Three Euphemisms That Need to Go Away

There's a reason that a specific image comes to mind when you hear the word "homeless." It's one of those words where judgments and stereotypes abound. But the word "homeless" should mean nothing more than a person's state of being at a moment in time. It should not imply anything about a person's character, work ethic, appearance, health, or intellect.

In other words, "homeless" means just that - not having a home.

But as the homeless population has increased, so has the index of homeless euphemisms. In my daily scouring of the media, I find lots of words used to take the bite out of being "homeless" and avoid the persistent stereotypes, words created so people don't feel so bad about being homeless and so communities don't feel so bad about having homeless people. It's akin to saying "vintage" instead of "used," "cozy" instead of "it's the size of a closet;" it avoids the real issue.

With that, I urge my brethren in the homelessness field, be you an advocate, homeless person, or curious reader, to halt the usage of the following terms immediately:

"Economic Refugee"
My thanks to Long Beach Councilman Dee Andrews for coining this term and hence providing the inspiration for this post. In a proposal to de-criminalize camping in cars (a great proposal that I intend to cover in more depth), the Councilman makes no mention of "homelessness," per se. But the "economic refugees" get ample amounts of wordplay. Do local politicians want us to think homelessness did not exist in Long Beach before the recession? We're not buying it.

"Structurally Challenged"
I don't get this one, but I often see it in use to avoid the negative connotations associated with being "homeless." After all, what kind of structure are we talking here? Rocket ship? Bridge? Skeleton? Besides, there are plenty of homeless folks who live in a "structure" of some sort, a car, shelter, tent, or underpass. If you're "structurally challenged," you don't sound any better off than someone who is "homeless." It's just more confusing and, thus, unnecessary.

"Transient"
Perhaps this isn't a synonym as much as it is a misguided writer, at least that's the benefit of the doubt I grant authors who use this unfortunate term. Whenever I see an article containing the word "transient," I assume the writer was simply trying to avoid repetition. I imagine them right-clicking "homeless," selecting "Synonyms," then choosing the first word that seems appropriate. Same applies for "vagrant" and "vagabond." Real people do not use these words.

If you're going to talk about homeless people, say homeless. Know the meaning of the word. Know that the real definition of homeless implies no negative connotations, so there is no other reason to use other terms that simply muddy the issue.

We cannot solve a problem that we cannot confront directly and that we have trouble defining.