Saw this absolutely disgusting screed today from the American Hotel Lobby Association (yeah, that’s a thing). I have some friends in a network who gets these and others, and I wanted to share with folks here too.
This is a real thing that is happening. This is what giving corporations a voice looks like. This is what neoliberal democracy is; organizations grouping together to build lobbying groups that advocate strongly for keeping homeless on the streets (and other horrible things of course).
I dunno I get these sorts of things pretty often, I can certainly share more of these if people want. They make me sad and angry every time I see them. I like to show these to libs to remind them that this is what the democracy that they swear by looks like.
the hotel lobby is the perfect microcosm of capitalism. faux welcoming, highly exclusive propertarianism. heavily surveilled and policed. food, drink, bathrooms, and comfortable areas abound but only for those who belong. constantly tidied by an invisible underclass. overseen by a well-dressed functionary generally harboring the most vicious stereotypes in their mind and challenging anyone not fitting the mold with an implied threat of arrest for trespass.
if you don’t look like an obviously rich patron, they are up your ass about why you are sitting in a chair within a few minutes. i fuckin’ hate waiting in the lobby for someone, even if i am staying at the hotel. the entire vibe is always “get the fuck out”.
The classism is disgusting.
thank you AHLA for informing me that the city isn’t even providing counseling and healthcare and therefore I need to tell them to go further than this proposition
That is the actual reason to oppose this measure. Because it’s less than the minimum needed to work. What real benefit is there to temporarily housing homeless people and then not providing them any other services?
What real benefit is there to temporarily housing homeless people and then not providing them any other services?
…the housing?
it’s not a panacea but any amount of stability and simple fucking humane treatment is a huge boost and makes it easier to figure shit out
you shouldn’t oppose this measure, you should take this inch and then seize a mile
real like long term not real as in there is no benefit. Bad choice of words on my part.
I encourage you to go do some research on housing first models.
Nobody is saying that putting homeless in a hotel solves all of their problems but it does solve the immediate problem of shelter, even if only for one night. Ask anyone who has been unhoused and they will tell you the value of one safe comfortable night and a hot shower is immeasurable. It’s not a perfect or complete solution but it’s better than letting them die on the streets
Liberals are like:
The barest minimum housing interventions
Sanctuary districts
Sir I purpose a measure to turn all the homeless into a paste to feed to elementary school kids for lunch.
Who would pay for that? Where would we find the funds? Also elementary school kids need to pay for their lunch, we simply can’t afford to feed them. They need to learn the value of hard work.
Anyway I’m going to go sign off on sending 100 billion more dollars in aid to Ukraine, brb.