{"id":14789,"date":"2020-06-18T09:00:14","date_gmt":"2020-06-18T13:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=14789"},"modified":"2022-10-09T06:54:07","modified_gmt":"2022-10-09T10:54:07","slug":"how-to-use-respectful-instead-of-degrading-language-around-homelessness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/how-to-use-respectful-instead-of-degrading-language-around-homelessness\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Respectful, Instead of Degrading, Language Around Homelessness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The way we talk about homelessness is important. We know all too well there are many who don\u2019t have compassion for homeless people. They think the unhoused are lazy or choose to live that way. They may assume they\u2019re all mentally ill or addicted to alcohol or drugs. In the midst of our hurt and confusion, it\u2019s tempting to assume they were born with these ideas and will always have them.<\/p>\n

But we all develop our opinions over time. People with unkind views toward homeless people learned them from the media they watched and read. They may have friends and family who also view homeless people with contempt, and so took on these views while growing up.<\/p>\n

Language surrounding homelessness is a powerful force for help and harm. Though it\u2019s often used to show disrespect, it can just as easily be used to validate, show empathy, and offer to help.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The AP Stylebook is a guide for copy editors and journalists. It outlines respectful and disrespectful language around issues such as homelessness, sexuality, and race. It also denotes language that can be offensive. Since appropriate language changes, we could be using hurtful language without realizing it. The latest updates<\/a> to the AP Stylebook, which were presented in May at the 2020 American Copy Editors Society conference, tell us exactly what language is harmful and why so we can change.<\/p>\n

How can language become hurtful if it wasn\u2019t before?<\/h4>\n

The answer is, those of us who\u2019ve never been homeless can\u2019t put ourselves in the shoes of those who have. We don\u2019t know the real-life experiences of being written off, ignored, threatened, and abused because of our homeless status and all that comes with it. We don\u2019t know what\u2019s offensive until someone who has lived these experiences tells us. When they do, we need to listen and believe.<\/p>\n

So, what changes are being made to AP style? Below are the major ones, with key takeaways you can start implementing in your speech and writing right away.<\/p>\n

Avoid Using \u201cThe Homeless\u201d<\/h3>\n

Collective nouns\u2014words used to group people together based on one thing they have in common\u2014are offensive. The same is true with terms like \u201cthe elderly\u201d or \u201cthe disabled.\u201d This term isn\u2019t an effective way to describe homeless people, to start with. One person may be couch surfing while another stays in a shelter. Also, two people who are both homeless can be very different people. Grouping them together on the basis of a singular circumstance deprives homeless people of their identity as individuals.<\/p>\n

Appropriate alternatives: \u201cHomeless people,\u201d \u201cpeople without homes,\u201d or \u201cpeople without housing.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n

Avoid Using \u201cHomeless\u201d as a Casual Identifier<\/h3>\n

This means describing someone as homeless when it isn\u2019t necessary. Not being housed is only one part of a person\u2019s life. Say you met a person on the subway who you learned was homeless. They shared an interesting story with you, and you want to share it with your friends. If you say, \u201cI met this homeless guy on the subway,\u201d you are reducing that person to one attribute.<\/p>\n

You wouldn\u2019t want someone to describe you as \u201cthat bald guy,\u201d or \u201cthat disabled woman.\u201d No one is defined by a single characteristic, and to imply a circumstance such as homelessness is a defining feature is degrading and dehumanizing.<\/p>\n

Appropriate alternatives: Use \u201chomeless\u201d when describing an action, or leave it out. In this example, you could say \u201cI met this guy on the subway,\u201d or if relevant, \u201cI met this person struggling with homelessness.\u201d<\/em><\/h4>\n

Avoid Using Euphemisms<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t try to censor yourself and avoid the word \u201chomeless\u201d altogether. By trying too hard to avoid offensive language, you may end up needlessly complicating your language and confusing people. You also give the impression there\u2019s something inherently wrong with being homeless. Tip-toeing around a hard issue is a by-product of society\u2019s tendency to blame the victim, rather than the broken system.<\/p>\n

An example of a euphemism is this case is \u201cstreet-involved.\u201d Its meaning isn\u2019t clear, and it\u2019ll leave people wondering why you don\u2019t just say \u201chomeless.\u201d While \u201chomeless\u201d stirs up unpleasant and painful images, especially for those who\u2019ve lived it, it\u2019s important to be honest. What causes offense is the context the word is used in. Simply make sure you aren\u2019t using it in one of the ways listed above, and place the blame where it belongs.<\/p>\n

Appropriate alternatives: Use the word, but only in a respectful manner.<\/em><\/h4>\n

While we\u2019ve already covered the most important updates to AP style, there are a few additional points to keep in mind as well. They\u2019re especially important when it comes to educating people, raising awareness, and being an advocate.<\/p>\n

There are often regional terms for issues pertaining to homelessness. For example, “unhoused” is a preferred term on the West coast. This evolved from the influx of newly homeless as a result of rapidly rising housing costs. Other regions have their own terms as well, so educate yourself on local issues related to homelessness.<\/p>\n

Every time you talk and write about homelessness is a new opportunity. Respectful, validating language is a powerful tool. When you use new terminology, you have a chance to explain why you\u2019re using phrasing like this. By explaining your choice of words, you draw attention and help others view homelessness in ways they haven\u2019t thought of before.<\/p>\n

Direct attention to the reasons underlying homelessness. Research shows<\/a> when people think about homelessness, they tend to blame the individual person and their choices. We need to shift the public\u2019s perspective and help them see it as a societal problem with real, achievable solutions. Talk about inequitable housing policies and wage gaps. Use hope-filled language like \u201cHe doesn\u2019t have housing right now,\u201d versus simply, \u201che\u2019s homeless.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talking about homelessness, whether that be conversations with friends, on a blog, podcast, social media, or any other medium, continues to be a highly effective way of promoting change. These problems have real, identifiable causes, with real solutions. Hopefully, as you shift your language around homelessness to be more goal-oriented and hope-driven, you inspire others to adopt the same solution-driven mindset.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The way we talk about homelessness is important. We know all too well there are many who don\u2019t have compassion for homeless people. They think the unhoused are lazy or choose to live that way. They may assume they\u2019re all … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":14790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10139,7639,514],"tags":[15002,10272,15004,253,832,515,508,15005,15003,9976],"coauthors":[9291],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14789"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14789"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19400,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14789\/revisions\/19400"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14789"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=14789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}