Capstone Cinema: HOMELESSNESS

The Capstone Cinema was a real eye-opener this evening. It focused on homelessness in Columbia... an obviously HUGE problem in the city. All a person has to do is walk around Columbia around dusk and one will ultimately run into countless homeless people. Today's video followed around one such person, Protein; it showed a typical day for a homeless man.

The video showed how some people had ended up there after losing their jobs, simply due to the economy. It showed people who not only wanted to work, but would do almost any job to get by. It was heartbreaking to see another human being struggling when all they were simply guilty of was being the victim of an awful economy.

Although the story was heartbreaking and hard to watch, I found myself getting somewhat perturbed throughout the movie. I mean, don't get me wrong, no human being should have to live like that. Its inhumane and completely awful. However, I found that some people wanted to blame their situations on other people when ultimately they had put themselves there. For instance, the drug user who was angry that the government didn't spend money to send him to rehab. Heres my argument: its not like he didn't know that using drugs could lead to terrible consequences. If he was enrolled in any type of school system as a child, (which legally he must have been), then he would have been taught some way or another that drugs arent healthy and almost never have positive consequences. And yet he still chose that path. So now HE needs to take the responsibility to get himself help. Not rely on our government to do it for him.

OR the man who said that because he was a convicted felon, he couldn't get a job. I understand that employees don't want to hire felons, and thats rough. I can't imagine wanting to work and not being able to. However yet again, he committed a felony. I know that some people will say that they were young and stupid, but at the same time I almost don't believe that. I'm relatively young, and yet I don't ever see myself in that type of situation. I have enough common sense to recognize that something is wrong or bad and to not do it. Again, its a consequence of his actions; he should have to deal with it. I know some people might claim that his punishment is prison and that he's already paid his debt to society. And I agree with that; he has paid his debt. Not being able to be employed is something completely different. Its a consequence. As children, we are all taught that our actions have consequences. Its a simple elementary school idea. He should have realized that his actions would have good/bad consequences, beside punishment. And I'm sorry that its tough, but he made his decision and now must work through it himself.

Overall it was eye-opening and interesting; it really made me want to get involved some way. I'm definitely going to be participating in the blanket drive and try to get involved in other ways.