Homeless man

I’m working away on my OU course today, the topic this week is totally gripping. It’s about people’s identities and how groups of people treat each other. Johnathan Raban stopped me in my tracks and made me think back…

I remember being on a night out in Edinburgh going from pub to pub. Paul and I headed off from the rest of our pals to go get more money out and to smoke a joint we’d brought with us. As we were waiting in the queue at the ATM, there was a homeless guy sitting next to the machine with a cup in his hand.

As we watched, some pished guys were walking by and mouthed off at him as they passed, laughing and kicking the blanket he was sitting on. Paul and I said nothing to each other, just watched.

When we’d got our money out, we lit up and sat next to the guy. Sitting down, everything felt different. We shared the joint with him and none of us really spoke. Passersby were treating him like utter shit. Jeering, laughing at him, making rough gestures towards him.

As Paul and I said to each other afterwards, it wasn’t until we sat down with him, on the pavement, at his level, did it really bring it home what situation he was in. Everybody passing, physically looks down at him. Most folk completely ignore him, but some people, mainly pished ones, bullied him to get a laugh from their friends.

As Raban, 1991, said, people treat you differently depending on where you physically are, and how other people physically see you. That really, it’s not until you imitate a person’s position, do you see how the rest of the world will treat you…

Reference

Raban, J. (1991) Hunting Mister Heartbreak. London: Pan.