Sociology Of Homelessness

The homeless situation around the world has reached epic proportions and the tropical paradise of Hawaii is no exception. Honolulu is the most densely populated cities in Hawaii, home to 387,170 of Oahu's people (US Census Bureau). “The counts estimated the total number of homelessness on Oahu as of January 2015 to be 4,903” (City and County of Honolulu Homeless Point-in-Time Count 2015 7). While there are wide variations of the meaning of homeless, homelessness goes further than not just having shelter. For those living on the streets it additionally denotes uncertainty, lack of security, and the denial of safety.

Performing random acts of kindness (RAOK) can yield quite different levels of reactions depending on the social standing and the

demeanor of the individual who is being assisted. For many people conducting RAOK is a part of their everyday life. Whether it’s the Good Samaritan who stops to assist a stranded motorist or a shopper who plays it forward by helping an elderly person carry their groceries to the car. No matter how you refer to it these types of RAOK are perceived as good and do not contravene cultural norms. One explanation for this acceptance is because aiding others is in our human nature. However, not all RAOK falls within the acceptable guidelines of society. The findings of three separate RAOK conducted over a one week period proved that not all RAOK are welcomed.
The first experiment occurred on September 3, 2015 at approximately 1600 in front the 7-Eleven located at 4805 Bougainville Dr., Honolulu, HI. After observing an older adult Hawaiian gentleman with a white hair and a white beard rummaging through a receptacle outside of 7-Eleven, I decided to conduct my RAOK experiment on the effects of assisting the homeless in view of the public. The subject appeared to be homeless because most of his belongings were in a cart. The subject was grateful for the sandwich that was purchased for him. However, the store cashiers didn’t share the same level of enthusiasm. For them feeding the homeless man was analogous to the feeding of stare cats for the simple fact of once you feed them they will not go away. Since then the no loitering policy is strictly enforced and signs have been posted. However, I’m unsure of the correlation of me giving the homeless man a sandwich and enforcement of the no loitering policy.
The second experiment occurred on September 4, 2015 at approximately 1615 in the juxtaposition of a remotely populated bus stop located at 986 Valkenburgh St., Honolulu, HI adjacent to a Chevron station. As I passed the bus stop, I descry a middle aged Caucasian homeless man was slumbering on the grass in the juxtaposition of a wall abaft the bus stop. Everyone at the bus stop appeared to be preoccupied with his or her own life until I approached the slumbering homeless man. I now had a captive audience. However, I believe most of them probably thought I was a component of the task force that was cracking down the homeless. After giving the man the sandwich from the Chevron station, the majority of the spectators went back to their diligent lives of waiting for the bus. However, a few members optically canvassed me throughout the entire interaction with the man; I expect in hopes of some type of exhilaration. Regardless of the attention the man was grateful for the sandwich and commenced to eat it right away.
Although the bulk of the research has explored how homeless male recipients react to RAOK, the remnant of the research will canvas the reactions of a homeless woman when she is presented food instead money. The final experiment occurred on September 5, 2015 at approximately 1800 at the junction of Sand Island Access Rd and North Nimitz Hwy, Honolulu, HI. A middle aged Hawaiian woman was displaying a sign “need money for food”. Therefore, I thought it would be the ideal time to conclude my research. After purchasing food from a McDonald’s, only a few yards from the women’s position I then returned to her with the food. However, she didn’t accept the food; she preferred the money. She became irate at this point and it became no longer safe to proceed with the experiment. As I departed, I observed that a middle aged Hawaiian male who appeared to be working with the women was joining her. Moreover, the woman’s spectacle on the busy street drew the attention of few bystanders and motorists.
The sheer number of homeless individuals around my general location afforded me the opportunity to conduct all three experiments in a kindred fashion. Three different homeless individuals were given food instead money. This idea was based on the fact that not all homeless people utilize the money collected to buy food. Quite often they use the money to purchase alcohol, cigarettes and drugs. Knowing this made it more challenging confronting the three subjects because I didn’t know how they would respond to RAOK. Homeless people are not always treated with dignity that is why I imagine subjects one and two were more appreciative of sandwich. Even though feeding the homeless is not a part of my daily routine, it felt good knowing that two members of our society wouldn’t go hungry that night.
The hypothesis of this experiment was that performing RAOK could yield quite different calibers of reactions depending on the social standing and the demeanor of the individual who is being helped.

I decided to test this hypothesis after examining how most homeless members of our society are automatically deemed as deviant because they do not conform to society’s norms. Homelessness is often considered deviant because of the correlation of being homeless with substance abuse and filth. However, not all homeless individual fit this general stereotype. For example, the subject in the first experiment was scarcely groomed and probably embarked on his endeavors reasonably clean and later became soiled after rummaging through garbage receptacles in search of cans and bottles. While subjects two and three fit the profile of how most societies view the homeless. Moreover, unlike the first subject, subjects two and three appeared and smelt as if they hadn’t bathe in weeks and the stench of alcohol was very pronounced on the two subject’s breath. Nevertheless, the first subject exhibited a more deviant comportment because he contravened a formal norm by disregarding the store’s loitering policy. Therefore, homelessness can be discerned as a more deviant act depending on the condition and environment the person is

in.
There are many reasons for homelessness. In some societies, the economic base is so weak that many people can’t afford adequate housing and nutriment. Furthermore, not all homeless people are inherently deviant even though societies label them as such. For this reason people think the homeless are not citizens and they don’t deserve our sympathy, which is quite the opposite. My research revealed that by conducting RAOK small traces of humanity could be briefly restored in some homeless. However, caution should be taken when confronting the homeless because some homeless members may view your actions as a threat and respond with violence.