‘The Homeless’ Archives
The Myth of Homeless Nobility
One of the most consistently irritating, frustrating, and ultimately misguided notions, where the concept of "the homeless" is concerned, is the attitude that the homeless are, first and foremost, victims -- that they are all members of an underclass we might call the Noble Poor. Any reasonable human being feels compassion for those who are [...]
Street People: Human Filth and Real Threat
"Sir! Sir! Sir! Sir! Sir! Change? Change? Sir?" The barking continued unabated for half an hour. The disheveled black man, shambling about in front of a shopping facility downtown, accosted each person who passed him on the street entering or leaving the building. He was wearing one sneaker and carrying the other. Literally barking at the top of [...]
Martialist Affirmations Waiting for Coffee
I was standing by my car, which was parked in front of a heavily trafficked coffeehouse in an area near a local University. I was standing outside the car rather than sitting in it because there was an attempted carjacking at that very spot only a week previously. As I do whenever I wait in less than pastoral public places, I passed the time [...]
Offramp Follies and other Tales of the Obvious
There are some common confrontations with which you should be familiar when you are out and about. These are a few of the simple pieces of advice I offer to anyone relatively ignorant of self-defense and awareness, when the topic comes up in conversation. Often these are things people simply don't consider. If you're a regular reader of The [...]
Identifying Common Beggar Ploys
If you operate or travel in any urban or suburban area, you will encounter street beggars. Street beggars are a security threat because, more often than not, the average panhandler has mental problems, chemical abuse issues, or both. This makes the average panhandler erratic, unpredictable, and potentially violent. Combine this with the nature of [...]
