An unknown graffiti artist, calling himself Skid Robot has begun painting similar scenes as the one above all throughout skid row in Los Angeles in recent months. Whether the murals are detailed like the one above, or simple such as the one below, they are intended to challenge public acceptance of the homeless, and more vastly, address homelessness as a social problem.
Research done in 2013 by Peter Sommerville suggests that homelessness is an issue that is not easily classified or categorized, instead Sommerville explains, it is a "multidimensional" problem. Sommerville explains through his research that homelessness has come to be distorted, ignored, and what he refers to as "social fact". Homelessness has become accepted in our culture as something we cannot change, and furthermore, as a stigmatized and dehumanized generalization for an entire group of individuals. Artists such as Skid Robot challenge this, however Sommerville's research suggest that there are not enough people challenging public consensus of the homeless population. And finally, Sommerville suggests, that were we, as a culture, able to understand the stories and realities of those experiencing homelessness, we may better understand it for what it truly is: a social problem that needs support and advocacy. This theory echoes that of my own participants' ideas throughout my focus group interviews. "We need to direct contact with homelessness" one of my participants explained, "if
never directly interacting with homeless people, [we] would just understand it
as we see it portrayed in media or hearsay." In order to understand homelessness and finally challenge it's existence throughout our communities we must all overcome previous social stigma's, accepted stereotypes and ideologies associated with the problem and begin to listen to the voice of those truly living in homelessness.
Research done in 2013 by Peter Sommerville suggests that homelessness is an issue that is not easily classified or categorized, instead Sommerville explains, it is a "multidimensional" problem. Sommerville explains through his research that homelessness has come to be distorted, ignored, and what he refers to as "social fact". Homelessness has become accepted in our culture as something we cannot change, and furthermore, as a stigmatized and dehumanized generalization for an entire group of individuals. Artists such as Skid Robot challenge this, however Sommerville's research suggest that there are not enough people challenging public consensus of the homeless population. And finally, Sommerville suggests, that were we, as a culture, able to understand the stories and realities of those experiencing homelessness, we may better understand it for what it truly is: a social problem that needs support and advocacy. This theory echoes that of my own participants' ideas throughout my focus group interviews. "We need to direct contact with homelessness" one of my participants explained, "if
never directly interacting with homeless people, [we] would just understand it
as we see it portrayed in media or hearsay." In order to understand homelessness and finally challenge it's existence throughout our communities we must all overcome previous social stigma's, accepted stereotypes and ideologies associated with the problem and begin to listen to the voice of those truly living in homelessness.
Sommerville, Peter. "Understanding Homelessness" Housing, Theory, and Society 30, no.4 (2013) 384. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14036096.2012.756096#abstract
No comments:
Post a Comment