I'm Not a Bum, I am a Human Being

"There is a cure for homelessness,
It shouldn't be a death sentence"

A quote from Providence Journal

A picture of a homeless man

 In Providence, Rhode Island, there are homeless people young and old that have died. Some from disease, sleeping out in the cold, and overall living in a dirty environment. Others have died because they were unable to go to the doctors for their sickness mentally or physically. Some even died from suicide, unable to cope living outside like an animal.

"I have people sayin' 'Get a job Bum', but hold on wait a minute I'm still human not a bum"

Acts of violence has been a common trend with homeless people. Many teens and other individuals go out and have "bum fights" on YouTube. Aside from making homeless people do immoral acts such as murder, defecation of on the streets; even many people are also the culprit of randomly harassing and punching the homeless according to Philly. Homeless people are not for our entertainment. They are not your pet or toy that you can boss around.

Numerous times I have heard, even from the kindest people, that homeless people are lazy and need to find a job. However, one must look at it through their perspective.

"I go in with my resume, not looking presentable. They [employees] leave me with 'leave a number and maybe we'll call you back.' But how am I going to leave a number if I don't have a phone?"

That quote was from the homeless man in the video above. Much of these people are war veterans, and even educated people.

"I have a masters degree in mechanical engineering and physics from Dartmouth. I moved here to accept a job offer; but apparently, they gave it to someone else. Now I'm here sleeping in a homeless shelter and on the streets."  Maurice Johnson, a homeless man stated.

I have also heard that some people deserve it, they set up this lifestyle for not taking initiative in their life. Although it may be true that some were reckless, do they deserve to be dehumanized, and forced to simply become objects of entertainment or even someone negatively looked down upon? Would you want to be looked on with such pity, full of humility, and even judged for something that isn't necessarily your fault? We don't know their story, but many just want recognition that they are human beings, not simply a bum with a sign and  a cup.

Interpretation: The Meaning Behind America's Documents

"We the people of the United States...secure the blessings of liberty...for the United States of America" 

The Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and the Preamble to the Constitution are very important documents in America. These passages resonate the founding ideals of the Founding Fathers in order to compose the American Dream. Embedded between the lines of these documents, it quietly reiterates the precedents that helped form the ideals of the U.S. government. These ideals are very evident in the tone and the rhetoric of the three records.

Tone

Throughout the passages, there are numerous tones that the authors wanted to express. However, the main tone that correlates with all the documents was to show that United States at that time was logical and prepared in planning out their independence. The founding ideal was America's freedom. These documents are important to the American citizens, to know their basic human rights and to be more connected to their government in comparison to the time of the British rule. The freedom and equality of the citizens was such a big thing that it was stated throughout the documents, specifically the Declaration of Independence states “all men are created equal...with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” They address the precedents that occurred by making laws, according to the Bill of Rights "no cruel and unusual punishments" are allowed. This was based on the precedent of being charged for going to jail for not paying off debt. This also included the tar and feathering which was common in the pre-revolutionary era. The ideal was to not have this happen anymore. Additionally, these documents provided proof to foreign countries that as "newbies" they know what they are doing and the reasons for it. Aside from stating the rights of individuals the passages, specifically the Declaration of Independence, states reasons as to why they made their decision of independence for“ the present king of Great Britain [King George III had] a history of repeated injuries and usurpations.”  It also shows a lot of precedent to show the beneficial change after the independence from Britain. The government wanted to show that the founding ideal was to not replicate King George's crude action's towards the citizen. In addition, United States' goal was to open up trade and allies with foreign countries, by writing these passages it established more credibility for us. 

Rhetoric 

The rhetoric of these documents are very important for the establishment of United States. The outline and diction of them are very professional and organized. The Bill of Rights is organized by limiting pronouns, being more formal and stating each article in ordinal numbers. The Preamble is organized by being the intro of a larger document; therefore, being the outline of the constitution. The Declaration of Independence follows a classical argument format. It's so easy to label each paragraph and decipher the intro, background, thesis, refutations etc. This shows a very educated composer and improves credibility to help persuade the audience of foreign countries and the people of United States to follow the documents. To further persuade the citizens of United States, both the Preamble and the Declaration both used pronouns that connected to the audience such as "our" and "we." This is important because it shows that the government acknowledges the people of the country, unlike during the times of the British rule. In a way it shows more of democratic nation, which the Founding Fathers aimed for. To further persuade other countries, the Declaration of Independence uses anaphora to state the fault of Britain, by supporting each repeated "he has" with a fault that the King has done. For example the Declaration of Independence states "He has constrained our fellow citizens to take captive on the high seas to bear against their country." Another important ideal was to state a person's right and not limit them; in the passages the right is stated and then it states how the government can "not" hurt it. An example of this was in the Bill of Rights it states "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated." Overall the diction and syntax of these documents are important to help resonate the founding ideals of America. 

 Sources: Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, Preamble

 

Child, Where do you sleep?

My bedroom, the one place I called my own as a child. A place where each item symbolized who I was as a person. 

A blanket, my friend that was there for me when I was cold, scared and sad. The warmth of my sheets welcomed me on a cold, winter day.  After watching the video, I have realized that I took these basic items for granted.  

The Room in the Cabinets

In the Philippines a young child, not much older than the age of five, showed me where she slept since she was four. We were outside in an open market and I watched as she went inside the cabinets of the table, like in the picture below. In this stall her mother sold vegetables and herbs outdoors. Her tiny plot had no sheets, no pillows, just  little ants for company.  I was bewildered and felt such pity. Having no where to go, she is frightened and forced to sleep there, cowering from security officers at night. However, to my amazement she was still thankful, saying that without this stall she would've been sleeping on the street, where it's more dangerous. For me, warmth and comfort was always there when I grew up. Although it is a basic human  right to have a bed and shelter to stay in, many children do not have this. 

Picture of a Market Stall

Children's rights 

When one thinks about Children's rights, they usually do not think about bedrooms. However, children should be able to know that they can peacefully and safely sleep in a place without being scared. Multiple times we provide food, toys, games, etc.  But we never think about giving children a bed or a room they can stay in. Which is ironic because I felt that as a child, decorating my bedroom was the only way to express myself. 

Roathy, 8, Phnom Penh, Cambodia: A young boy in poverty

Where Children Sleep

The video and pictures are all from a book called Where Children Sleep by James Mollison, who wanted to show the different ranges of Children's rights through bedrooms. Mollison took pictures of their rooms from all around the world. Although I would love to know their stories, these pictures do not need their descriptions, they tell a story on it's own.  From looking at their bedrooms their personality resonates because people are able to change the contents of their room to show own interests, aspirations and identity.  In multiple pictures, the social class is also evident; clearly showing which children are in poverty. Although this video doesn't focus on children who are in poverty, I felt that those pictures struck me the most. It was definitely surprising seeing the sharp contrasts of these images. It makes me want to do something about it. I have learned to appreciate the little things because of these images.It has taught me that a picture is truly worth a thousand words.  

Rhiannon, 14, Darvel, Scotland:  Her bedroom shows so much of her personality

Sources: James Mollison

Acid Attacks: Domestic Violence

three young women learn that acid attacks don't define them

"He warned me that if I left him, he would hunt me down. He was going to shoot me. He was going to paralyze me. He was going to throw acid on my face."

This woman, Nicole Beverly, was interviewed by the Huffington Post about her abusive husband. Unlike thousands of other women in the world, she was able to escape her partner before the abuse got out of hand. According to the BBC, about 1,500 acid attacks occur every year worldwide. However, much more go undetected. Attacks range from disputes between relatives and other close people, to just being too beautiful or handsome. 

"It's not a knife attack, it's not a gun attack, it's an acid attack-- we don't                    want to kill you, but we want to humiliate you."

This is what a former gang member, Jermaine Lawlor said. There has been an increase in acid attacks in numerous gangs across the United States. Not only is it painful physically, it is humiliation. Imagine our society, the one where teenage girls aspire to be magazine models. Models with perfect figures, thick hair, and a beautiful face. Now imagine being in this society, with a face that is melted off, you can only see through one eye, there are remnants of the trails of acid that has seared through your flesh forever, like a tattoo. Your pride and confidence gone as people stare,  knowing that once you were "normal." According to multiple articles, including this CNN article, Young teenagers are hit with acid, making them the victims of depression and often suicide. 

Albeit, these victims should not be humiliated. The criminals who have done these immoral acts should be the ones embarrassed. Yes, there are laws against these attacks; however, what's the use when criminals still do it and get away with it? In many places you can easily purchase acid in local markets. Something needs to be done to enforce the rules to stop these horrendous attacks.

Sources: Huffington Post, CNN, BBC, International Business Times, Safe Horizon