Homeless Newspapers: why so dreary?

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Why don't they sell something we WANT to read, with crossword puzzles, celebrity gossip, recipes, etc. Street Spirit is so bleak and confrontational. If they actually produced a paper that stood on its own merit, and was desirable and interesting, homeless advocates could move away from the pity/victimhood model into a more positive one.

They could sell GRIT!

― andy --, Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:42 (twenty years ago)

fuck yeah...

I want to read about BUM FIGHTS... hear about local homeless people gossip..

― donut ferry (donut), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:45 (twenty years ago)

What do the homeless people REALLY think of that one guy in downtown who keeps primally screaming holding up a sign calling the Seattle Police and Frye Apartments the Devil!

― donut ferry (donut), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:46 (twenty years ago)

Homeless Do's and Don'ts of fashion.

― donut ferry (donut), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:47 (twenty years ago)

Homeless recipes!

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:49 (twenty years ago)

Homeless Garfield!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:50 (twenty years ago)

British homeless papers have topless female urchins on page 3.

― Adam In Real Life (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:51 (twenty years ago)

I think the medium itself is the problem.

HOMELESS BLOGS FUNDED BY PAYPAL.

― donut ferry (donut), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:51 (twenty years ago)

Big Issue isn't that bad and has some fairly interesting articles in.

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:51 (twenty years ago)

Homeless personal ads.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:52 (twenty years ago)

SWM, 50, still has a couple teeth, seeks spare change for Mad Dog 20/20.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:53 (twenty years ago)

Homeless real estate.

― Adam In Real Life (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:53 (twenty years ago)

yes, Big Issue tends to get good interviews with bands. I don't know of any other mags sold by the homeless.

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:54 (twenty years ago)

Real Change, the Seattle equivalent, does have a poetry section for what it's worth.

That said, I think it's hard to justify "FUN STUFF" for Homeless papers if they are being funded by the cities in question. Reps want to hear about how these papers will have "proper" content and will foster "hope", "growth", and other positive words that make reps nod their heads.

Andy does have a point in that I think, for lack of a better term, political correctness is dictating that these papers can't be somewhat fun... perhaps there are statutes that limit what type of content cities can fund and what cities can't fund for non-profit papers.. if homeless papers were fun activity books, then that means anyone who writes an activity book could fake "homelessness" and get the city to publish their stuff... once content crosses into "entertainment", there may be an issue..

I'm just brainstorming, though. Andy, why don't you write a letter (or e-mail if they have an address) and ask them this?

― donut ferry (donut), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 17:58 (twenty years ago)

Holy shit Grit is still in print, since 1882: http://www.grit.com/

― andy --, Tuesday, 19 July 2005 18:01 (twenty years ago)

I like some of the stories in Streetwise, our local paper.

― crown victoria (dymaxia), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 19:30 (twenty years ago)

i haven't read streetwise for ages, but i think there is an overabundance of people selling it on the street that probably doesn't serve their interests.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 19:32 (twenty years ago)

I always get guys who are on their 'last one' and ask if I'll give them money rather than take their last one.

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 19:37 (twenty years ago)

typically they ask me for a cigarette

i feel like initially streetwise was only being peddled by a few homeless guys, and now it seems every other peddler in the loop--including some really obviously nutty/aggressive ones-- is hawking streetwise.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 19:39 (twenty years ago)

i don't resent this, i just wonder if at some point they gave up trying to regulate who sold it and who didn't. they used to have badges.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 19:39 (twenty years ago)

A guy at "THE INTONATION FEST" tried to sell me section 4 of the Reader for a dollar. You only see that in tourist meccas.

― carbon (carbon), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 21:30 (twenty years ago)

A homeless guy on 9th avenue tried to see me an Onion.

― C0L1N B... (C0L1N B...), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 21:30 (twenty years ago)

people on the mall in dc are always selling copies of the (obviously free) maps to the various smithsonian museums to tourists. dumb tourists.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 21:57 (twenty years ago)

i mean the *museums* themselves are free, why would they sell floor plans?

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 21:58 (twenty years ago)

Whatever happened to selling pencils from a tin cup? Too much startup capital I guess.

― andy --, Tuesday, 19 July 2005 22:02 (twenty years ago)

What do the homeless people REALLY think of that one guy in downtown who keeps primally screaming holding up a sign calling the Seattle Police and Frye Apartments the Devil!
And don't forget communist. When did that guy appear? I don't remember him being there in 1999, but he's been at that corner for many many years now. I actually stood in line behind him in a coffee shop once, which was kind of surreal. He was still carrying his sign!

― lyra (lyra), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 23:28 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, am - so many of the streetwise vendors I come across are fake. I have certain vendors that I buy from, because I recognize them.

I get it because they have good articles on housing from time to time.

― crown victoria (dymaxia), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 01:13 (twenty years ago)

I've never met a fake Big Issue vendor, and the mag is alright, they get some good writers.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 01:19 (twenty years ago)

Streetwise has some "fluff" articles, but they're funny. Homeless gossip would be funny - I would know which ones to stay away from.

Some "regular" homeless people that I see disappear after a while - I hope it's because things got better for them.

― crown victoria (dymaxia), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 02:01 (twenty years ago)

thread title otm. i really wish there was a reason to buy one of these. everytime i do though, bleh.

i remember when the stone roses gave an exclusive interview to a manchester (i think) homeless paper when they decided to reform. from here: http://www.stoneroses.net/media/bigissue.html

"Somebody's going to make money off us coming back, so it was the best thing to do," says lead singer Ian Brown. "The last time the NME had us on the cover it was one of the biggest selling issues of the year. We'd rather the money went to helping the homeless than into the coffers of a big organisation like IPC. We thought let's put something back. If somebody gets a house just by the four of us talking then it's got to be worth it. It works better for us as well because it's away from the music press.

also, i always thought mcsweeney's should put out an issue sold only through streetwise vendors.

― teh Nü and Impröved john n chicago (frankE), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 02:38 (twenty years ago)

er, i now see other mentions of big issue (where the interview appeared). is that in manchester?

― teh Nü and Impröved john n chicago (frankE), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 02:39 (twenty years ago)

Big Issue is a Britain-wide publication, I believe.

I bought my copy of the famous Stone Roses issue in London's famous Belsize Park.

And I don't even like The Stone Roses!

― Adam In Real Life (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 02:45 (twenty years ago)

You can get The Big Issue in Australia as well.

― C0L1N B... (C0L1N B...), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 02:46 (twenty years ago)

You can get the Big Issue in Tokyo and Osaka as well.

― Super Cub (Debito), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 03:01 (twenty years ago)

also, i always thought mcsweeney's should put out an issue sold only through streetwise vendors.

oh my god the anti-corny-indie-fuq/NPR vanguard on ILX would have a field day!!!!! (as would i, maybe.)

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 04:56 (twenty years ago)

how many homeless are there in japan? (real question)

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 04:57 (twenty years ago)

Homeless? In Japan? Good heavens. Do they wear tongs, at least?

― Momusateurist (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 04:57 (twenty years ago)

There are many many homeless in Tokyo and Osaka.

― Super Cub (Debito), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 06:36 (twenty years ago)

oh my god the anti-corny-indie-fuq/NPR vanguard on ILX would have a field day!!!!! (as would i, maybe.)

yeah, maybe. i dunno. i like corn sometimes.

also, back when stephen king stopped his online serialized book ($1/chapter, downloaded) cuz no one was buying it, i thought he could just donate it to one of these papers. or maybe some other "name" author could do the same.

whatever, just give people a decent reason to buy these papers other than pity. cuz that shit don't fly very far.

― teh Nü and Impröved john n chicago (frankE), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 17:06 (twenty years ago)

They should only publish the winning lottery numbers in homeless newspapers, so that each dumbass who wastes their money on lottery tickets is forced to donate an equal amount of money to a good cause to find out if they "won big" or not (hint: they didn't).

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 20 July 2005 17:15 (twenty years ago)

Why does The Big Issue have a subscription option?

― Sasha (sgh), Thursday, 21 July 2005 01:27 (twenty years ago)

""They should only publish the winning lottery numbers in homeless newspapers, so that each dumbass who wastes their money on lottery tickets is forced to donate an equal amount of money to a good cause to find out if they "won big" or not (hint: they didn't). ""

Well if they only publish the winning numbers there, then someone who read it would have won. But it's a grand idea.

― Super Cub (Debito), Thursday, 21 July 2005 01:57 (twenty years ago)

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