Homelessness in B&W. I am just getting into photography, tell me what you think.

[unpopular]

LMAO. wow. The arrogance of youth. I normally don't enter into moral debates on here, but whew...buddy..I hope bad times never fall on you. That's all I have to say.

Bad times have came on me, when I was 18-21, I was in similar shoes. I was a drug addict and making my way through life as a stay in with my friends and their homes. Pretty much every night I switched locations. Eventually my friends got sick of it and patience was wearing thin.

I CHOSE to do something about it. Now I'm going on 29 years old, I have my own place, a car, a family, and a nice stable job producing good income. So, don't call my statement arrogant or naive. I speak from experience.

Sent from my iPhone 4S

You were a COUCH SURFER who dabbled with drugs for a couple years.

I am a person with a debilitating mental illness who, without Medicare, would be terminally homeless, and was homeless - as in sleeping under underpasses - after a psychotic breakdown resulting from, in part to, inadequate access to healthcare.

Forgive me for my lack of sympathy.

 

[AaronLLockhart]

ALL RIGHT! Now let's get some popcorn!

Ok Aaron. Why is it that for some people the choices we make have less or more impact than others? Why is it you don't see many homeless teens in wealthy neighborhoods?

Are you really telling me that a 23 year old kid addicted to alcohol from a poor family has an equal chance of obtaining treatment as a 23 year old from a wealthy neighborhood? Which of these two kids are more likely to have health insurance? Which of the se two kid's parents are more likely to have the resources to pay for treatment? Which of these two kids are more likely to have parents who can support him financially?

And what about mental illness? Perhaps you don't realize it, but there is a wait-list usually 12+ months in major cities. The poor spend this time on the streets, often allowing their health to deteriorate to the point that they are incapable of even knowing that they had applied in the first place. Where do you think wealthy people stay during this time period.

The same goes for social security applications, so it's not just a matter of "staying on meds" because despite the truth is there are three month wait lists for public psychiatrists - without medicare benefits, these people have no access to the healthcare which they need to stay stable. Again within that time period conditions often worsen to the point that they couldn't maintain a home even if they had one.

So put down your iPhone 4S and look out your window. You're entitled to anything by any virtue. Nobody is.

Man, you aren't telling me anything I don't already know. I don't come from a "wealthy" family, and I have gone most of my life without health insurance. In fact, I don't have health insurance right now.

See, your assumption is that all homeless people are mentally ill, or suffer from some terminal illness. This isn't the case. Not only was I involved with this lifestyle at one time, my office is also located right down the street from the homeless mission in Nashville. I see and interact with homeless people on a day to say basis. I cannot express to you in a way that you could possibly fathom, how many times we pick up trash from around this building and find crack pipes and needles.

Sent from my iPhone 4S

 

[Ernicus]

LMAO. wow. The arrogance of youth. I normally don't enter into moral debates on here, but whew...buddy..I hope bad times never fall on you. That's all I have to say.

Bad times have came on me, when I was 18-21, I was in similar shoes. I was a drug addict and making my way through life as a stay in with my friends and their homes. Pretty much every night I switched locations.

So......you were homeless. Couch hopping is homeless dude, just sayin.

I too was living in my car for a while a few years ago when bad times fell on me...and not by choice. Where choice came in was my choice in doing something about my situation. And I did. Sometimes it is not about choice. Those who remain homeless for years and years and are a drain on society..sure...that's a different story, but you summed it all up in one arrogant statement saying they are that way because they chose to be.

What you call hard times is probably nothing but a cake walk to another in harder times. It's all relative. Your statement was arrogant so I'll say what I want.

 

[Ysarex90 84]

LMAO. wow. The arrogance of youth. I normally don't enter into moral debates on here, but whew...buddy..I hope bad times never fall on you. That's all I have to say.

Bad times have came on me, when I was 18-21, I was in similar shoes. I was a drug addict and making my way through life as a stay in with my friends and their homes. Pretty much every night I switched locations. Eventually my friends got sick of it and patience was wearing thin.

I CHOSE to do something about it. Now I'm going on 29 years old, I have my own place, a car, a family, and a nice stable job producing good income. So, don't call my statement arrogant or naive. I speak from experience.

Sent from my iPhone 4S

In your case it was the result of choices you made, but you made a blanket statement and projected your experience on all homeless Americans. Glad you're doing better, but the truth is guiltless misfortune does fall upon many including here in America. Your generalization is very wrong.

My personal experience: I lived for 6 years in a homeless shelter (by choice), and I've stayed involved for over 20 years. We take care of lots of "guilty" drug addicts and drunks, but if I had to identify the #1 American homeless person that I have consistently seen for over twenty years it would be an older woman who spent a lifetime raising a family and as such had little or no work experience and then when she was old and used up and had for a decade since been abandoned by her bleep bleepin' bleep husband, she is then discarded by her children -- jobless, nearly unemployable, lost her home, then living out of her car, sweeping the floor at McDonalds and finally at the door of our shelter. Her bad choice was to marry a bum and devote her life to raising her children. She is the real face of homelessness in America.

Joe

 

[AaronLLockhart]

You were a COUCH SURFER who dabbled with drugs for a couple years.

I am a person with a debilitating mental illness who, without Medicare, would be terminally homeless, and was homeless - as in sleeping under underpasses - after a psychotic breakdown resulting from, in part to, inadequate access to healthcare.

Forgive me for my lack of sympathy.

Inadequate access to healthcare? You are joking. I also suffer from a couple of mental illness as well. Ranging from dysthymia to bi-polar disorder, all of which I take medication for on a daily basis, and pay for WITHOUT health insurance.

Sent from my iPhone 4S

 

[unpopular]

Man, you aren't telling me anything I don't already know. I don't come from a "wealthy" family, and I have gone most of my life without health insurance. In fact, I don't have health insurance right now.

See, your assumption is that all homeless people are mentally ill, or suffer from some terminal illness. This isn't the case. Not only was I involved with this lifestyle at one time, my office is also located right down the street from the homeless mission in Nashville. I see and interact with homeless people on a day to say basis. I cannot express to you in a way that you could possibly fathom, how many times we pick up trash from around this building and find crack pipes and needles.

Sent from my iPhone 4S

Assumption? You're the one that said it's all about 'choice'. Statistics indicate that the overwhelming number of homeless have a serious mental illness. If you looked at me at that time you probably wouldn't have seen me as a person with a mental illness. You might have just assumed I was on drugs or something. I didn't walk around talking to myself.

But i made no such assumption that the homeless were all mentally ill, or even drug addicts, only pointing out that the choices we make do not affect us equally, and that often monetary background has a clear advantage.

We all make poor decisions, but the results of those decisions are not equal in impact.

 

[Ernicus]

You were a COUCH SURFER who dabbled with drugs for a couple years.

I am a person with a debilitating mental illness who, without Medicare, would be terminally homeless, and was homeless - as in sleeping under underpasses - after a psychotic breakdown resulting from, in part to, inadequate access to healthcare.

Forgive me for my lack of sympathy.

Inadequate access to healthcare? You are joking. I also suffer from a couple of mental illness as well. Ranging from dysthymia to bi-polar disorder, all of which I take medication for on a daily basis, and pay for WITHOUT health insurance.

Sent from my iPhone 4S

Sellin lots of drugs to pay for your meds? I know for a fact that bi polar meds are not cheap, aside from lithium which is very cheap...nearly 15-20 bucks a month. Seroquel alone is 786 dollars a bottle without insurance, and on a different rant, is why it's so often prescribed, it's **** for treatment but insurance companies make a killing.

 

[AaronLLockhart]

Sellin lots of drugs to pay for your meds? I know for a fact that bi polar meds are not cheap, aside from lithium which is very cheap...nearly 15-20 bucks a month. Seroquel alone is 786 dollars a bottle without insurance, and on a different rant, is why it's so often prescribed, it's **** for treatment but insurance companies make a killing.

As a matter of fact, no. I don't do anything unethical to achieve money. I am the general manager of a manufacturing facility, I do graphic and web design on the side, along with buying and selling consumer electronics. I don't even drink.

And you are right, my meds are EXTREMELY expensive. If I had health insurance, I would definitely drive a nicer car.


Sent from my iPhone 4S

 

[unpopular]

You were a COUCH SURFER who dabbled with drugs for a couple years.

I am a person with a debilitating mental illness who, without Medicare, would be terminally homeless, and was homeless - as in sleeping under underpasses - after a psychotic breakdown resulting from, in part to, inadequate access to healthcare.

Forgive me for my lack of sympathy.

Inadequate access to healthcare? You are joking. I also suffer from a couple of mental illness as well. Ranging from dysthymia to bi-polar disorder, all of which I take medication for on a daily basis, and pay for WITHOUT health insurance.

Sent from my iPhone 4S

Are you seriously comparing dysthymia with schizophrenia and schizoaffective?

 

[unpopular]

You were a COUCH SURFER who dabbled with drugs for a couple years.

I am a person with a debilitating mental illness who, without Medicare, would be terminally homeless, and was homeless - as in sleeping under underpasses - after a psychotic breakdown resulting from, in part to, inadequate access to healthcare.

Forgive me for my lack of sympathy.

Inadequate access to healthcare? You are joking. I also suffer from a couple of mental illness as well. Ranging from dysthymia to bi-polar disorder, all of which I take medication for on a daily basis, and pay for WITHOUT health insurance.

Sent from my iPhone 4S

Sellin lots of drugs to pay for your meds? I know for a fact that bi polar meds are not cheap, aside from lithium which is very cheap...nearly 15-20 bucks a month. Seroquel alone is 786 dollars a bottle without insurance, and on a different rant, is why it's so often prescribed, it's **** for treatment but insurance companies make a killing.

Actually many of these drugs are now generic. Valproate costs about $25/month ... still, kind of hard to spange for that, especially if you don't have a prescribing physician.

 

[AaronLLockhart]

Are you seriously comparing dysthymia with schizophrenia and schizoaffective?

If you are schizo to a point you are not a productive member of society, you need to go to state awarded treatment. Think the waiting list is too long? Simple, go the emergency room and tell them that you are suicidal, and they will have a bed ready for you in the mental ward that night.
The next day they ship you to the state institution. At least that's how it works here.

Sent from my iPhone 4S

 

[NE-KID]

Besides the homeless drama going back and forth...Now back to the photograph subject in question I like it.

 

[AaronLLockhart]

Actually many of these drugs are now generic. Valproate costs about $25/month ... still, kind of hard to spange for that, especially if you don't have a prescribing physician.

Shoot, tell me how to convince my dr to go that route. I spend approx $450 per month on my meds.

Sent from my iPhone 4S

 

[Ernicus]

Sellin lots of drugs to pay for your meds? I know for a fact that bi polar meds are not cheap, aside from lithium which is very cheap...nearly 15-20 bucks a month. Seroquel alone is 786 dollars a bottle without insurance, and on a different rant, is why it's so often prescribed, it's **** for treatment but insurance companies make a killing.

As a matter of fact, no. I don't do anything unethical to achieve money. I am the general manager of a manufacturing facility, I do graphic and web design on the side, along with buying and selling consumer electronics. I don't even drink.

And you are right, my meds are EXTREMELY expensive. If I had health insurance, I would definitely drive a nicer car.


Sent from my iPhone 4S

I was just adding some sarcasm for fun, I never judge a person and don't really care what they do for money. Be it handy's in the parking lot at night, or running a company...how people earn their living is none of my concern. ;-)

 

[Ernicus]

Actually many of these drugs are now generic. Valproate costs about $25/month ... still, kind of hard to spange for that, especially if you don't have a prescribing physician.

Shoot, tell me how to convince my dr to go that route. I spend approx $450 per month on my meds.

Sent from my iPhone 4S

find a better physician. There are many who don't wanna deal with people without insurance, but there are those who truly want to help people and will prescribe the generics and in expensive drugs without affecting quality of treatment. Just gotta fine 'em. thats the hard part.