• March 28, 2024

Video: Homeless veteran shunned in social experiment reveals public attitudes

A social experiment by two men who go by the name of Moe and ET on YouTube set out last September to see how the public reacted in passing a homeless veteran and a homeless child, both with signs, sitting near each other.

Needless to say, the results were surprising and shows that while a homeless child needs help, passing on a veteran as if the veteran does not exist, is a problematic view for American citizens.

The social experiment raised the anger with comments by users on how veterans are treated when they are out of a job and have lost everything. As one user on YouTube stated [spelling errors corrected], “I am Ashamed to Live in this F**ked up Country ! He’s a US VET Wake The f**k Up People This guy deserves more than most Americans working shitty a** jobs….”

While another user commented concerning the attitude of a New York police officer, “The police never pay attention on how hard it is to get a job… and people who are just rude don’t realize how hard it would be to be homeless… it’s not easy, I cried my eyes out of this man just asking for food and some clothes that’s not much to ask for.”

In related news, SWVA Today reported earlier this month that Praxedis Lindsey, whose friend served in Afghanistan and committed suicide, wanted to raise awareness for homeless veterans has now been on the road, walking for over 5 months from Massachusetts to Texas.

Lindsey shares his concerns for the plight of homeless veterans with everyone he meets along the way.

“There are over 50,000 veterans living in the streets in the U.S. today and they do not belong abandoned there,” he said to SWVA Today. “The veterans have returned to the country with “fractured souls and psyche from the horrors of war” and find it very difficult to reintegrate into society. The veterans are not given the adequate care they need.”

“I come across many of them at intersections,” he continued. Many of the veterans are “filthy and holding cardboard signs, begging for help and for food. Many are in wheelchairs and some are missing limbs. They’re sunburned….These men and women do not belong there.”

The daunting task has not been without problems and physical obstacles. He told SWVA Today, “I’ve lacked nothing. God has always provided every day. It’s His walk. Second, it belongs to the vets. They deserve better. They don’t belong on the street.”

Veteran homelessness not only affects those who experienced the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars, but also includes people who served in Vietnam, Korea and even during World War II. Vets serving in the Vietnam and the post-Vietnam era have the greatest risk of becoming homeless, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

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