The very dark side of Vancouver, British Columbia

[Endzone2]

Do not launch off into a life of escapism. It leads to addictions that will diminish your life at the very least. They are extremely difficult to get out of. How about if you just finish school, get a decent job, marry a cute girl, have kids, and go to work every day and be a good husband to your wife and dad to your kids? Sound too boring? It sounds like the blessed life to me--even if it doesn't happen until you're in your 30s or 40s.

I've been to this area of Vancouver many times. This is the sin capital of North America for drugs and prostitution. I warn you the video at the end (if you want to watch it) is very graphic in some areas. It takes a while for the video to get started. BTW, I did not take these pictures.

Through a Blue Lens by Veronica Alice Mannix - NFB

 

[Rhode Irish]

Very sad. I see people in bad places every day coming into or out of the subway. "Can you spare any change? How about a cigarette?" In all honesty, most often I am way too busy and distracted to really think much about it.

But more than a few times I've contemplated how someone gets to that place. I mean, I know in a general sense, but each person has their own story, every bit as unique as mine or yours. I think about how their life started, and at what point did their path diverge from "normal" to where they wash themselves with toilet water in the bathroom at Grand Central.

Did their life start normal and slowly unravel or was there a traumatic event that threw them off course? Did their parents live this life during their childhood, dooming them to a wasted life? Did they have promise and potential at one point, only to squander it? Or were they fated to this existence, born deficient in one way or another? Have we, as a society, failed them? Or do they only have themselves to blame?

Then I get to where I'm going and my focus switches back to where I am going to eat tonight; what time I'll be able to get out of the office; whether I left a work file on my coffee table at home; whether I unplugged the toaster. You know, the important stuff.

Sad.

 

[Kak7304]

Very sad. I see people in bad places every day coming into or out of the subway. "Can you spare any change? How about a cigarette?" In all honesty, most often I am way too busy and distracted to really think much about it.

But more than a few times I've contemplated how someone gets to that place. I mean, I know in a general sense, but each person has their own story, every bit as unique as mine or yours. I think about how their life started, and at what point did their path diverge from "normal" to where they wash themselves with toilet water in the bathroom at Grand Central.

Did their life start normal and slowly unravel or was there a traumatic event that threw them off course? Did their parents live this life during their childhood, dooming them to a wasted life? Did they have promise and potential at one point, only to squander it? Or were they fated to this existence, born deficient in one way or another? Have we, as a society, failed them? Or do they only have themselves to blame?

Then I get to where I'm going and my focus switches back to where I am going to eat tonight; what time I'll be able to get out of the office; whether I left a work file on my coffee table at home; whether I unplugged the toaster. You know, the important stuff.

Sad.

A large proportion of the homeless in developed nations suffer from schizophrenia. They have either left their families or have been abandoned and as a result, are not getting the help they need to live a semi-normal life. It's a very sad and disturbing issue.

 

[gkautz10]

Great post my man. I often find myself doing the exact same stuff you do, looking past these people and thinking to yourself why they do not just got get a damn job. Then when you really think about it, those people may actually care to have a job like you or I even though we despise our jobs and lives sometimes. And you are right many of these people may have the same past as ourselves, but they did not have the resources or means to get where we have. I try and stay humbled and grounded by telling myself there are people who would kill to be in my position. For example, tonight I have about 5 hours of studying to do for my intermediate accounting exam tomorrow and I am dreading it. But I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to take that exam. I really liked your point about how these people all have there own story and we would often times be surprised by many of them, I am sure they are very interesting and sad at the same time.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Homelessness is largely due to the states' failure to address the mentally ill. Many of these people would have been in an asylum 50 years ago, but in the interim tight budgets and the lack of a political constituency have led to virtually all such institutions being closed.

Now we simply release our mentally ill onto the streets and hope they don't end up killing someone.

 

[k1ssme1m1r1sh]

How sad.

 

[Veer option]

Homeless people: half are lazy, half are crazy.

 

[Endzone2]

Very sad. I see people in bad places every day coming into or out of the subway. "Can you spare any change? How about a cigarette?" In all honesty, most often I am way too busy and distracted to really think much about it.

But more than a few times I've contemplated how someone gets to that place. I mean, I know in a general sense, but each person has their own story, every bit as unique as mine or yours. I think about how their life started, and at what point did their path diverge from "normal" to where they wash themselves with toilet water in the bathroom at Grand Central.

Did their life start normal and slowly unravel or was there a traumatic event that threw them off course? Did their parents live this life during their childhood, dooming them to a wasted life? Did they have promise and potential at one point, only to squander it? Or were they fated to this existence, born deficient in one way or another? Have we, as a society, failed them? Or do they only have themselves to blame?

Then I get to where I'm going and my focus switches back to where I am going to eat tonight; what time I'll be able to get out of the office; whether I left a work file on my coffee table at home; whether I unplugged the toaster. You know, the important stuff.

Sad.

You ask some really good questions. If you work in NYC, I'm sure you've seen it all and that you get hit up for money probably several times/day. I'm reminded of what a fellow at Boeing Electronics in Irving, TX told me several years ago.

He said, "You can't always control what happened to you in this life, but you can sure control your reaction to it".

I'm sure that these poor folks made some of their own bad decisions that put them where they are. Nobody forces you to stick a needle in your arm or have sex with a hooker. These are just methods of escaping the pain of life rather than facing it in a constructive way. But, I frequently tell myself that if it wasn't for the grace of God, I would be in their exact same situation. In fact, I deserve to be in their situation because I have had a severe addiction in my life for 35 years that has just about all but killed me.

So, I hope that you might hand out a couple bucks to them if you are able. I always try to give them a couple bucks if I have it on me. What they do with it is their responsibility. I remember when I was in Manhattan though that I was hit up all the time, and it does get weary in that particular city, but I wouldn't let it stop you from trying to help a little bit.

 

[Endzone2]

Homelessness is largely due to the states' failure to address the mentally ill. Many of these people would have been in an asylum 50 years ago, but in the interim tight budgets and the lack of a political constituency have led to virtually all such institutions being closed.

Now we simply release our mentally ill onto the streets and hope they don't end up killing someone.

That may happen even more as local, state and federal budgets for these types of things are eliminated or reduced.

 

[Irishnuke]

Don't really know what the point of this thread is but how is this different from any big city in North America?

 

[Endzone2]

Don't really know what the point of this thread is but how is this different from any big city in North America?

The point of this thread is that escapism mentality must be avoided no matter how much the daily grind gets to us.

I believe Vancouver is different from most all N. American cities. The degree of drug trafficing and prostitution there is almost condoned rather than resisted like it is in most U.S. cities. Vancouver is also nicknamed "Hongcouver", and it has become a gateway for drugs coming from Asia and other places.