Understanding The Nature Of Homlessness

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verbally, their demeanor throughout the interaction, and the
importance of eye-contact. We must also wrestle with the ambiguity of the power
structure within the situation, because it is not nearly as clear as it seems.
In the end, we will try to decipher the true nature of these confrontations,
concluding by comparing the analysis of these situations to those found in the
works of Erving Goffman and Robin Leidner.

INTERACTIONS

The difficulty in defining the parameters of dominance within the
interaction comes in understanding the disparity between the social status of
the person being asked for money and the status of the individual begging for
it; the real science lies in determining how little that difference actually
matters. Socially, the respective status of each individual should be quite
clear. The person walking down the street is probably either employed or a
student. The stereotypical homeless person, on the other hand, may have alcohol
or drug problems, may ...

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what that response may mean. Of nineteen interactions we observed,
only seven people made eye contact with the person asking for money. We found
that it was often easier for someone to say no if they did not have to look the
person straight in the eyes. One common response was to look to the person
without making eye-contact, and then respond while turning away from the
panhandler. Many people did choose to communicate verbally, often using the
phrase, "I don't have any money." In all likelihood, almost all of the seven
people who uttered that phrase had at least a some money, and the homeless
probably know that. Still, the phrase- whether an outright lie or the gospel
truth- ...

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