Seen at The Unwanted Blog but too good not to, er, "borrow," it seems the homeless are showing up at Occupy Wall Street in significant numbers. Free food! A park you can crash in without getting rousted! -- and it's not a nice, neat Hollywood-movie bunch but the full panoply of folks who have fallen -- or leapt -- through the cracks.
The hot rumor is that NYPD is sending them; I suspect this seriously underestimates the resourcefulness and gumption of homeless people.
I'd like to think this would be a teachable moment for OWS participants but what I'm reading suggests that instead, they're aghast -- agog! -- that their privileged paleface protest/experiment in anarchy isn't being shielded from ugly reality by the strong arm of the State.
Not how it works, citizens. You tell us how you're out there in public space (privately-owned Zuccotti Park), speaking for the vast masses? Then you share that space, and you'd best do so with at least as much grace as the moguls and cubicle-dwellers whose public space you chose to move into with your protest. C'mon -- show us how it's done. Or admit you're mostly in this to pick up dates and outrage Mom and Dad in bleakest whitebread suburbia, grinding away to put your scrawny rump through college.
(Y'know, when the Sikhs set out a meal for all comers -- it's a religious obligation -- I've yet to hear any report of them whining about who shows up, or that folks ate too much. When the food runs low, they cook up more -- and it's all hands-on and self-funded: no hired help, no free money from the .gov. Oh, and the purpose of the exercise? "...[T]o uphold the principle of equality between all people regardless of religion, caste, colour, creed, age, gender or social status...." There's a message there, and one OWS participants are missing: be the change you want to see in the world. But I guess it's more fun to whine while someone else does the heavy lifting.)
The last paragraph makes the post, Roberta.
ReplyDeleteWhat an informative and appropriate post and quite correct in the assumption of such open protests being subject to public attendance and encroachment. If you’re providing sustenance to those there you had better realistically expect freeloaders to have their hands out. There is a decided difference between homelessness and street people each with their own sub cultures and class groups. The bottom line though is the word gets out quick on where to go for free food, blankets and such. If you’re going to sally forth to exercise your constitution rights to be seen, in the way and a general nuisance then beware of bedbugs and other parasites.
ReplyDeleteI hope that the issue is being overstated and that they are able to come to terms with their new recruits. I am not sure as to homeless numbers, but presumably they are the 1% on the opposite end of the 1% they are complaining about.
ReplyDeleteThe Daily Caller -- NYC arrest records: Many Occupy Wall Street protesters live in luxury
ReplyDeleteRusseel1200: The cooks went on strike because they got tired of feeding moochers.
They are getting a pretty good lesson in how the world really works...if they are paying attention.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I suspect the lesson is being lost on them.
Drang:
ReplyDeleteThat is pretty interesting.
I think what the occupiers are learning is that there are a lot more homeless people out there, and they have a lot of needs.
I am a bit paranoid about homelessness because I can never understand why anyone would pay good money for something I am capable of doing on a fairly regular basis. LOL. Always a bit worried I'll get tossed out on the street some day.
I thought this post probably had the most nuance: combination of complaints, but also concern.
http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/local/article/1006764--occupy-philly-outnumbered-by-homeless
Of course protesters tend to sound whiny. After all, if they are not trashing something, they are complaining.