Words matter.
Words consumed uncritically can cause tragic consequences by amplifying hate, aggravating bigotry, and convincing individuals other humans somehow less or sub human.
So when the St Petersburg Times publishes a story with the line about panhandling, "which was part of the homeless problem that Mayor Bill Foster has been fighting since taking office," (17 August '10, emphasis added), the phrase dehumanizes an entire class of disadvantaged people.
Defining humans as among "the homeless" or part of "the homeless problem" can lead some unbalanced people to come with their own final solution and otherwise sane city councils to unconstitutionally restrict the 1st amendment right to free speech and ban feeding the hungry.
With the current Great Recession, more will become homeless. Instead of criminalizing consequences of homelessness which carries costs of criminal courts and incarceration, surely the time has come to provide transitional living situations--dorms if necessary--and provide education and training for jobs.
As for jobs with the United States infrastructure of roads, and bridges, and watern pipes and whatnot crumbling, WE need a new Civilian Conservation Corps to rebuild our country---or at least Halliburton and Kellogg Brown Root could give the country a break on the work after untold trillions of $$$ they made from rebuilding Iraq.
Give people the dignity due them as human and jobs will follow. Feeding the hungry might fulfill the last commandment, "In as much as you have it done it for the least of my brethern, you have done it for me," Jesus.
So demeaning or demonizing humans by defining them as part of some group or problem will not improve our commonweal, and I expected better from a fine paper like the St. Petersburg Times.
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