Ishmael Companion: Beyond Civilization -- resources for teachers and readers
Reluctant pioneers · Making the homeless disappear · If it didn't work last year . . . · A new rule for new minds · Listening to the homeless
Many jobs that a generation ago would have been waiting for you when you enter the job market have been "exported to countries where labor is cheaper or made superfluous by downsizing or automation." Under ordinary circumstances, how would you expect this to impact your future?
What do you think of the distinction between "deserving" and "undeserving" poor? How do the poor try to identify themselves to the public as "deserving"?
We all want the homeless to disappear--to resume life as normal, housed, working people. What prevents this from happening?
Invite community officials to explain to your class what efforts are being made to "shoehorn" the homeless back into the middle-class in your area. Specific questions: What was done last year, and how did it work? What will be done this year that is different?
Quinn says that "As soon as someone is brave enough to deal with homelessness this way, by acknowledging it and drawing it in instead of fighting it, remarkable things will begin to happen in that place--and not just for the homeless." How and why would this affect anyone but the homeless?
See if you can track down a homeless person who will be willing to "consult" with your class as needed during their study of homelessness.
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