An Explanatory Genre Piece To Inspire Social Change

An Explanatory Genre Piece To Inspire Social Change

Homes Not Handcuffs: The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities is designed to make readers uncomfortable to inspire social change. It feeds readers facts and statistics on the criminalization of homelessness. The organization is one of the more successful aspects of the piece in terms of evoking emotion. It draws on issues including types of criminalization measures, the prevalence of laws that criminalize homeless persons, examples of geographical locations that are both inhumane and humane towards homeless persons, and constructive alternatives to the issue. The writer draws on examples such as "Sweeps of city areas in which homeless persons are living to drive them out of those areas, frequently resulting in the destruction of individuals' personal property such as important personal documents and medication" to make the audience feel terrible for the homeless, thus changing attitudes and behavior.

It is a very powerful piece, and because is designed to inspire social change, it can be considered a citizen's explanatory genre. Homes Not Handcuffs: The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities functions in a way that can be compared to Rettberg’s definition of the purpose for social blogs in that both are designed to challenge opinions and expectations, and because both function as an authoritative text.

The audience of this white paper is constructed by the facts that make up the writer's argument. They are individuals who are not homeless and who, perhaps, do not know information about this particular social issue, or maybe they are aware but do not care. This white paper gives them a reason to care. It was designed to change the way homelessness is perceived, because currently, many view homeless persons as subhuman. These individuals are often treated with cruelty when they should be treated with the utmost sympathy.

Don't kick someone when they’re down.

The argument is solidified with a shocking list of laws in U.S. cities that violate the constitution, including freedom on speech, the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizures, and the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. These actions also violate international human rights law.

The goal of this piece is to convince its audience that instead of criminalizing homelessness, governments and law enforcement officials should work with these people to come up with humane alternatives. Cities are encouraged to allot more resources to creating affordable housing, shelters, and food services for these individuals, because as per the white paper, "When cities work with homeless persons and advocate for solutions to homelessness, instead of punishing those who are homeless or poor, everyone benefits."

This white paper works surprisingly as a mediated discourse because it illuminates inhumane aspects of U.S. society. It inspires emotions in readers such as sadness, embarrassment, and pity, and this complicates the notion of publicly mediated discourse.