Us and Them

We see them everywhere: crowding around the entrance to the T and sitting outside CVS. Some of us might work with them in shelters, while others simply see them as a way of procuring alcohol while underage. The homeless of Cambridge live alongside us, and yet seem entirely foreign.

Many students try to bridge this gap through community service, which is certainly an admirable choice. Every year, approximately 150 students work at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter. But after students return from their shifts, how easy is it to forget that there are people spending the night outside? It is hypocritical to reach out to the homeless in deed alone, if our actions do not lead us to develop compassion for them as well. Often, the latter is more helpful. Rennell, a homeless woman who was invited to speak in a Sociology 149 lecture last year, said that “sometimes conversation is better than money, to know you’re part of the world.” Acknowledging the humanity present in another—this seems simple. But empathy, it turns out, is an acquired skill. This fall, I joined LIFT, a national non-profit that works one-on-one with clients in find access to jobs, public housing, and public benefits. Until I began speaking to clients and hearing their side of the story, I didn’t fully appreciate how hard their situation was, and how little of it was their fault. It is this human component that Harvard students seem to need the most help with.

In several recent scandals, Harvard students have demonstrated ignorance about the local homeless population. Logan Leslie ’16, who ran for Cambridge City Council, listed homelessness as an issue on his campaign website. While Leslie did well to identify this problem, he approached it in a way that was antagonistic towards homeless individuals. Calling them “vagrants,” and demanding that we stop “coddling” are not appropriate ways to deal with the homeless. Nearly one quarter of the homeless population suffers from a severe mental illness (in comparison, only six percent of the non-homeless have severe mental illness); caring for them is exactly the right thing to do.

Leslie’s insensitive statement painted the homeless as an enemy, but more poisonous facets of the Harvard community demean the homeless to the point of dehumanization. As part of this year’s initiation activities, The Hasty Pudding Institute instructed neophytes to complete several tasks, documenting each with a photo to evidence their success. According to multiple initiates one of these tasks included buying a pizza and delivering it to a homeless person in Harvard Square. It does not take a genius to understand that photographing a group of Harvard students in a staged act of charity next to a homeless person, as if he were a prop, is wrong. One of the initiates recalled how, during the scavenger hunt, one member engaged in jokes mocking the homeless. The president of The Hasty Pudding Institute declined to comment.

Nor is this an uncommon occurrence. Just last year, the Sablière Society created controversy when two of its initiates videotaped themselves mocking a homeless man.

Of course, Leslie’s comments and the actions of the Hasty Pudding Institute are not representative of the student body as a whole. The student-run Harvard Square Homeless Shelter is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. But the callous indifference present in both should raise red flags for the College community as a whole. This is especially true for the Hasty Pudding, a club that is officially recognized by the University. Whereas making jokes about the gay community or other minority groups is almost universally condemned on campus, jokes demeaning the homeless can often be tossed about with no objections. Aside from purely altruistic reasons, the administration should have an interest in educating students on this topic, so that they do not reflect poorly on the University as a whole.

By lumping individuals into a large mass of “The Homeless” we ignore the humanity present in each person. Homeless people should not be thought of as an enemy or as a nuisance; the real enemy is a system that does not adequately provide for people struggling with mental health issues. We cannot stigmatize those who are out of work without acknowledging that we live in a society where the vast majority of jobs are not advertised, and connections are frequently the key to securing employment.

Too often, we can become complacent about the work we do. Racking up a set amount of volunteer hours does not make you a “good person.” There should not be a sharp divide between how we treat homeless individuals in the context of volunteering and in the context of our daily lives. Lecturer Patrick Hamm, who invited Rennell and two other homeless citizens to his class, had the right idea. This ignorance and lack of empathy may only be resolved if students confront the humanity present in the homeless, no matter how different their backgrounds may be from ours. The first step is as easy as a smile and a hello.

Tez M. Clark ’17 is a Crimson editorial comper in Wigglesworth Hall.