Just what we need we we need it least, a couple of lousy writers who capitalize on the misfortune and misery of others. Let's hope pickings are slim for them over the next couple of days while they're here abusing the Homeless for their personal gain...
City homeless are focus of satirical Web site
By Amanda N. Maynord,
amaynord@nashvillecitypaper.com
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A screen grab shows the satiricial look at homelessness on street-people.com | | Nashville’s homeless population has been a target of Metro Council and Metro Police in recent months, but now it’s squarely in the sights of a Memphis-based Web site that takes a satirical look nationwide at homelessness.
The Web site, street-people.com, according to one founder, takes an intentionally humorous approach toward portraying homelessness through interviews and photos of the men and women on the street. Writers for the site develop small biographies for the individuals, usually laced with sarcasm and strong humor that are posted along with their photos.
Founder Wayne Andrews said he was tired of trying to help the homeless of Memphis through conventional methods like shelters, so in August 2006 he decided to be a self-anointed “jerk” about it and launch the site.
“All the people that are doing good work, they’re not getting the attention,” Andrews said. “We said… we’ll just be the bad guys. We’ll be jerks and let’s write cutting stories.”
The Street-People crew will be in Nashville tomorrow and Thursday in search of the “bum village” by LP Field, where the Tennessee Titans play.
Their goal, as stated on the Web site, is to bring the viewer “a fresh batch of Volunteer State stank by looking for that bum village,” and to highlight “how the state capital of Tennessee is the capital of bums.”
Some homeless advocates, and homeless people, don’t think that’s very funny.
“Many homeless people are in that situation for many different reasons,” said William Miles, on the street for the last six months. “There’s a story behind every homeless person and it’s not because they’re bums, alcoholics or drug users.”
Miles, who has viewed the Web site, said he lives with family members sometimes and is homeless because he cannot live on minimum wage. He said he currently works as a day laborer, although he is a member of the Nashville Homeless Power Project.
He thought the Web site was not an accurate portrayal of homeless people.
Andrews said along with an attempt at satire, Street-People writes sympathetic pieces about the people they encounter in many different cities.
“We’re sympathetic in some stories,” Andrews said. “We try to paint a sympathetic picture for some of these people because some of these people are cognizant of the fact that they’re not going in the right direction, but they don’t know how to fix it.”
He said his crew does offer to pay homeless persons to participate in interviews, but often times that payment is in the form of food. They shy away from giving cash.
One Vanderbilt University professor said she thinks the Street-People’s attempt at satire is lost on an audience already saturated with satire in the media through online newspaper’s like The Onion and news commentary like The Daily Show .
“I think, while the aim to get visibility to the issue is a good one, I don’t necessarily think the specific means are very effective,” said Claire King, assistant professor of Communications Studies at the school. “I don’t think satire in general should be written off as a strategy, but I don’t think that this is very well done satire.”
Andrews and crew have visited Huntsville, Ala., Chicago, New York City, Springfield, Mass. and Knoxville prior to coming here.
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