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 ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in computer science.