Reducing Perceived Authority Differences through Intentioned Action

I realized that the question I wanted to ask so in early in my life about helping homeless persons with addictions but wasn’t sure how to articulate is, “how can I humanize homeless per- sons and simultaneously be humanized?” Previously, I has articulated this question in the lan- guage of “saving” or “studying”, both of which imply and authority differential. I think it is im-

portant to reduce the perceived authority differential as much as possible in situations of extreme inequality such as interactions with homeless individuals. As the ODC website posits, “If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”

My invitation: Once you have experienced pain and summoned courage, the next step is to act. There are several simple actions that I encountered over the course of my field work, and which are exemplified in my interaction with Marvin in the empty parking lot.

 Establish eye contact. Looking a person in the eyes is truly a humanizing experience. You establish a connection with the other person that is beyond social convention and beyond learned formalities. It can be loving to look into another person’s eyes. When you look directly into a homeless person’s eyes, you are saying that you are not looking away from their pain. You are recognizing them as a feeling and thinking being, a hu- man, just like yourself. This reduces the feeling of exclusion so common when individu- als refuse to look a given person’s situation. This simultaneously uses your authority and reduces it. You use your authority to direct their eyes towards yours, but once your eyes meet, you are forced to be truthful or look away. In being truthful, you cannot deny that dominating authority is harmful and hurtful. All of this happens when you look di- rectly into the eyes of a homeless person with the intention for understanding.

 Personal touch. At the foot clinic, I realized how powerful touch can be. It is taboo to touch those who are perceived as “less than” or “other”, especially if those individuals are suspected to have a mental disorder, like addiction or schizophrenia. Rest assured that you cannot catch those disorders through touch. Nor can you catch homelessness through touch. You can, however, gain a sense of connection and intimacy, if it is done with loving intent. On the street this touch can be as simple as a handshake or a pat on the back. Extending yourself positions you as the one in need of acceptance. This helps equalize the perceived levels of authority, because the homeless person is now in the po- sition to decline your offer, while they are usually in the continual position of being de- clined requests for food, money, or water.

 Ask the person’s name. At the ODC, they have a sign which reads “No, no, no. They are not numbers, they are names!” They are names. Names give someone an identity, a sense of who he or she is. People on the streets are not simply a social problem, they are individuals experiencing the pain of social neglect and exclusion. Asking someone’s name on the street instantly adds another level of empowerment, while reducing the per- ceived discrepancy of authority. It is another step towards putting yourself and the home- less individual on a similar plane of power.

 Offer a gesture of friendship. This gesture of friendship can be in the form of food, wa- ter, money, coupled with genuine kind words. While I am hesitant about giving money, in certain situations where I anticipate a sincere need for substance, I will offer money and words of kindness. In this manner, the money is not construed as a gift out of pity. More often, I will offer water and food with words of encouragement. These are needed to nourish all human beings. Offering these are not just humanitarian, they are ways of attempting to break down the barriers established by blind giving. If the homeless person offers a gift in return, accept it! After buying a sandwich for a homeless person, I was of- fered a gift of turnovers by a homeless person and initially refused. He explained, “If you take this, then we can be friends.” I interpreted this to be his way of breaking down the power differential between us. These gestures of friendship need to be coupled in some way with reciprocation; otherwise, they can just as easily be symbolic acts of violence. Giving a gift, with the knowledge that it cannot be repaid, places the receiver in a state of perpetual degradation, dependency, and low authority.

 Ask to hear a person’s story. After you give a gift of friendship, one of the best ways to establish reciprocity is to ask for their story in return. They may refuse, at which point, you can interpret their refusal as an empowered act. You positioned yourself as asking for acceptance, rather than vice versa. Many times they will accept. If they accept, you can deeply engage with the other person. You can learn about their predicament and the pain they may feel. This may not happen initially, but the more you practice such an act, the more comfortable you will feel and the more you will learn. In addition, this provides many avenues to compare your own life experience with theirs, further reducing distance.