It is one thing to commit to camping out as part of the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement when the weather is nice, but it will be quite another thing when winter arrives with a roar. For me, this is one aspect that may help to determine the potential longevity of this movement.
As America's homeless already know, winter can be brutal for those exposed to the elements. Not only must a person endure bone-chilling temperatures, but there are ice and snowstorms to contend with as well. While tents and sleeping bags will mitigate some of these factors to an extent, it is difficult to escape winter's complete wrath when "home" is defined as a space in a public park or greenway.
I have participated in protests in inclement weather. The saving grace of these events was the foreknowledge that the protest itself had a set duration and that, once the demonstration ended, I could retreat to my warm and toasty little abode. I'm unsure how my mood might have been impacted if, once the main event ended, I simply tromped back to sit inside a tent!
It will be interesting to see how weather plays a role with OWS. Who knows. Maybe the northern locations will thin out and more bodies and attention will turn to those sites in warmer climes.
As America's homeless already know, winter can be brutal for those exposed to the elements. Not only must a person endure bone-chilling temperatures, but there are ice and snowstorms to contend with as well. While tents and sleeping bags will mitigate some of these factors to an extent, it is difficult to escape winter's complete wrath when "home" is defined as a space in a public park or greenway.
I have participated in protests in inclement weather. The saving grace of these events was the foreknowledge that the protest itself had a set duration and that, once the demonstration ended, I could retreat to my warm and toasty little abode. I'm unsure how my mood might have been impacted if, once the main event ended, I simply tromped back to sit inside a tent!
It will be interesting to see how weather plays a role with OWS. Who knows. Maybe the northern locations will thin out and more bodies and attention will turn to those sites in warmer climes.
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