In the name of survival

Derogatory labels and deplorable actions against the victims of society

Greg McVicker, Volunteer Staff

While driving through the streets of Winnipeg, we often see people on various street corners holding up cardboard signs that stating they are homeless, begging for change — asking for a chance. I have sat in class with one professor who knows some of these individuals by name and always gives spare change without question but asks how they are doing. The appreciation given back is always a warm smile and a thank-you.

However, during reading week, during which many of us were afforded the opportunity in escaping to warmer climates, those of us who stayed back in these frigid temperatures learned of a homeless man being shot as he rummaged for food behind a residence in Osborne Village. The weapon in question here was a paintball gun. However, this does not negate the fact that a person who does not have the comfort of a home, opening a refrigerator door or a cupboard filled with food, was chased and shot repeatedly for trying to find disposed-of food scraps.

As I write this article, I am still shaking my head in disbelief. First of all, we are living in a city in which weather and wind-chill factors have dropped as low as -48 C. I need to ask if some people have literally frozen their brains by attacking a homeless person searching for food. Second, how is it that, in a city the size of Winnipeg, we cannot afford to make permanent dwellings available for those who find themselves on the misfortunate side of life, especially during our bitter winter? And third, why is it that one newsprint media has the gall to refer to a homeless person as a “dumpster diver?”

Labels are derogative and are often freely used in pointing fingers towards the most marginalized populations of people. The last time I checked, regardless of our disposition in life, we are all human. However, it seems that there are those of us who choose to target individuals who have not been given ample opportunity in life and single out such people for the rest of society to glare at, speak about in coffee shops and eventually turn a blind eye to. In this case, the label may have been used to sell papers.

But an incident like this has not gone unnoticed before in Winnipeg. In further targeting marginalized groups, women who find themselves exploited within the dark and seedy industry of the sex trade have also been singled out by individuals. And, just like the homeless person, many women within this industry do not make this decision by personal choice but more so as an instinct to survive.

I learned a few weeks ago in a substance misuse class that many women who are involved with the sex trade end up on the streets usually towards the end of the month. The reason for this is that they may be single parents or, due to being in an extremely abusive relationship, have had to leave everything behind and literally get out with only the clothes on their back. If the woman has to provide for her children, is still trying to get herself established and needs to rely on social welfare, $482 per month only stretches so far in covering food, clothing and shelter. Therefore, in trying to provide an extra income to cover expenses, these women turn to the streets and face great risk of further being beaten into submission, sexually assaulted or raped in horrific and appalling manners, or worse yet, murdered. All in the name of survival.

In addition to this and just like some homeless people, women who now find themselves on the street may have substance misuse or chemical dependency issues. These addictions are often used as coping mechanisms, although society prefers to deem them as being drugged-out crack users and have brought such problems upon themselves. Moreover, in trying to pay back the drug debt they have established in wanting to survive, life on the street becomes more permanent for these individuals. With that said, carefully chosen words such as “dumpster diver” and “crack whore” are then used to describe such people.

This brings me back to the point of using labels to identify marginalized groups of people. Those who are homeless or sex trade workers are not on the streets by choice: they are victims of greater society. But again, even the term “victim” is used as a label. Isn’t it time we turn this label into a more positive word, such as survivor? These individuals have found a way to survive but should not be destined to rely on rubbish bins for food or to have to their body sexually exploited under drug-induced pretenses to provide for their families.

Therefore, it is time that we as a society advocate for a change within this city and the world throughout: to ensure that every person has a place to call home, food to eat, money to survive, and in making terms such as “homelessness” and “sex trade workers” a thing of the past.

Greg McVicker is a fourth-year undergraduate social work student.