Thursday, March 15, 2012

Well, I suppose we could call them at their game...

In the news, there is talk of the "Homeless Hotspot" at South by Southwest festival.  Some ad adjacent gave 4G mifis to some homeless people so that hipsters at SXSW can get fast net access while attending the festival, apparently.  The media blew up at mostly bulked at this because the homeless people- the poverty stricken people who, for one reason or another, are unemployable and don't have a permanent residency- have been referred to as "homeless hotspots"... or something like that.  These people where shirts that read "I'm Bob and I'm a WiFi Hotspot" or something like that.  And ofcource, the leftist media blows up at the obvious flaw that homeless people are, and this is true, being referred to as mobile hotspots  as opposed to people.  The rightist media has made a few poke backs that these people are being given money, altho the facts they tout are inaccurate as far as how much money these people are actually making and glaze over matters such as human dignity.

This is all a very big shame and a waste.

Not for the homeless people being exploited, they are no more exploited in this instance then they ever had been- the media wasn't this adamant about the Bum Fights DVDs that had came out in years past (altho some were, it wasn't across the board as this has been within days).  No, if you've actually ever talked to a handful of homeless people you'll learn that they are mostly tenacious about seeing the next day rise, just as you would be if you ever had to actually struggle just to live.

No, this is a shame and waste for all those who write the news and for all those that have compassion for the homeless.  I understand that some ad agency started all this.  Why is an ad agency doing this?  On the news I didn't see the agency's name.  Even if they had ads on the homeless people's shirts then it wasn't obvious.  SSSSoooooo, it's obvious the ad agency got what they wanted- free press coverage.  Now they have something in their portfolio to sell clients, popularity.  Be it good or bad, all coverage is good coverage.

It goes beyond that because it's not actually a bad idea that will now be demonized for ligit businesses to do correctly in the future.  For years there have been homeless newspapers, written by the homeless, given to the homeless for something to sell as opposed to begging for money.  I guess the problem with this, from what I have observed from first hand experience, is that people will "buy" the newspaper but not actually read it, or not even take it at all.  It is as if to say "Sure, we want to help you, to push you in to the next day, but what you have to give is not valid.  Now or tomorrow"

You know what I think?  I think what these people have to say is valid.  I think that if society tries hard we can find a place for these "unplaceables".  How many times do we spare some change to a homeless person?  How many time have we stopped to ask them about their lives?  Perhaps if the homeless had a WiFi hotspot access to sell and if we needed WiFi access we would have to interact with them, to talk to them, to learn about them and realize that they are people just like people that take your fastfood order or sell you beer at the corner store.

This is all a shame because it's a good idea to give people that are needy a position that can play a part in our modern society, yet the idea was hijacked buy a company that cares more about press coverage than God's children.  I wish a company would come along and offer these people who are less fortunate  an opportunity to vend internet access instead of a company that reduces our brothers and sisters that are less unfortunate to computer equipment.

For a long time I was with out cell phone service, because of financial limitations, but I was able to check my voice mail and email on the internet.  Perhaps if a person was around town so that I could check my messages more often life would have been a bit easier for myself.  Perhaps if I could spare a dollar, give it to that person, and talk to that person, both of our lives would be a little better off.

Turning the homeless into mobile hotspots is wrong.  Letting people vend hotspots is right.  Let us ignore the bad and embrace the good.