Homeless woman found living in closet........

[TheDebbieDee]

I thought I'd post this on DU -not to be insensitive to the plight of homeless people, but because, damn, it's funny......

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hpgtWuPO79kSTjOldHCEkaT7CXJAD90VU0E00

[ReadTomPaine]

1. Sorry, but this story isn't funny. It's damn sad.

She was forced into living like a damn roach, eating scraps and hiding in the cracks where no one could see her. That's hardly something to laugh at.

[siligut]

4. Horribly sad.

Having lived in a kingdom type environment, some Asians are particularly resourceful and extraordinarily humble. I agree, it is sad.

[YOY]

2. In Japan no less...

Reminds me of "Toyko Godfathers".

Sad at the same time with a quirky twist.

[hisownpetard]

3. I thought you said she was homeless! (I mean, she has a closet...)

[lligrd]

5. Not The Least Bit Funny

Terribly sad.

[CountAllVotes]

6. It is not funny

at all. :argh:

[nightrain]

7. what's funny about it?

[varelse]

8. You and I don't share the same sense of humor, I guess

Imagine being that woman, experiencing your life as a living ghost. Do you still feel like laughing?

[eShirl]

9. I don't get it

[scarface2004]

10. in college..

i lived under the table in the kitchen...beat that!!

[siligut]

15. I lived on a chair. We were artists!

What sort of table?

[uppityperson]

11. I understand the funny bit, and the sad bit.

The sad bit is the poor woman who did this. The funny bit is the fact the guy didn't notice for over a year. It only takes me a month to notice people living in my closet. She must've been very quiet and considerate.

That poor woman though.

[fed_up_mother]

17. I get the funny and the sad, too.

My husband would definitely notice the food missing, but I'm not sure he would notice anything else.

He contributes a lot around here, but he's not very observant!

[Benhurst]

12. Not unusual. We have several U.S. Senators living in closets, to

say nothing of Members of Congress.

[Book Lover]

13. Yes, I too often yuck it up when I read about

desperate people and their terrible and ill-dignified solutions to awful situations. ROFL!

[Taverner]

14. Funny AND Sad

Funny because she lived there so long without being detected

Sad because this is a human being

[izquierdista]

16. The word "homeless" is a misnomer

What this story shows is that "homeless" people really aren't. They are actually pretty resourceful, making their home out of a space that wasn't intended to be one. In this resourcefulness is the solution to the problem of the "homeless" -- let them have some space.

Modern society has become so obsessed with putting a price on every square inch of real estate that they have forgotten to leave some space for those who can't come up with a way to pay the going rate. Even in national parks, space that belongs to ALL of the people, money has to be paid to use a camping space.

In California, the "homeless" camp on the beach or on the sidewalks of downtown Los Angeles; in Las Vegas, the arroyos that cut west to east across the valley. In every city across the country there are similar spots that the "homeless" call home. Instead of looking upon these people as down-and-outs to be booted out, cities should look upon them as a resource. A city with more people than houses is a growing, vibrant place. A city with more housing than people is on its way to being a ghost town.

A forward thinking city would reserve some space for people who are camping out, waiting for a more permanent residence. That space could have restroom and shower facilities and a police presence. Not police to hassle them, but police to look out for their safety. It's pretty clear that punishing people for making a home out of some makeshift space doesn't solve the problem that they find themselves in. Where punishment doesn't work, encouragement may. Encourage people who are camping out to use city provided facilities. If they were completely anti-social like Ted Kaczynski, they would be camping isolated in the wilderness, but since they are not, with a little encouragement, they can probably return to the commonly accepted definition of a home.

[Quantess]

18. Amazing. Bizzarre, sad, amusing, and creepy.

Creepy is the #1 reaction, to me. How could someone live in your home without you knowing?!
:scared:

[RedCappedBandit]

19. Creepy popped into my mind too..

Imagine having somebody in your house for a year, and you didn't even know. Geez.

Sad, too, obviously.. not really funny.