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Homeless Fonts

homelessfonts.org

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Re: Homeless Fonts

#31

Post by iamdave »

Mz wrote: post #29

Oh, ugh. Why not "human fonts" or "people fonts"? (Or "natural fonts" or "handwriting fonts" or...) The problem I have with this is that if you help people based on the their status of being homeless, then do they stop qualifying once they are off the street? That kind of thing is what keeps poor people stuck. It's why the American welfare system is broken. You first have to qualify as "poor" and often some other thi…

>Why not "human fonts" or "people fonts"?

If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, then the lanes are striped with "person first" language (and all of its mutations).

Re: Homeless Fonts

#32

Post by [deleted] »

iamdave wrote: post #31
Mz wrote: post #29

Oh, ugh. Why not "human fonts" or "people fonts"? (Or "natural fonts" or "handwriting fonts" or...) The problem I have with this is that if you help people based on the their status of being homeless, then do they stop qualifying once they are off the street? That kind of thing is what keeps poor people stuck. It's why the American welfare system is broken. You first have to qualify as "poor" and often some other thi…

>Why not "human fonts" or "people fonts"? If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, then the lanes are striped with "person first" language (and all of its mutations).

[deleted]

Re: Homeless Fonts

#34

Post by Mz »

iamdave wrote: post #31
Mz wrote: post #29

Oh, ugh. Why not "human fonts" or "people fonts"? (Or "natural fonts" or "handwriting fonts" or...) The problem I have with this is that if you help people based on the their status of being homeless, then do they stop qualifying once they are off the street? That kind of thing is what keeps poor people stuck. It's why the American welfare system is broken. You first have to qualify as "poor" and often some other thi…

>Why not "human fonts" or "people fonts"? If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, then the lanes are striped with "person first" language (and all of its mutations).

I really don't know what you mean. This is an area I have studied, both formally and informally. How it is framed matters. The history of what went wrong with the American welfare system is deeply rooted in the fact that it was designed to "help poor, single moms" in an era when having a child out of wedlock was scandalous and just not done. It changed the social contract to frame it that way and made it far more acceptable to have children out of wedlock. That framing occurred at a time when most poor, single moms were widows -- ie "the deserving poor" -- not women who had given birth outside of wedlock.

It was done in an unthinking manner and we are still living with the consequences decades later.

Re: Homeless Fonts

#35

Post by iamdave »

Mz wrote: post #34
iamdave wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Why not "human fonts" or "people fonts"? If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, then the lanes are striped with "person first" language (and all of its mutations).

I really don't know what you mean. This is an area I have studied, both formally and informally. How it is framed matters. The history of what went wrong with the American welfare system is deeply rooted in the fact that it was designed to "help poor, single moms" in an era when having a child out of wedlock was scandalous and just not done. It changed the social contract to frame it that way and made it far more acc…

It's mostly a sound-byte of cynicism targeted at people who promulgate 'person first' correctness without the backdrop of understanding the nuanced impact rhetoric has, or the willingness to dig into those impacts like you have.

I personally have little patience for those who simply say "You shouldn't say that, say this instead" without the fortitude or intellectual honesty to back up what they're invariably ordering me to say or not say.

But this really isn't the venue for that kind of discussion. I respect that you took the time to understand these different sociological phenomenons, so I apologize if it seemed like my comment was a dig at you personally-it wasn't.

Re: Homeless Fonts

#36

Post by lilsunnybee »

MrZongle2 wrote: post #27
esMazer wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Point taken. We as a society should be doing way more to help these people. But then again.. when was the last time you really tried to help someone on the street?

I agree that more resources should be directed towards dealing with the causes of homelessness and helping those who need help. But in response to your question, consider this: About two years ago, my wife saw a woman in the parking lot of a large retail grocery/goods store holding a sign that said "anything helps". She had noticed this woman before on at least one occasion, and it occurred to my wife that perhaps th…

Panhandlers aren't always homeless. I don't think this is really news to anyone though is it?

If the woman was really homeless, she couldn't have made use of the spaghetti dinner fixings anyways; she likely wouldn't have any good place to boil the water or prepare the meal; even hotplates are disallowed at most shelters, due to the fire hazard.

It's much better if you can ask someone if there are any particular items they need, or better yet stop by a local shelter and inquire there as to items that most need to be donated.

If i were that woman i would have said "thank you so much ... but" and let your wife down easy. But even for the genuinely homeless fending for yourself on the streets doesn't leave everyone equally grateful.

Re: Homeless Fonts

#37

Post by barrkel »

Mz wrote: post #34
iamdave wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Why not "human fonts" or "people fonts"? If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, then the lanes are striped with "person first" language (and all of its mutations).

I really don't know what you mean. This is an area I have studied, both formally and informally. How it is framed matters. The history of what went wrong with the American welfare system is deeply rooted in the fact that it was designed to "help poor, single moms" in an era when having a child out of wedlock was scandalous and just not done. It changed the social contract to frame it that way and made it far more acc…

If you think having children out of wedlock is linked to US welfare system incentives, how do you explain global trends?

I think it has more to do with female equality and increased earning power. But it's a complex multi-vectored phenomenon not really suited to an off-topic thread here.

Re: Homeless Fonts

#38

Post by Mz »

barrkel wrote: post #37
Mz wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really don't know what you mean. This is an area I have studied, both formally and informally. How it is framed matters. The history of what went wrong with the American welfare system is deeply rooted in the fact that it was designed to "help poor, single moms" in an era when having a child out of wedlock was scandalous and just not done. It changed the social contract to frame it that way and made it far more acc…

If you think having children out of wedlock is linked to US welfare system incentives, how do you explain global trends? I think it has more to do with female equality and increased earning power. But it's a complex multi-vectored phenomenon not really suited to an off-topic thread here.

I haven't studied global trends. Nor am I suggesting that trends in the U.S. have only one factor influencing them.

That's kind of a bogus rebuttal.

Re: Homeless Fonts

#39

Post by lilsunnybee »

sneak wrote: post #10

Is anyone else disgusted by this?

As long as all the profits are actually going to be used to help people, it doesn't count as exploitative i don't think. Though going to a foundation ... i don't know. A lot of charity money can go to paying salaries, and that doesn't always mean equal good is being done.

Re: Homeless Fonts

#40

Post by [deleted] »

esMazer wrote: post #16
korzun wrote: post #12

I don't know how I feel about this. In some way this feels cheap. Fonts? Buying fonts to help homeless people? Having homeless people create fonts that you can license out? Is this the best we can do? Seriously.

Point taken. We as a society should be doing way more to help these people. But then again.. when was the last time you really tried to help someone on the street?

[deleted]
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