The Homeless Population: Documentary Analysis

My fieldwork involved learning the ways of the homeless population. During the week of March 21st 2016 a group of about 3 others, and myself walked down to the Marion Soup Kitchen dressed in run down cloths, and a somber faces. My goal was to truly be able to immerse myself in the culture of the homeless population, and learn their struggles unfiltered by an outsider’s perspective. My journey was nerve racking, depressing, and eye opening to say the least, but I wouldn’t trade it because of all the things I learned, and people I met. The saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” holds truth beyond words. The day started waiting in line at the soup kitchen for lunch. The first thing I noticed was the overwhelming smell of urine, and other bodily fluids. It alone made me want to turn back. Once, I could get past the smell, I began to notice the multitudes of different people around. They were different in many regards: ethnicity, gender, attire, …show more content…
To me they always seemed so mysterious, and instilled a bit of fear when passing them on the street. I would watch documentary after documentary about their culture, and struggles in search of a better understanding. I began to notice a common factor in every one I watched, addiction. Everyone always blames addiction as the sole reason for their struggles, and places them on a lower level of importance. I wanted to see if this extreme over generalization held true or if it was the media’s perception. What I found was variety and individualism. The “homeless population” is more than people without a home. It is people just like you and me with daily struggles, goals, and feelings. It was evident some had an addiction, but some have addiction in middle class as well. My conclusion is that these individuals are just as much human as anyone else, and that anyone of us could be in their situation with just a few things not going according to