The Prince Will Never Understand the Pauper
by Tony Chavira
Okay, let's cut right to the chase:
Prince William Spends Night Sleeping On The Streets
LONDON — A cold alley in central London is a far cry from a palace – but it was the spot Prince William chose to sleep to highlight the plight of homeless British teenagers.
He spent a chilly night near Blackfriars Bridge last week with Seyi Obakin, the chief executive of British homeless charity Centrepoint. William has been the charity's patron since 2005.
"I cannot, after one night, even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough on London's streets night after night," William said Tuesday. "Poverty, mental illness, drug and alcohol dependancy and family breakdown cause people to become and then stay homeless.
"I hope that by deepening my understanding of the issue, I can help do my bit to help the most vulnerable on our streets."
Two things strike me about this. First, homelessness isn't really an issue we need to be aware of anymore. It's an issue we can all see, surrounding us on our streets. Everyone sees homeless people and knows what they're dealing with right away. Second though, homeless people don't need sympathy from people who are used to living in luxury accomodations. They don't want people with money to pretend to be homeless for a day or two to understand their plight. They want help. Real help. Services, accomodations, facilities, anything. Help.
Only someone who had the resources to test-drive an alternative living arrangement such as "homeless" would see it as something worthy of spectacle and not physical assistance. Want to bring attention to the cause, William? Donate the money you'd spend on your next vacation to a homeless shelter and stop trying to pretend like you care by packing up your sleeping bag and heading back to your palace to write a press release about your horrible one-day affair with the cold London streets your guards had to surround while you "roughed it."
Or better yet, donate your next 100 vacations.
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