A few days ago I posted a story about OWS protestors in LA who realized that their protest camp was being infiltrated by imposters and homeless:
Anyway, this nicely frames this nugget:
Homeless transplants from the city’s Skid Row have set up their tents within the larger tent city. No violence has been reported, but protest organizers are attempting to discourage people who are only at the encampment for the amenities.
I smiled and said, “Welcome to the 53%!”
Now, to be very clear, I do NOT think the OWS crowd is obligated to serve food and provide shelter for people who are not members in their group. The people who are organizing any individual movement and group is working hard, I am sure. However, what they are protesting subjects them to a degree of tolerance that would not otherwise be applied to other organizations.
See, the 99% feel that other people in the world should labor for their direct benefit. These people honestly feel that they deserve a “living wage”, free college and healthcare. Gone is the concept that any and all of these things require that an individual, somewhere-anywhere, labor for the benefit of the 99% and not themselves.
This is, of course, crazy and no one really supports it.
See, what’s happening is that protesters have organized into roles. One of those roles is to cook and prepare meals for the other protesters, in theory, so that they can focus on other tasks that are required. Perhaps this is park cleaning, garbage removal, sign making and library tending. This makes sense. Just like in life, specialization of tasks is more efficient and better serves the community.
However, because of the nature of the camps, homeless and other non-protesters are coming for the meals. And the folks who are contributing are getting fed up; they are tired of supporting those who don’t contribute in other ways.
Again, no one supports requiring people to labor for those who don’t contribute.
And the proof that no one supports it is the fact that those protesting for just such that condition are opposed to that condition when they are the ones being asked to contribute money and labor.
Hat tip Boortz.
To show they mean business, the kitchen staff refused to serve any food for two hours yesterday in order to meet with organizers to air their grievances, sources said.
…
The Assembly announced the three-day menu crackdown announced earlier in the day — insisting everybody would be fed something during that period.
Some protesters threatened that the high-end meals could be cut off completely if the vagrants and criminals don’t disperse.
Unhappiness with their unwelcome guests was apparent throughout the day.
“We need to limit the amount of food we’re putting out” to curb the influx of derelicts, said Rafael Moreno, a kitchen volunteer.
See, they understand. They GET it. And when faced with the prospect of laboring for those who don’t contribute in a meaningful way, they react by reducing the “welfare” they provide to “vagrants”. Further, these people understand the power of incentives. They know that if they put out more and more “stuff” they will get more and more “derelicts”. The reverse seems to be obvious. Reduce the quality of the “stuff” and the “derelicts” go away.
I so do love the free market.
