Travel as a Political Act

I once attended a talk by Rick Steves, the travel guru, and he suggested that we think of travel as a political act, a way to broaden our minds with new ideas and experiences. Since that talk, I have considered travel a way to expand what we know and think, a way to look at things differently and to question the status quo.

To that end, there were, of course, homeless people in all of the cities I visited (save for Monte Carlo). In all cases, the picture was the same: A homeless man or woman sitting on the ground, draped in a blanket, more often than not with a dog as his or her only companion. They would often be reading, or writing, or in some cases staring at the ground, but never aggressive or troublesome to those of us passing by. Often I would drop in some change, with a feeling of powerlessness to change what was just in front of me.

In London, I walked by a man, a typical homeless person, who was sitting on the ground, reading a book, with his dog cuddled up with him, blanket over both of them. I did not give this particular scene any special thought, until I was returning back and passed him again a few minutes later. This time, a female bobbie was standing over him, talking with him. I could not help but wonder what she was discussing, since he had not been causing any trouble so I could not fathom why she would be bothering him. To my surprise, a little eavesdropping revealed that rather than harassing, she was suggesting alternatives to him over sitting on the street. She appeared to be offering places he could go to be warm, and she most certainly was not doing this in a threatening manner, but rather one of empathy. I didn't stay long a it was a very strong scene, though I did manage to snap a picture.

I should point out that I do not follow any one political party line, but I instead make my decision on any single issue based on the merits of that particular case. In some situations I am very conservative, in others very liberal, but when it comes to social matters I firmly believe it is a travesty that we have people starving on the streets, cold, homeless, alone, when we squander our taxes (10% sales tax in WA state alone) on bullshit such as ensuring that salmon can spawn. I don't care to hear about the sustainability theory: That argument is meritless when you compare it to the need to a person--not a salmon, but a person--who is in crisis and in urgent need. I have nothing but disdain for our politicians of either party who turn their backs on people while grandstanding for politically correct environmental issues. Let people starve while spending taxpayer money to ensure that fish can f*@k...yes, it is nothing short of disdain that I feel for that sort of lunacy. In that sense, I can say that this one street scene was, indeed, travel as a political act for me.