There was a time when I would have been considered a social liberal, given my eagerness to provide a helping hand and safety net to when I perceived as the downtrodden and disenfranchised. Now, with responsibilities and property ownership and really busting my ass to achieve something better in life, I'm a little less Kumbaya and a little more willing to protect what I've worked for. Maybe this is what is happening to areas of San Francisco WRT changing attitudes about the homeless. The telling part, I think, is here:
"One sample doesn't make a trend, but it is telling," says Latterman. "C'mon, they live in the upper Haight. They're liberal by definition."But they are also, in many cases, homeowners and thus have a sense of ownership and emotional investment. That's another part of what has caused this sea change in thinking. From TIC (tenants in common) units, to condominiums, to luxury townhouses, the city has created the potential for an influx of buyers, despite the downward trend in home sales in much of the country.
Sense of ownership. Emotional investment. We value that for which we have had to work or sacrifice, and these homeowners in SF are no different. My impression of their reaction is that while they still have compassion toward their fellow man, these San Franciscans would like to see that their efforts have provided a better life for their families than having to deal with human excrement and privation. Perhaps it's an issue of wondering what kind of improvements - if any - their largess has made in the lives of SF's homeless and destitute.
At any rate, I think I understand their discomfort insofar as expecting to be at a better place after much hard work and preparation. And I hope they find it.
As for myself, I'm still ever ready to provide a helping hand, with the expectation that it's a hand up and not a handout.
(h/t Lou Minatti)