Dumpster Diving

Gelina Wiles
English III
8, April, 2016

How does the author remove the stigma of those who are living in poverty or homeless?

     In the article "Dumpster Diving" Eighner, the author, writes about his adventures in dumpster diving, and shares his knowledge on it with us. He shares is tough times being homeless, but makes it not seem that bad. He never complains in the article about being homeless, but instead shares his knowledge on what to eat, and not to eat while dumpster diving. The stereotype on homeless people most of the time is that they're stupid, and uneducated, hence why they're homeless. Eighner seems quite educated in his writing, especially for a homeless person that has to eat out of a dumpster. He writes, "Eating safely from the dumpsters involves three principles: using the senses and common sense to evaluate the condition of the found materials, knowing the dumpsters of a given area and checking them regularly, and seeking always to answer the question "Why was this discarded?" (Eighner 714) This seems to be an educated man, on dumpsters mostly, but he's smart enough to eat things that won't kill him. Another stereotype on homeless people is that they're all into hardcore drugs and only want money for drugs. Eighner is not an alcoholic or druggie, and mentions the ones who are: "Can scroungers, then, are people who must have small amounts of cash. These are the drug addicts and winos..." Eighner beats the stereotype of being the one who just wants alcohol and drugs.