Liberals shouldn’t scoff at people’s fears of homelessness and crime
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Hoping to educate its viewers about life in a “progressive hellscape,” Fox News recently sent a reporter to a liberal city — Seattle — to hear from residents about its runaway homelessness and crime. The segment did not go as planned. “I’ve never seen any crime in Seattle,” said one interviewee with a slight twinkle in his eye. “I’ve seen fun and laughter, and laughter and fun.” “Oh no!” another resident said, sarcastically, when asked about people injecting heroin nearby. “They were hurting you so bad!” A third deflected, insisting the real issue was that crime and disorder “could be solved by giving people their basic needs.”
Liberals received the segment with glee. But, as a political philosopher who studies homelessness and considers himself progressive, I found little to celebrate in this episode of culture war point-scoring. By glibly dismissing people’s feelings about open-air drug use, shoplifting and human waste on the streets, liberals empower their ideological opponents.
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