Session 3, 14th March 2022

PEOPLE

8 people took part: Chris, Joe, Jack, Barry, Kev, Julie, Darren and Vanessa

SUM UP YOUR TAKE ON "MONEY" IN A SENTENCE?

As a warmup game, we each wrote on a post-it a sentence or two to sum up our personal attitude to money. We got: - it's the root of all evil - money is like magic - it's imaginary - it's just external, it's not who you are - money looks weirder the more you think about it - It affects me but I won't be ruled by it - you can't really live without it unless everyone else does - humans created it but it's like it's got out of our control

MAKING ART FROM IT..?

Next, we imagined that we were each going to have to make a piece of art about our attitude to money. What art form would we use; and what resources might we need to make the artwork? This activity was to start us thinking about how to plan an artwork, since that's something we will be doing as a group later in the project. Some of the ideas we came up with: - A theatre piece. Would need a space to perform it in, and time to write it and rehearse - A billboard. Would need to design it, and the cost of hiring a billboard site. Could it be interactive - maybe if it was digital and QR code - like a digital memorial where you can leave your own message? Or something people can physically write on? What if you somehow did a street performance that was like a "living billboard"? - A piece of writing, or maybe a song. Need to set the scene and think of the characters; but maybe a song can be based on my private thoughts - A game - maybe about right and wrong choices for that person at that time, to see what path you lead to

A TIME WHEN YOU FELT IN CONTROL FINANCIALLY?

We talked about times when we have felt in control of our finances, and out of control. We noted that just like loads of people who have been homeless, many of us have had times when we've been earning a lot and been comfortably off - but we didn't necessarily feel very "in control" then. Feeling in control isn't about how much you've got. Some ideas we came up with: In control - as a child, the moment I understood I was earning my own pocket money - feeling grown-up about it, and like I was responsible for myself - when I've had a lot of money, I felt in control - but looking back, I'm not sure if I really was - when I give money to someone else out of choice, I feel in control - when I sit down and work out how much I've got (or rather haven't got) - when everyone I know has no money, we're all in the same boat, I feel more in control than when I'm around people who have lots more than me - back in the day, when I was signing on and you used to get your money in cash from the post office - I would get my giro for 2 weeks, and split the money in half, and put it in 2 jam jars - one for this week, and one for next week. I felt in control by not opening the "next week" jar early. It was me trying to get a sense of control.

Out of control - whenever I didn't have any! - in some jobs, casual work, not knowing when next pay is coming or if you've got any hours that week - gambling - addiction - if I lost my cash card, couldn't get at my own money - not sure if I have ever felt in control, really - even when you've got money and a livelihood, once you've been homeless you know it could be taken away just like that. - when I was first living on my own as a young person; nobody tells you how to budget or sort out your bills. For a while you feel in control because you're managing, but then you realise you owe money that you didn't even realise, and it quickly spirals out of control. - it's a scale - you never feel completely in control, it's just degrees of out-of-control

PROOF OF..?

We talked a bit more about the difference between proof-of-work and proof-of-stake.

One comment: "So proof of work - is that like when you go to sign on, and the Government wants you to prove that you haven't done any work since you last claimed?" The immediate answer is "No it's not that" - but on reflection, if you think about it, it is a bit like that. In our society, people who are unemployed are pretty excluded and vilified. Proving that you haven't done any work proves your right to benefits, sure; but getting state benefits in a way excludes you from society, in many people's eyes - it's like they see it as "society (which you are not fully a part of) gives something to you (who are outside society)". And proving that you have done work might mean that you can't claim benefits, but it is pretty much like proving your right to be considered part of society at all, and (among other things) to take part in deciding what things are worth and what "society" considers valuable... (compare to how, in a proof-of-work blockchain, proving work gives you a right to be included in validating transactions). So while "proof-of-work" in this context isn't the same as when the dole office asks you for "proof of (not) working", you could think of it as a kind of metaphor.

We talked a bit about how the metaphor might work for the idea of "proof-of-stake". What do people do to prove they have a stake in society? We noticed that the wealthy are rarely asked to prove it, even though often, they couldn't care less about society and don't act like they have a stake in it; but the less-wealthy often have to prove they are decent, not scammy, not criminal, etc.

Proof of Listening?

And how about other proofs of belonging, or deserving something? Could you have proof of community; proof of humanity even? What about proof of lived experience? We agreed that you can still understand something very well (e.g. homelessness) even if you haven't experienced it yourself - but probably your insights and understanding will be from a different perspective than someone who has experienced it. And... maybe your insights should be influenced by the ideas of people who have lived it? What if people who made policy about homelessness had to somehow give proof that they've listened to people who have experienced it? Proof of Listening?

VALUING THE WORK WE DO

Previously, we've talked about how society shows you that you are valued/not valued. What about the flip side – how you contribute to society? We talked about how homeless people are often seen as a "burden on society" rather than as contributing - but actually that's not true. We discussed things that we, or people we know, do in their community that is valuable (including things that are not recognised).

- What do you do that nobody sees? Often it's the emotional stuff - looking after people, sticking up for people who are bullied - that goes unnoticed. - How does society record or recognise your contribution? Often, it doesn't. We just have to recognise it amongst ourselves. - How could we measure and reward it? (here, we looked at the work on a feminist crypto token by artist Ailie Rutherford and women in Govanhill, rewarding women’s traditional work of social care and community activism so that “current gender, race and class biases aren’t coded into the currency of the future, so it’s more fair and equal”. But we still feel that sometimes putting a value on this kind of work, changes it or spoils it, or actually makes it less valuable because it turns it into a commodity. - The economics of homeless communities, which is often “under the radar” – not exactly a black economy as such; more of an idea of worth and value that is not the same as wider society’s. Like the "local economy" within a hostel - the things people trade or swap or sell. So back to the discussion we had in Week 1 about how we value some things differently after being homeless. - What can you trade when you've got nothing? What becomes valuable in that situation? We talked about trading your "story" for help from homelessness agencies or from passers-by (beggars often give a story to encourage people to give); making stuff, selling your artwork or your writing; trading sex for a roof over your head; etc. Does this sully you, or is it good if the few things you have are valued, when you are systematically excluded from getting the stuff (money, a house, a car, whatever) that is usually treated as valuable? - What if we valued some things differently? What if we looked at the things in the world that are seen as worthless, and found value in them? For instance if someone is a beggar, what if we said that they bring value to society because they're there to remind people that the economic system is fragile, and not perfect, and not on your side; that anyone can end up on the street, that "this could happen to you"; that we all depend on one another? What if we even rewarded that value that people bring by living on the street? If we paid people for going thru the experience of begging, and reminding people that society and the economy are flawed; or paid people for responding with kindness to someone who has less than they do? Note: we do not have to pay people with money...

A LOG OF VALUE

We ended by thinking - if you keep a log for a week of what you do that should be valued, and what you get for free that should be costed, what would you find out? We decided to think about it and maybe try it from next week. It would have to be private, so you don’t have to share it with anyone if you feel uncomfortable – but it might make it easier to see patterns.