"Untouchables" by Jonathan Kozol, blog post #4

1. General attitudes in America toward the homeless, according to Kozol, are negative. To support this generalization, Kozol uses various quotes from individuals around the country who express disdain toward the homeless. An example of this is the quote on page 278 which says "We're tired of it. Tired of feeling guilty about these people."
2. My feelings on the homeless have definitely been solidified to a greater degree because of this essay. It is hard for me to say if my attitude towards the subject has changed; oftentimes I feel irritation when I see homeless people, but sometimes I have compassion. This essay definitely added to that compassion side of the coin.
3. I am familiar with India's caste system, rooted in Hindu tradition, from which Kozol has obtained his title of "Untouchables." I feel the comparison of the homeless to Untouchables, the lowest social order in India, is disturbingly appropriate. Untouchables were essentially considered "unclean". In contemporary American society, the homeless have a similar reputation. They epitomize poverty is its most disgusting and terrifying form. Although both Untouchables and the homeless are just average people, our perception of them as being "less than human" is very real. Society simply does not respect the Untouchables or the homeless. I unfortunately have fallen guilty to this condescending viewpoint on various occasions.  
4. As the text notes, Richard Lazarus's name is a fictitious creation by Kozol. The reasoning behind Kozol's choice is worth consideration. Historically, Lazarus was a man during the time of Christ, described in the New Testament. The man's miraculous rise from the dead is well-known by many people in modern day culture. Perhap's Kozol, in using the name Lazarus, is implying his subject is dead. To the upper classes of American society, he is a pointless, unproductive, smelly, diseased individual who is essentially human waste, as described by the text. All these descriptions can be applied to any human corpse. Perhaps the significance in referring to the corpse as Lazarus is what followed after the corpse had been in the tomb. Perhaps Kozol is offering the reader a hope of redemption in being 'raised from the dead' to this unfortunate homeless man, as was offered to Lazarus. In what form this redemption will come is the question.
5. Perhaps our derision toward the homeless, as well as our "fear" of falling into the same way of life, stems from our personal selfishness and ideals of humanity. Homelessness is unpleasant. It is disturbing to see human beings living like animals out on the street, as the text indicates. I think it is a natural human reaction to flee unpleasant, uncomfortable situations. The images of homelessness we as a society encounter almost daily are no less enjoyable. Perhaps it is the lack of humanity and dignity in homelessness that disturbs and upsets us, often leading to our frustration expressed in statements like "why can't that person just get a job?" In addition to this, our fear of poverty is rooted in the possibility that the same misfortune will befall us. Homelessness is perhaps most destructive in that it is demoralizing to the minds of those entrenched in its grasp.