Simple labels and naïve terminology are becoming dangerously effective in today’s high-speed, hit-and-run communications environment.
“Government funded” and “the homeless” are two examples of terminology that have been utilized by news media, social media aficionados and politicians to the extent that growing segments of the public seem to have an incomplete, and often inaccurate, understanding of some of the most critical political processes and social challenges we face today.
The phrase “government funded” is understood by more and more of my acquaintances to mean heaven-sent financial resources generously bequeathed by elected officials. The fact is that these resources are actually funded by taxpayers. Elected officials and government agencies make decisions about where and how to spend your tax dollars. “Taxpayer funded” would be a much more accurate term.
Continual use of the term “homeless” to describe the people who live and beg in our streets seems to have limited our understanding of and solution to this problem to that of simply providing shelter. The fact is that many, if not most, of these people are homeless as the result of alcohol addiction, drug abuse, or mental illness. Providing shelter is necessary, but that alone won’t address the root causes of their circumstances. “Street people” might be a more accurate label.
As my grandfather used to tell me, “Don’t believe anything you hear . . . and only half of what you see!”
Johnnie Martinez
Velarde