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Comment by leetcrew | Hacker News Reader

> "Ultimately, people do want a roof over their heads."

seems like a slightly unwarranted conclusion.

alternative conclusion: "Ultimately, people will submit to living under a roof if they are relocated by state goons seventy five times."

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I mean, do you know what winters can get like in Medicine Hat? Part of it was probably just realizing that they didn't have to suffer in the winter as they're accustomed...

I just need to be shown how to do things 75 times before I figure it out sometimes.

Are you talking about a simple task or a deeply ingrained personal lifestyle perhaps encouraged by mental illness?

I was really just making an example. The person wasn't necessarily being forced to stay under a roof by 'state goons', they may simply have needed to be shown 75 times to figure it out. There are many fields where that is normal albeit usually what we would consider more complex tasks and you'd generally expect someone to latch onto the knowledge faster. There are arts where the most basic moves will be practiced thousands of times to master them and still seek some further layer of understanding. When you consider the range of problems that contribute to homelessness I can imagine someone just needed to see it 75 times to learn it.

hard to say, the article just presents "man relocated 75 times, finally stays put" and the conclusion "ultimately everyone wants a roof over their head" back to back as if that conclusion obviously follows. the reader has no idea whether the guy genuinely preferred his new dwelling or if he just gave up resisting. or maybe the 75th time happened to line up with the first cold night and he decided to stay just for the winter.

I'm not trying to be flippant here; I think we walk a dangerous line when we presume to know what's best for a person and especially when we apply pressure to get them to change their ways.

one of my good friends from high school developed severe schizophrenia after graduating and has been homeless for several years now. he has a standing offer of support from his (wealthy) parents on the sole condition than he start some form of treatment. I and some of our other friends have repeatedly tried to help him get into housing, treatment, or even temporary shelter, and he always refuses. his parents had him involuntarily committed for a few days; he left as soon as he was able. when I run into him and ask how he's doing, he always says he's doing great and loves the freedom of his lifestyle. he doesn't look great, but is it really up to me to decide?

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