A large amount of the populous of the United States is overwhelmed by the lasting effects of homelessness and alcoholism. In his publication, You Owe Yourself a Drunk, James Spradley researches the many aspects of the livelihood of the those affected by the aforementioned, as well as the events that may have led to such a life. Rather than Generalizing the “tramps” and “drunks” by a common standard of one of four models. Spradley delves into urban skids, specifically in Seattle, where he primarily used participant observation as his methodology to gain information. Such a methodology allowed for Spradley to gain first-hand knowledge and thoughts of the interviewees. For the brand of individuals he chose to inspect, participant observation
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To those that do not live on the streets, there is usually only one classifications of homelessness, which is generally referred to as homeless. Those that are chronically homeless, however, tend to categorize themselves as a certain type of homeless, depending on the means in which they make a living. For example, there is a perceptible contrast between boxcar tramps and mission stiffs. Boxcar tramps have no permanent residence or employment, and as their name implies, they use boxcar trains to travel between cities (Spradley, pg.79). The homeless that fall into this category, have a generalized skillset, as the skills that are necessary for employment differs between towns. Furthermore, it would be considered an abnormality to witness such a tramp carrying a hefty load of possessions. Since they have no place to call home, and are on the move frequently, boxcar tramps only carry the bare essentials. Mission stiffs, on the other hand, tend to gravitate in one location for a longer period of time. According to Spradley (pg.79), “Mission stiffs are disliked because of their ties with missions and their tendency to boss other tramps who come there for food or a place to sleep”. Rather than obtain a job of any kind, many mission stiffs resort to begging, most noticeably around the missions in which they eat and sleep. This in itself is deemed unnoble, since such tramps make no effort to benefit society, and mooch off of the rest of
To those that do not live on the streets, there is usually only one classifications of homelessness, which is generally referred to as homeless. Those that are chronically homeless, however, tend to categorize themselves as a certain type of homeless, depending on the means in which they make a living. For example, there is a perceptible contrast between boxcar tramps and mission stiffs. Boxcar tramps have no permanent residence or employment, and as their name implies, they use boxcar trains to travel between cities (Spradley, pg.79). The homeless that fall into this category, have a generalized skillset, as the skills that are necessary for employment differs between towns. Furthermore, it would be considered an abnormality to witness such a tramp carrying a hefty load of possessions. Since they have no place to call home, and are on the move frequently, boxcar tramps only carry the bare essentials. Mission stiffs, on the other hand, tend to gravitate in one location for a longer period of time. According to Spradley (pg.79), “Mission stiffs are disliked because of their ties with missions and their tendency to boss other tramps who come there for food or a place to sleep”. Rather than obtain a job of any kind, many mission stiffs resort to begging, most noticeably around the missions in which they eat and sleep. This in itself is deemed unnoble, since such tramps make no effort to benefit society, and mooch off of the rest of