The American Culture of Distancing The Homeless

The foundation of the United States of America was built from the desire of its founders for people to achieve their individualized dreams separate from any entity. Over its 200+ years as an established democratic nation, the U.S has made numerous legislative changes at the federal and state level in order to better represent the needs of its people. Despite the changing definitions of who can be an American, the founding sentiment of the U.S being a land of opportunity for those who seek it is still the same. However, the same individualistic culture that has allowed people to thrive has turned its back on those who cannot survive under the same conditions. According to the 2018 Annual Point-in-Time Count released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 552,830 individuals experienced homelessness on a single night in U.S which accounts for just 0.17 percent of the total population. However, the problems faced by those faced with homelessness, such as poverty and lack of affordable housing, are not exclusive to the homeless population but are inevitably more visible among them. Federal, state, and local laws can and do provide support in the form of welfare and legal protections for the inextricably linked homeless and poverty-stricken populations. Nevertheless, if public opinion toward those who cannot thrive within the confines of antiquated beliefs does not change, the issue of homelessness in America cannot be eradicated.

Over its rather extensive history, the culture of favoring individualism over collectivism in the United States of America has remained unchanged since its establishment as a sovereign nation. The American culture is inextricably linked to the ideals penned into the foundation by the Declaration of Independence and the affirmation “We the People” made by the Constitution. Even before its independence from the English monarchy, the U.S. existed as a land of freedom and opportunity for those who sought to escape collectivistic governments. Although the term “American Dream” was not coined until 1931, the sentiment has existed alongside individualism since the establishment of the U.S. and has served as a unifying force for Americans. The American Dream was the subject of James Truslow Adams’ book The Epic of America, and he proclaimed it to be a “dream of a better, richer and happier life for all our citizens of every rank.” In modern times, the American Dream exists only as an unachievable ideal for many and those who fail to succeed are viewed with great disdain by the public.

Throughout its history, many have observed the American model of democracy in relation to its actual application within American society. One of the most prominent observations and critiques of American democracy was written by French sociologist and political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville, who visited several American prisons in 1831. Upon his return to France in 1832, he began to write his book Democracy in America which introduced the United States of America as “… the image of democracy itself, with its inclinations, its character, its prejudices, and its passions.” Although his overarching stance admires the American individualism in democracy, his observations do not reserve judgement towards its idealistic form and its actual application. Tocqueville notes that the American opinion of being “… the only nation of religious, enlightened, and free people” unified the nation with “a common feeling of pride” which has remained a pervasive attitude in modern era. However, he observes how the same unifying opinion also causes feelings of superiority among its people due to their success with democracy in contrast to the failure of other countries. He also states that their perceptions are not far from the belief that they are a “distinct race of mankind”. Despite the numerous shifts in demographics and political ideologies, patriotism remains a common sentiment amongst Americans, with its unifying powers reawakened during times of duress.

Tocqueville observed and traveled in the U.S. in the era prior to the ratification of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments which, on a strictly legal basis, expanded rights and freedoms to former slaves. While the South remained reliant on the enslavement of black people, the public opinion of the inferiority of black people was still a common belief in both regions. Several states in the North had abolished the practice of slavery on a legal basis, but it did little to erase the prejudice faced by black people due to the pervasive societal belief in their inferiority. Tocqueville lamented in the irony of both regions denying individualism and equality to slaves and former slaves based on outdated but pervasive common opinion and extended the observation of hypocrisy to the treatment of the Native American people. His concern with public opinion reigning in a region extended to the possibility that public opinion could form a paradoxical situation known as tyranny of the majority wherein the rights of the minorities are drowned out by the vote of the majority. The system of checks and balances was implemented to prevent such a situation in American government, but in many ways, it is evident that both the electoral college and the ruling public opinion prevent the expression of individualism.

The source of pride for many Americans is the longevity of the U.S. relative to other modern nations. With an over 200-year-old self-proclaimed democracy, the U.S. reigns over other countries as the oldest democratic nation in the world. However, a look into the history of the U.S. betrays the belief in its claims due to the restriction in who was granted the rights and freedoms inscribed in its founding documents. From a purely legal perspective, the United States has only existed as a democracy since 1971 with the ratification of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment which lowered the voting age of eligible citizens to eighteen. The ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 in theory extended the ability to participate in the democratic process to women regardless of race. The ratification of the Twenty-Fourth Amendment to the Constitution in 1964 removed restrictions and practices unfairly placed to restrict the voices of minorities. However, without fundamental changes in opinion, law only changes the parameters in which the majority can deny the rights of the minority.

In observing the contributions made by Americans who thrived under the long-established individualistic culture, it is evident that the reputation of the U.S. as a land of opportunity is well-deserved. Individualism values many of the ideals which have allowed many individuals to succeed in the U.S. such as independence, self-sufficiency, and autonomy. One of the most overt examples and embodiments of the sentiment often tied to “rags to riches” lies in the success of Andrew Carnegie. After immigrating from Scotland at the age of thirteen, Andrew Carnegie’s career began at a cotton mill where he earned $1.30 a week. At the age of twenty-four, he became a superintendent at the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and he began a series of investments that helped to amass his personal wealth. By 1892, Carnegie was able to form Carnegie Steel and in 1901 became the wealthiest man in the world by selling his company for $480 million dollars. As a naturalized citizen, Andrew Carnegie gave merit to American individualism by finding his own success despite his humble beginnings.

In modern society, despite the pervasive ideals of success through individualism, it is evident that the American Dream is increasingly less of an achievable reality for many Americans. The model used by economists to quantify those living below the poverty line was created in the 1960s and since its adoption as the de-facto method of estimating those affected by poverty, many political, social, and economic changes have occurred. However, the model only adjusts for inflation and many critics note that it does not reflect the struggles of those who earn wages close to or just above the poverty line. The federal government’s annual poverty thresholds estimate that 38.1 million people lived in poverty in 2018, or about 12% of the population. However, the Census reports that almost 30% of the population live close to poverty, or nearly 94 million people. In a survey conducted by CareerBuilder in 2017, approximately 78% of American workers reported living paycheck to paycheck. Additionally, most workers surveyed (81%) reported that they had worked a minimum wage job but 71% of those individuals were unable to sustain themselves and 54% even reported working multiple jobs to survive make ends meet financially.

Despite the differing models used to estimate poverty in the United States, the issues faced by the homeless population are not exclusive to just 0.17% of Americans. Regardless, individualism places a distance between those who have succeeded and those who are perceived to have not. Those who sleep on the street are a visual manifestation of “failure” in American society and although many Americans face similar problems, they are afforded the luxury of privacy where the homeless population is not. Common attitudes attributed to homelessness are also attributed to those who are in poverty such as laziness and alcoholism. The 1980s in the U.S. saw the radical shift in the political and economic climate with the inauguration of Ronald Reagan. His political policies and ideologies, best summarized as “Reaganomics” were implemented in reaction to what he stated was 'the worst economic mess since the Great Depression.' Reagan’s belief that the prosperity of corporate America would “trickle down” to even the poorest of Americans. He also implemented a series of cutbacks on social programs in favor of lower taxes for businesses and rejected in federal government spending on welfare. Based on his administration’s stance of favoring larger corporations, self-sufficiency was expected only in those in need of assistance. Jonathan Kozol, in criticism of Reagan’s $25 billion dollar cut in spending for low-income housing, summarized his findings about the cause of poverty in his 1988 book Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America. He stated that the cause for homelessness was simply “lack of housing”, reflecting on the surplus of affordable homes in 1970 and the subsequent lack of available housing in response to Reagan’s policies. In response to critics of Reaganomics, many supporters in turn have adopted the attitude of “I’ve got mine” which reflects a radical individualistic attitude lacking empathy towards those who cannot succeed.

Those affected by homelessness are inevitably unrepresented and unprotected in American democracy. In many cities across the U.S., the homeless are often penalized for simply being homeless and being unable to escape their situation. In 2017, Professor Philip Alston wrote a Statement on Visit to the USA after his invitation by the U.S. government to “to look at whether the persistence of extreme poverty in America undermines the enjoyment of human rights by its citizens.” Prompted by changes in policy regarding extreme poverty and inequality in the U.S., Alston remarked on his observation of the stark difference between the perceived wealth and prosperity of the U.S. and the realities faced by many Americans. He used several measures to compare the current social, political, and economic policies and their affect on the prosperity of the U.S. such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) whose membership consists of 36 countries. For example, despite its rejection of universal healthcare, the U.S spends twice as much on healthcare annually as the OECD average. Additionally, the U.S. boasts the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world while ranking at the bottom of the OECD list for poverty and inequality.

The OECD report of the 2016 election found that only 55.7% of eligible voters cast a ballot in the presidential election and ranked the U.S. as 28th. The finding also showed that only 64% of the eligible voting population was registered to vote in 2016, in stark contrast to countries such as the U.K. which held 91% of voters registered and 99% in Japan. Alston remarks that in a traditional democracy, “… the task of government should be to facilitate political participation by ensuring that all citizens can vote and that their votes will count equally.” Alston further asserts that the U.S. continually suppresses marginalized groups in society in both overt and covert ways such as the “overt disenfranchisement of vast numbers of felons” which disproportionately affects black Americans and the covert “relocating of DMVs to make it more difficult for certain groups to obtain IDs” which mainly affects those who reside in rural areas. He concludes by stating that the result is “… people living in poverty, minorities, and other disfavored groups are being systematically deprived of their voting rights.”

Perhaps the most shocking observation made by Alston was in the comments made by American government officials who remarked negatively on the population which relied on federal welfare. He heard many who repeated a similar political ideology held by Reagan in the 1980s which included the rhetoric that “… individuals are constantly coming up with new lurks to live high on the welfare hog, and community groups are exaggerating the numbers.” Such sentiments are inherently more damaging when the individual who holds those beliefs is elected to represent the voice of the people. A study analyzing public beliefs about the causes of poverty in 1989 found that the majority of those who attributed poverty to a failure of individualism listed “… the lack of motivation produced by welfare dependency; weak, often broken family backgrounds; and the lack of drive on the part of the poor” were neoconservatives and those in the media. In total, 90% of the respondents to the survey attributed “hard work, risk-taking, talents, drive and perseverance” to wealth. The way the homeless and poor are castigated in society for not achieving success in their lives is blatant prejudice that bears a resemblance to the historical castigation of black American. Regardless of the reasons why a person is homeless, the denial of freedom and human rights is due to their perceived failures is not the correct way to aid anyone.

Homelessness is a complicated issue with many individualized causes such as poverty which affect many in people modern American society. As a result, there is no one solution to eradicating homelessness but rather a series of smaller actions and changes in perception must take place in American culture for legislative changes to succeed on a federal, state, and local level. For example, many studies have found that the average cost to taxpayers for a chronically homeless person to remain homeless is around $30,000 to $50,000 due to their lack of resources for care due to their occupation in jails, hospitals, and detoxing programs. Analysis of HUD’s data conducted by Shawn Moulton found that while initial costs for providing the chronically homeless with housing are high at $55,560, the yearly costs of not providing housing to the chronically homeless are still higher. He also notes that subsequent costs will likely decrease due to the “fixed cost of constructing new housing units as well as costs associated with transitioning the chronically homeless into new units.” While the approach presents only one possible solution, the implementation of that approach and other similar approaches cannot succeed if prejudices towards the homeless continue to exist.

The eradication of homelessness in the U.S. is not only dependent on federal, state, and local legal support, but above all on the changing of the expectation of every American to adhere to individualism. In theory, individualism can lead to inventions and innovation, but it cannot exist as the sole measure for success and worth in the United States. Homelessness is a complicated issue with causes such as poverty that exist in more than just the homeless population. It is inevitably held in place by the pervasive and outdated belief in individualism as a measure of success and self-worth which has been ingrained into the foundation of the United States of America. While legal protections can be implemented to aid those affected by homelessness, public opinion and representation in government are more important in helping to address the overarching issues shared by many in the United States.