A Certain Level of Self-Righteous Contempt, Essay Example

In many industrialized societies there is a certain level of self-righteous contempt for persons who come from backgrounds characterized by social and economic adversity.  Lack of understanding and appreciation of the barriers, limited opportunities and alternatives such members of society face often results in conclusions being drawn that such persons are lazy, undisciplined, violent “animals” or, in the case at hand, “street urchins” deserving of their lot in life.  Such attitudes, in turn, lead to views of such persons as “ less than” and not worthy of the same consideration and treatment as “productive, contributing” members of society.  It is such attitudes and ignorance that lead persons of influence like the Ontario Attorney General to make statements about cracking down on activities associated with homeless street youth because “all people in Ontario” have the right to “feel safe in public places,” while at the same time completely ignoring the consideration that street youth in Ontario are “people” as well and have drastically higher rates of victimization than other Canadian “citizens.”

While Gaetz cites research that a large majority of street youth in the United States and Canada come from homes characterized by high levels of physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect, it probably is the case that parents of such children find their lives blunted by many of the same factors of social exclusion (lack of safe, permanent housing, unemployment and/or underemployment, limited social support, histories of abuse/maltreatment) that limit alternatives and opportunities for them and increase instability and vulnerability for their own children.  So just as the parents of homeless youth find themselves largely marginalized to the edges of society based on the conditions within which they are forced to exist, the same legacy is often visited on their children.

The sense of hopelessness, desperation and lack of self-worth such persons are left with is further reinforced by the stereotypical contempt and disdain by which such persons are often viewed by other socioeconomic classes.  So while it may be somewhat a matter of parental neglect, it may be that societal conditions serve to promote and reinforce the kind of parental neglect that leaves some teenagers no choice but to turn to the streets.  As Gaetz puts it, “personal histories of individuals intersect with certain social, political, and economic conditions that restrict peoples access to spaces, institutions and practices that reduce risk” and, I would add, that enhance well-being and decrease vulnerability to the vicissitudes of life.  In short, the better off you are when you start out, the better off you are likely be in life (and vice versa).