OPINION & EDITORIAL
Activists out cold on homelessness
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by Guest Columnist
Monday, November 19, 2007
Wednesday night, some students gathered on Library Mall to participate in a "sleepout" held by the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group in order to raise awareness of homelessness and hunger. WISPIRG meant well by holding this event, but it will do nothing to help the homeless or end hunger.
Unfortunately, some of the proclaimed participants did not take it as seriously as WISPIRG intended. A lack of serious consideration of what the event stands for was evident among the comments left on the event's Facebook page. One student even wrote that the event would be the "most amazing/fun thing [ever]." This trivialization of the issue does not help WISPIRG's goal of educating and informing people about societal problems.
While this attitude may not be representative of all of the attendees, it underscores the important distinction between a symbolic event that tactfully highlights an issue and one that ultimately drowns it in revelry. A candlelight vigil to honor the victims of a tragedy sends a powerful message to all who attend, but a sleepover in the name of homelessness is insulting to the very people the event was supposed to support.
One of the problems lies in the simulation. The homeless certainly don't get complimentary entertainment at night and free breakfast in the morning, as provided at the WISPIRG event. The homeless usually don't have access to quality outdoor gear, whereas these participants had the luxury of bringing as many clothes, goose down comforters and Gore-Tex sleeping bags as they could carry. Some undoubtedly brought iPods and other distractions from the cold reality that the homeless face every night.
Raising awareness for homelessness is hardly an issue in Madison, where the housed and the homeless interact on a daily basis. Students gain firsthand knowledge that homelessness is a problem the first time they set foot on State Street. The problem isn't that people are unaware of homelessness; the problem is that not many people do anything about it.
Instead of hosting a well-intentioned publicity stunt, WISPIRG could have used the time and effort to actually help the homeless. Why not spend the same night distributing blankets to people who could use them now that the temperature lows are dipping below the freezing point? Or better yet, why not serve the free breakfast to the homeless instead of squandering it on those that can easily obtain their own? These things would serve the homeless better than just patronizing them.
It's understood that events like these have to attract a large number of people in order to be effective at spreading the message, and this attraction usually requires enticing the masses with free food and entertainment. For instance, at a meeting designed to raise awareness on the genocide in Darfur, it would not be inappropriate to offer the attendees refreshments or, in the case of MySpace's "Rock for Darfur," live entertainment to raise money for a cause. However, it does not make sense to offer free food and entertainment at an event intended to support people who regularly have neither.
WISPIRG's drive to end social maladies like hunger and homelessness is admirable, but its "sleepout" is not going to help the organization achieve its goals.
Abe Rubenstein (rubenstein@wisc.edu) is a sophomore majoring in computer science.
Anonymous (November 19, 2007 @ 8:39am):
I agree. Those participants were just trying to be hip, which is usually the case with most activists, whatever the cause.
Ten years down the road, none of those kids will even think about supporting a cause. They'll all be worrying about their 401(k)'s and how nice their front lawns look...not to mention why it takes so long for the cops to come out and remove those bums from the city parks so they walk their pooches.
Anonymous (November 19, 2007 @ 8:40am):
I agree. Those participants were just trying to be hip, which is usually the case with most activists, whatever the cause.
Ten years down the road, none of those kids will even think about supporting a cause. They'll all be worrying about their 401(k)'s and how nice their front lawns look...not to mention why it takes so long for the cops to come out and remove those bums from the park so they can walk their pooches in peace.
Anonymous (November 19, 2007 @ 1:26pm):
Good work Abe. It's pretty obviously that some of these people were participating solely for the purpose of being able to write it on an application. It's a total misallocation of funds that could be used for a different project. Anyone who goes to Madison has been on state street, and anyone who has been on state street knows that there are homeless people, like you said. They are trying to get people aware of something they already know, and not doing anything to combat the actual problem.
Anonymous (November 19, 2007 @ 3:17pm):
I know when I organized the event a few years ago, the sleepout was done in a pledge format, where the students' friends and family could pledge to them, like we all did in Middle school for jump rope for America or what not, and the event raised over 5,000 to support a local madison shelter porchlight that was in risk of being shut down with out the funds. Did you bother to ask or find out if the event was also used to raise money before you wrote this column?
Abe Rubenstein (November 19, 2007 @ 5:14pm):
There was no mention of fund raising in any of the information I looked at, but I think your idea is great - it would at least raise money rather than losing it all on live music and breakfast.
Regardless, the "you don't know a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes" aphorism that this event mimics doesn't make sense when the supplied diversions are considered. If you want to make some kind of startling point, get people to spend the night in Library Mall with just their every day clothes, or at least don't serve them breakfast in the morning.
Mostly, my point is that the time could've been spent actually doing something instead of "raising awareness", which we all know isn't the problem.
Anonymous (November 20, 2007 @ 10:56am):
WISPIRG did not spend money providing the entertainment or the free breakfast in the morning. Both were donated to the event. I agree that the sleepout could have been planned better and been more tactful, but it is also important to realize that WISPIRG does a lot more than just "publicity stunts" and it is unfair to state that the students who participated don't actually care about solving the issues of Hunger and Homelessness. I an assure you that they care deeply. Regarding the suggesting to pass out blankets, etc... WISPIRG does organize bi-weekly volunteer events at food pantries in the Madison Area. Also, the events during Hunger and Homelessness awareness week raised money to support Second Harvest Food Bank. I would encourage you to consider the genuine motivation behind the event and get involved in planning hunger and homelessness events in the future so that your opinions on their execution will contribute to its success instead of criticizing it later.
Anonymous (November 20, 2007 @ 1:42pm):
I'll be the one voice to defend the 15 of us students who braved the freezing temperatures that wednesday night. I am not at all affiliated with or represent WISPIRG nor did I help organize this event, however I did feel it was important for me to participate in support of homelessness awareness.
Where were you Abe that Wednesday night? Were you handing out blankets, working at a soup kitchen, talking with the less fortunate? While you are right this event did not raise any money, or directly benefit the homeless, It was intended for students to experience just one night. Yes we had amenities such as sleeping bags, however that fact only solidified the point that just giving out blankets to the homeless is not a viable solution to their problem. I felt the fear of hypothermia, even if for just one night, and it scared me even more to think that some live in that fear every night in madison.
This event was less successful than in years past not because it is misguided or a poor event, but rather people like you, and the rest of this campus couldn't leave the comforts of their homes to show that they could empathize with those without a home.
Galen Wiese
Senior Sociology
Please print, this, it is quite unfair to rag on an organization's efforts without giving a rebuttle
Jenny Wustmann (November 20, 2007 @ 7:17pm):
As one of the few students who participated in the sleep out, I'd like to speak my part.
I disagree that the event was "trivialized." Certainly, sir, if you checked the Facebook page, you viewed another comment that stated the followng:
"What could be better than a huge outdoor slumber party?"
only if you have to live the slumber party every night; rain, snow, or blistering heat...I hope we all realize after that night how good we have it, being able to have a "slumber party" and then going back to our dorms and apartments the next night."
Oh Abe, let me tell you, I did.
In my opinion, though we approached it candidly, we damn well understood what we were attempting to represent.
Again, if you checked the Facebook page, surely you noticed that one hundred forty-nine people said they might attend. 149. Fifteen did. I fail to see how this event was a "hip" one, and I really wish someone would have told me it was, so I could have worn my leggings, Uggs, and oversized sunglasses. Please don't insult my integrity.
There was no complimentary entertainment, just a speaker from Habitat for Humanity, and while there was donated coffee in the morning, to my knowledge some WISPIRG members (I am not one) distributed it to some homeless individuals that very morning. Your claims based off of these matters are inaccurate, sir. Perhaps next time you should do your research before spouting off.
Abe, it was very cold that night. It was windy. It snowed. It rained. You are correct in saying that I had the luxury of a few fleece blankets and a decent winter coat. Believe me, we acknowledged that we were lucky to have what we did have and that the average homeless person clearly does not have such easy access to these items.
The night was miserable, as I'm sure you can imagine. And it wasn't even that cold! Some of the individuals there brought iPods, yes. That did not deter from the fact that it was below thirty degrees and we could not feel our toes and fingers. I can assure you that while obviously we were not as authentic of homeless of people as you may have hoped, we certainly appreciated our paltry glimpse into the daily struggles of quite a few people in Dane county.
You claim that this event did little to raise awareness. I disagree. We talked to many, many individuals who were passing through Library Mall that night, including some who were in fact homeless. Even if this event allowed one more person to think about the situations the homeless face each day, the event has served its purpose.
Apathy and laziness is a rampant problem in our generation. And I respect your cynicism, I have my moments myself. But awareness is the first step before action.
In our American culture where our young adults seem to be more preoccupied with MTV, designer purses, fantasy football, and the like than real issues in their own counties, I don't think we're above a pointed hint sometimes.
And no, I am not egotistical enough to think that my sleeping outside on a public street with blankets and friends has made that much of an impact on the issue of homelessness.
But you know what? I personally plan on getting involved with organizations that deal with these problems.
I'm assuming I'll see you there, Abe, you seem to know a lot about this sort of thing.
Zach Heise (November 20, 2007 @ 7:38pm):
Damn right, Galen. I was out there as well that night, and was amazed at how cold I felt, regardless of my sleeping bag and blankets (no Gore-text, but try the next misguided activist; perhaps you'll get lucky).
If more people joined in on event like this, then perhaps more of Madison would realize that being homeless, especially as the cold seasons move in, does not mean sleeping on park benches and panhandling. It means hypothermia, frostbite, and sometimes death. Even with my warm-weather gear on, as Galen said - it was pretty terrible, and I'm glad that my friends were there so that we could all help each other think warmer thoughts.
So thanks for blasting our woeful, misguided activism. Yes, we didn't want to freeze to death (who does?) but I'm pretty sure that one night of sleeping outside in November is a lot more than the vast, vast majority of UW students do.
Anonymous (November 20, 2007 @ 9:25pm):
"Good work Abe. It's pretty obviously that some of these people were participating solely for the purpose of being able to write it on an application. It's a total misallocation of funds that could be used for a different project."
Um yeah! I can't wait to see all the awesome jobs I'm going to get by writing "slept outside in November" on my applications! Wooo!
AND, no money was spent on the event. There was no "entertainment", we just had each other, and that was entertainment enough. We empathized with what the homeless have to grow through, and through that empathy, it inspires us to want to make a change and do something about it! It sure is a lot better than your apathy, eh?
Oh, and the free breakfast? Everyone but 4 people left before it came, and the rest was given to the homeless.
Also, many of us had only a few layers on, and a blanket or two. There wasn't a single feather, "Gore-Tex" sleeping bag, to be found. In addition, many of homeless have adapted to the cold weather and have strategies to keep themselves warm, and are assuredly much warmer than we were, hence why they are still alive.
Anonymous (November 29, 2007 @ 12:42pm):
This event was less successful than in years past not because it is misguided or a poor event, but rather people like you, and the rest of this campus couldn't leave the comforts of their homes to show that they could empathize with those without a home
Stupid is as stupid does instead of leaving the comforts of their homes, they could have done a far better service by allowing those that are homeless to share in those comforts duuhhhh. Another case of "we should do all we can to help the homeless, other than of course, invite them in to share our homes.
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