Stigmatization: Homelessness as a Social Problem

In John Belcher and Bruce DeForge's 2012 study on Social Stigma and homelessness, the association between stigmatization and capitalism has brought to light overwhelming research that best describes homelessness as one of America's biggest social problems. While it is true that many homeless advocacy groups and nonprofit organizations press forward in the fight to end homelessness, the unfortunate truth is that American media has painted homelessness in a predominately negative light, leaving the primary view of homeless individuals stigmatized by American's nationwide. 
Following my two focus group interviews, in which I showed the video below, Human, by Rethink Homelessness, my research exposed the disheartening truth that Social Stigma against the homeless has indeed tainted the views and understanding of homelessness by most.

In closing conversation following my participant's viewing of this YouTube video, almost all of my participants said something along the lines of 'the video is touching, but does not come close to explaining the complexity, cyclical problem that homelessness is'. A direct statement made was that unfortunately, because of the stigmatized idea previously engrained in American's minds, while in the moment, a video such as these may impact an individual, pull on the heart strings and make one reconsider the severity and complexity of homelessness, "five minutes later, you will forget". In such a fast paced society, we as capitalistic Americans, separated distinctly by economic factors and class, may, in a way not want to solve homelessness. For in a society in which there must always be winners and losers to maintain the status quo, who would ever want to give the "losers" a hand up, if that meant an equal playing field, or what's worse? Maybe you lose your status as a winner and sink to the bottom; the unequal distribution of wealth in America perpetuates social stigma against the homeless because the American Dream never said anything about helping anybody else out, it's either get rich or die trying in today's society. We have to have some excuse for such inhumane actions that prove our capitalist behavior to be so greedy and selfish. That excuse has been stigmatizing an entire group of people because instead of challenging homelessness, we as a culture have decided to accept it (Belcher and DeForge 2012, 930). In accepting it, if we can see the homeless as evil, as bums, drunks, and oh so dangerous individuals, well what choice do we have but to stigmatize them? And on lives a social construction of ideology based on discrimination, and stigmatization; one of America's greatest social problems, Homeless misrepresentation. 

Belcher, John R. and Bruce R. DeForge. "Social Stigma and Homelessness: The Limits of Social Change." Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment 22, no. 8 (2012): 929. http://ezproxy.rollins.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1197624992?accountid=13584.