Spent: In the shoes of the homeless

I have always said that I really don’t like watching or
reading the news, because whenever I do I feel overwhelmed and depressed about
everything going on and how little I can do about it. But I will go through
phases of watching, getting depressed and angry at what the world is like...and
then tune out for a while. So a while
ago I was watching one of the major corporate new stations (CBC or CTV or
something, can’t really remember) and this lady McKinney
was on, talking about this interactive game about poverty that she had
created. It was one of the few times I’ve
actually seen solutions or awareness being presented in a proactive way. She
created an interactive game that simulates the struggles of homelessness. In
the game, you are given a set amount of money and asked to see if you can make
it through the month. The woman herself
was homeless at one point (not by “choice”), and through the game she hoped to
show people how people more often than not do not “choose” to be homeless, but
rather are dealt a deck of cards/forced to make decisions that eventually leave
them with no other option but to move to the streets. Being put in the shoes of a homeless person
(rather than jsut feeling sorry for them) in a low-stakes kind of way really
helps to bring a deepended understanding of not only how society works, but it
really forces you to critically analyze the assumptions and preconceived
notions surrounding homelessness. I feel like letting out a huge WHOOPIE anytime
I see people challenge the stereotypes and attempts at breaking down all the
walls and labels we have in our society, to begin to see people as people who
are all just trying to make their way through life with what they’ve been delt.

I feel that the media in a huge way
(especially in the news) perpetuates stereotypes and promotes labelling and hierarchy
within our culture. Anytime you
put anything in a box, you will bump up against barriers. These barriers not
only separate each of us from one another, but they can cause frustration,
hurt, and anger. When these barriers are broken down, beautiful things can
happen and people can be surprised, humbled, and joyful. Be it advertising (posters,
billboards, commercials etc) or informational/entertainment (the news—misinformation
in most cases—, reality TV, kids TV shows, movies...etc) every character and
case is compared to some deeply ingrained social label as being “like” or “not
like” the expected. There is really a
problem with expectations really when you think about it...but I feel like I am
rambling.

When I played the game, I am ashamed
to say, I thought, “I can do this! I can beat it!” But as I went through the
game, making choices and clicking I noticed two things. One, that I was not able to provide for or
support my virtual children and that really bothered me. It made me think of the huge implications for
classroom teachers—Johnny’s mom may seem unavailable or unsupportive, but this
game has shown me that even the best laid plans and intentions really can go
awry...especially when money is involved. The second thing I noticed, and I always seem to come back to this, is
how annoying it is that our society is run by money. When did we let something abstract, something
we invented, control our actions and happiness? And by happiness I don’t mean “my
5 Lamborghinis make me happy” but I mean the kind of happiness that comes from
living a rich, full life...and, in our society, living with the stresses that
money causes in life seems like it’s more and more like a impediment and that
we’ve truly lost what matters. (FYI:
Just when I thought I had “beaten the game”...the prompt reminded me that this
was just the end of the month...what about next month? And what about the one unpaid
bill that I will have to pay next month?)

Please play the game and let me know
what you think!