Well maybe I'm being utterly naive but I have no trouble believing this to be true. Maybe people are too used to (not) seeing homeless people sitting on the pavement. Maybe some people want neat packages and this woman sends their radar crazy because she doesn't fit into their stereotypes of homelessness. Maybe those who doubt the veracity of her words are as much products of the age we live in (materialistic, cynical, selfish, unaware) as she is (homeless, vulnerable, reaching out, using internet to communicate). Anyway, I'd rather be naive than cynical. I'd rather be proved wrong in giving my support (which doesn't stretch further than reading her blog, so what's the cost in real terms?) to 100 wrong 'uns than miss supporting one genuinely vulnerable person. But hey, that's just me ...
I'm in your camp Debi. If it's not true then all I can say is that I wish that I had thought of such an emotive promotion! Have you read the comments on her paypal site? In amongst the support, and there is lots of it, there are some wicked people. Can we truly imagine, as an intelligent woman, how it would feel to end up like this?
I don't feel like 'Poor Debi' though thanks for the thought. Besides, Scruffbag did 4 things for me within several minutes of a grey Monday morning, so I'm not sorry he's entered my blog/life! 1) He gave me a laugh. 2) People like him are great for inspiring ideas for new characters. 3) He made me question how I want to run my blog ie should I delete his comments? (Decided not to.) 4) He made me rethink how I go about forming virtual relationships in this medium. I'm happy with my opinions re WS and wouldn't want to live in a world where everyone agrees with me! Call me weird (you wouldn't be the first!) but part of me doesn't even CARE if she's not genuine. I still think her writing's beautiful! Skint, if you believe her story, I'm confused as to why you're critical of her attempts to use her negative experiences to create something good for herself ... Surely you don't think she should just accept her lot and stay homeless, passive, invisible, silent etc and not use her prodigious talent to change the trajectory of her life ...
Been there, done it but chucked the damned t-shirt away! With three kids and a dog but only for 8 days because regardless of what anybody says, there is always a way out.
IF she's for real, then it's great she's trying to use her talent to change her life, but there are other ways of going about it that are more likely to be successful than writing.
Sorry, maybe I'm hard but I have trouble with this one.
Don't apologise Sharon, everyone is entitled to their opinions. Think I'm swinging daily on this one and like Debi I am only supporting in as much as I am reading her blog!
I happened across this site a few days ago too and am amazed by the amount of comment it is attracting. To be honest I never even questioned whether it was fact or fiction, but it's certainly keeping me reading. There is something about this woman which is encouraging people to pour out something of themselves; either love or hatred. Whether she does become a successful writer or not she has been successful in stimulating ideas. Good on her I say.
The "sorry" wasn't meant as an apology as such... I couldn't really give a flying duck what others think of my opinion. Dunno why I say it really. A figure of speech, I s'pose.
I guess she's got more room in her car than I had in mine. I wouldn't have known where to put my elbow whilst writing.
I remember having to sleep in the family car on camping holidays as a child. There were 3 of us, one on the front seat, one on the back and one on the floor in the back. The front was worst because you got the handbrake in your back or bum. My Dad made us "comic books" (used a hole punch and some wire to collect up our weekly comics -- ballet for my sisters and the Hotspur for me, the tomboy). We used these as pillows. It was awful. My parents slept in the tent, the baby in the pram. I am SO glad I grew up, I remember swearing to myself one million times "When I am old enough, I will NEVER go camping again".
13 comments:
Well maybe I'm being utterly naive but I have no trouble believing this to be true.
Maybe people are too used to (not) seeing homeless people sitting on the pavement. Maybe some people want neat packages and this woman sends their radar crazy because she doesn't fit into their stereotypes of homelessness. Maybe those who doubt the veracity of her words are as much products of the age we live in (materialistic, cynical, selfish, unaware) as she is (homeless, vulnerable, reaching out, using internet to communicate).
Anyway, I'd rather be naive than cynical.
I'd rather be proved wrong in giving my support (which doesn't stretch further than reading her blog, so what's the cost in real terms?) to 100 wrong 'uns than miss supporting one genuinely vulnerable person.
But hey, that's just me ...
I'm in your camp Debi. If it's not true then all I can say is that I wish that I had thought of such an emotive promotion!
Have you read the comments on her paypal site? In amongst the support, and there is lots of it, there are some wicked people.
Can we truly imagine, as an intelligent woman, how it would feel to end up like this?
This is a copy of my comment on the GOB site:
I'd say she is geniune; in the sense that her life buggered up and she found herself living in her car.
But - the blog is obviously a deliberate attempt to bring attention to herself as a writer, not as a homeless person.
I notice from a lot of the comments on the BBC site that car-living is common; the difference here is that she's blogging about it.
And how does she pay for the tax and insurance?
Poor Debi has just been the victim of Wobblingscruffbag.blogspot, who has set up a 'doppelganger' site - saddo who should be Flagged!!!
I don't feel like 'Poor Debi' though thanks for the thought.
Besides, Scruffbag did 4 things for me within several minutes of a grey Monday morning, so I'm not sorry he's entered my blog/life!
1) He gave me a laugh.
2) People like him are great for inspiring ideas for new characters.
3) He made me question how I want to run my blog ie should I delete his comments? (Decided not to.)
4) He made me rethink how I go about forming virtual relationships in this medium.
I'm happy with my opinions re WS and wouldn't want to live in a world where everyone agrees with me!
Call me weird (you wouldn't be the first!) but part of me doesn't even CARE if she's not genuine. I still think her writing's beautiful!
Skint, if you believe her story, I'm confused as to why you're critical of her attempts to use her negative experiences to create something good for herself ... Surely you don't think she should just accept her lot and stay homeless, passive, invisible, silent etc and not use her prodigious talent to change the trajectory of her life ...
Been there, done it but chucked the damned t-shirt away! With three kids and a dog but only for 8 days because regardless of what anybody says, there is always a way out.
IF she's for real, then it's great she's trying to use her talent to change her life, but there are other ways of going about it that are more likely to be successful than writing.
Sorry, maybe I'm hard but I have trouble with this one.
Don't apologise Sharon, everyone is entitled to their opinions. Think I'm swinging daily on this one and like Debi I am only supporting in as much as I am reading her blog!
I happened across this site a few days ago too and am amazed by the amount of comment it is attracting. To be honest I never even questioned whether it was fact or fiction, but it's certainly keeping me reading. There is something about this woman which is encouraging people to pour out something of themselves; either love or hatred. Whether she does become a successful writer or not she has been successful in stimulating ideas. Good on her I say.
The "sorry" wasn't meant as an apology as such... I couldn't really give a flying duck what others think of my opinion. Dunno why I say it really. A figure of speech, I s'pose.
I guess she's got more room in her car than I had in mine. I wouldn't have known where to put my elbow whilst writing.
Large elbows?
Very small car!
I remember having to sleep in the family car on camping holidays as a child. There were 3 of us, one on the front seat, one on the back and one on the floor in the back. The front was worst because you got the handbrake in your back or bum. My Dad made us "comic books" (used a hole punch and some wire to collect up our weekly comics -- ballet for my sisters and the Hotspur for me, the tomboy). We used these as pillows.
It was awful.
My parents slept in the tent, the baby in the pram.
I am SO glad I grew up, I remember swearing to myself one million times "When I am old enough, I will NEVER go camping again".
hatsoggu says blogger antispam today.
I go camping.....but have caravan with central heating, microwave, double bed etc...not really camping I suppose but if I was ever homeless....
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