• SkepticalButOpenMinded@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    Your daily reminder that the main cause of homelessness is housing affordability. It is not inevitable. It’s a choice we as a society make.

    Canada has one of the highest homelessness rates in the developed world, but it’s not like Canadians have more mental illness, use more drugs, or have less work ethic than Americans or French people.

    • Rocket@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      it’s not like Canadians have more mental illness

      According to the Government of Canada, 1 in 3 Canadians will be affected by mental illness during their lifetime. The CDC suggests only 1 in 5 Americans will realize the same.

      use more drugs

      According to the Government of Canada, 27% of Canadians use cannabis. The CDC reports only 18% of Americans do the same. According to the World Health Organization, Canadians drink 10 litres of alcohol per week. Americans, only 9.3 litres.

      or have less work ethic

      According to Queens University, Canadians are only 72% as productive as Americans. That may not be explainable by ethics, but we are working less. When someone attributes homelessness to work ethic, are they actually speaking to ethics specifically, or is it merely shorthand for any type of condition that would find someone working less than what would be considered typical?

      • Scribbd@feddit.nl
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        1 year ago

        According to the WHO, 50% of all statistics are made up. Unsourced statistics have an even higher diagnosis rate: 70%!

        But who would lie on the internet?

        • Rocket@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          If only there was some type of interconnected network of computers that holds all of the world’s knowledge that one can easily reference to validate anything they come across, and correct any errors they find.

          Alas.

      • emeralddawn45@discuss.tchncs.de
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        1 year ago

        Assuming your numbers sre even correct, id say thats more an issue with the cdc underreporting mental health issues than with Canadians being more predisposed. Also what is your point exactly?

        • Rocket@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          Also what is your point exactly?

          Information has no motive. Why would there be a point? What a strange question.

      • jadero@lemmy.ca
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        1 year ago

        Interesting stats. I can imagine the arrow of causality going both ways.

        (I don’t know why you’re being downvoted for comparative statistics…)

          • Teotwawki@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            Primarily. Also, they seem to be linking cannabis use with homelessness for some reason, and are surprised that diagnoses of mental illnesses are higher in a country where people have universal health care.

            • Rocket@lemmy.ca
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              1 year ago

              they seem to be linking cannabis use with homelessness

              It is linked to drug use. Turns out cannabis is a drug. Who’d a thunk it.

              are surprised that diagnoses of mental illnesses are higher in a country where people have universal health care.

              There is no surprise.

              How on earth does one come up with this nonsense?

          • Rocket@lemmy.ca
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            1 year ago

            People are taking time out of their day to press a button on a discussion forum because what they really want is to visit a wiki? That’s sadly believable.

            I wonder if the same people stop their car at street lights to press the crosswalk button when what they really want is to take a train?