@lemmy.world
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                3 months ago

                Who said anything about giving people free money so that they can sit home and play video games all day?

                Why are you acting like that’s in any way comparable to sheltering unhoused people?

                Let’s focus on one thing at a time; I’m not going to chase down every irrelevant diversion you throw out.

                • mke_geek@lemm.ee
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                  3 months ago

                  Because more and more, people (at least in America) are feeling entitled to get free stuff without contributing to society.

                  It’s been such a turnaround in attitude. Back in the WWII era, people went all out to support their community and the country. People would help their neighbors when needed. People wouldn’t want to go on welfare unless they had to. Then they worked hard to get off it.

                  Nowadays it seems that people encourage each other to get government money and don’t want to do anything for themselves. They’ll have children they don’t care about just to get more money from the government. It’s ridiculous.

      • jmankman@lemmy.myserv.one
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        3 months ago

        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.

        • mke_geek@lemm.ee
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          3 months ago

          When people like you start name calling it’s because you have nothing intelligent to say.