10.48 The Mattress Revolution

The government wasn’t doing what it was supposed to be doing. It was the same then, as it is now. I’ve been thinking about this since the sightings of the mattresses. It’s been well established that I like to go for long walks around the city. Just to take in what’s around me, how people are living, to feel the space between me and everything else.

When I saw the first mattress, I figured it was just an isolated incident. The second one merely a coincidence. The third one, a confluence of timing. By the tenth one, I knew something was going on.

It reminded me of the Great Mattress Revolution of 1988. You might remember this if you’re old enough. Maybe not, it was before the internet existed. In case your memory is failing at the moment, or perhaps you weren’t born yet, it was a time when everyone was able to get together on a single issue. We had a massive city-wide sit-in. Or mattress-in.

The politicians and those in charge of our fine city made some decisions that affected all of us. Sure, maybe it affected us in different ways, in fact very specific ways, but none of that mattered. What mattered was that we formed a single cohesive voice, and were able to set aside our differences, exerting enough pressure that they had no choice but to cave.

And cave they did. On a pre-determined night, at exactly the same time, we all dragged our mattresses from our beds, out our front doors, and on to the street. All at once. And we slept outside, out of solidarity with our brothers and sisters facing the housing crisis, which was directly caused by the politicians. The longer we stayed outside, the more confused our leaders became. We were not as docile or mindless or self-serving as they believed. In fact, we even surprised ourselves. Surprised at our persistence and commitment to each other.

The politicians thought this was a handful of rabble-rousers who were trying to get some press. They didn’t realize that deep down inside we’re all rabble-rousers. They didn’t take us seriously and assumed that the first night we’d get cold and return back inside into the warmth of our homes. We stayed outside for as long as it took. They sent police officers and firefighters and paramedics out to us going door-to-door, or mattress-to-mattress, but it didn’t take long for them to join us.

What we won was new infrastructure and housing for everyone. There was nothing left to do except drag our mattresses back inside. It was never spoken about again - we didn’t want to be sore winners, and the politicians wanted everyone to forget. They were exposed to the power of the people working together as one. They didn’t like it. They saw the truth of the relationship between us and them. Because the truth is, they are supposed to work for us. Somewhere along the way, this truth had gotten misconstrued. Deliberately? Or just the natural order of things?

That was over thirty years ago. Lately, as I mentioned above, I started seeing mattresses everywhere. Half the people in the city couldn’t have gotten a new mattress. Half the people in the city couldn’t all be throwing out their mattresses. Then I started thinking - well, this was how it started back in 1988. Quietly, with one person leaving their mattress outside at the curb as a symbol.

Are these mattresses I’m seeing the start of the Great Mattress Revolution of 2019? Things suck pretty bad right now. We seem to, generally speaking, elect the dregs of our society to high office. Isn’t it time that we right the scales again? Remind the politicians who they are working for again? Look around, pay attention, you’ll see the mattresses. But, the only way this works is if we all come together.

Come together. We did it before. We can do it again.

Paul Dore