Maybe they were riding the publicity coattails of the equally inane Nonstory of the Year.
Speaking of which, if you read that Paper Trail link be sure to also read the commentary. Here's an excerpt of a response (presumably by a hippie who actually goes by the name "Tree Helper"):
I do say though that any claim of odor is exaggerated. We have dozens and dozens and dozens of visitors everyday, and nobody has every told me or anyone I know that we stink.
Homelessness is a real problem affecting real people. If you are concerned about the issue, be part of the solution.
We don't have Tibetan prayer flags.
I'm glad to hear the masked tree sitters outside Wheeler Hall don't intend to stay long, and for that matter that Tree Helper clarified the nonexistence of Tibetan prayer flags, but how is sitting in a tree going to democratize the UC Board of Regents? It sounds like just as much of a non sequitur as our Tree Helper thinking sitting in a tree is being "part of the solution."
3 comments:
My usually reaction to protests on Berkeley's campus is 'How many of these people are actually students?' and as the new protestors near Wheeler so aptly point out, they are alumni. And if I remember correctly, a good proportion of the Berkeley tree sitters are citizens of the town of Berkeley, not students.
Hmm, maybe young people just don't care, as one liberal minded over-50 woman pointed out to me. Or maybe they are more interested in doing something that actually matters.
I wasn't sure what Tree Helper meant about the 'homeless' up in the trees either. I think most of the people in the trees have the luxury to sit up in a tree and talk about the evils of capitalism. Yet, isn't it their parents or their own bourgeois lifestyle that enables them to take the time to sit up there and not worry about missing work? The day La Raza joins them I will take back every word.
I think the tree sit brings much needed publicity to the important issue of democratizing the regents.
Also, the UC is a public university, and citizens have a right and opportunity to be involved in its affairs - as the Chancellor and others have remarked, for example, about community involvement programs and online classes.
Unless you have specific information about the sources of the protester's livelihood and the extent of his budget, it's probably best to refrain from speculation.
More information about the need to democratize the regents is at:
www.democratizetheregents.org
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