Sheets of Egyptian Cardboard

Amber Reed
Undergraduate/Creative Writing

I haven’t formed an opinion on the topic of this article, which I’m sure will come as a shock to anyone who’s ever taken the time to read the first three sentences of anything I’ve ever written. Anyway, because I write for The Flip Side, I felt the need to look for something controversial and outrageous to make people go, “OMG, I CAN’T BELIEVE SHE SAID THAT!%##!D!!” and write about it this week. In my pursuits, I stumbled upon something that has ties to a previous article of mine. Though I’m not sure how it happened, this is what I found.

There exists a UK-based design company called Dutch by Design which has come up with a new trend in bedroom linen style. Their idea: sheets, pillowcases, and duvet covers in the style of the homeless. Yup, the homeless. 
Comforters and pillowcases are in the likeness of cardboard boxes thrown together and upon each other, some patched here and there with tape and complete with item number and quantity stamps. Supposedly this is to remind “the user that some people don’t have a bed, let alone a home.” Here’s the thing…I’m not sure that’s the message these sheets are sending.
But apparently it picked up in the UK because this collection was so popular that Dutch by Design is marketing another sheet print in the form of bricks of pavement. If at this point you’re thinking, “This is really offensive and pretty tasteless,” you’re not the only one.

However, there is one, albeit unsatisfactory saving grace for this company. Part of the profit from the sale of this unconventional bedding goes to Centrepoint, a United Kingdom charity for homeless youth between the ages of 16 to 25. Thirty percent of the profit, that is. 

Like I said, I’m torn between thinking this is a clever new take on helping those in need, or it’s just a little bit nauseating. Honestly, I feel a tad dirty just thinking about people actually buying these and sleeping on them, thinking that because their beds now resemble the horrible plight of others and mere dollars from the purchase may have kept one child warm for one night that they can now consider themselves socially conscious.

I guess if someone is willing to help, they’re willing to help, and the specifics aren’t really all that important. But at the same time, you have to wonder why no one in that think tank said, “Yeah, maybe this isn’t the best way to show our support. Kind of seems a little condescending, no?” And then they did something like a bed sheet drive where for every set of non-homelessly styled bed sheets sold, another gets donated to Centrepoint. Therefore, everyone has bed sheets, and no one is acting like a pompous ass. 

(After getting to this point in the article, I realize it sort of seems like I had an opinion this whole time. Who’da thunk?)
Dutch by Design gets points for trying, but at the end of the day, their design just cheapens the hardships of a large number of the world’s population. What happened here is a company using its philanthropic ideals to put a little more money in their pockets. Perhaps they shouldn’t have done it by mocking the people they’re claiming to help. But at least now the buyers of this collection get to go home to their two story town houses with a 1.5 car garage and mattresses and go, “Huh, my bed looks like a dirty street corner, but it’s not. Thank God.” Meanwhile the people this company is backwardly helping have to crawl into their real cardboard beds praying it doesn’t rain that night.

The last article I wrote had a similar topic. It was about a man I’ve seen outside of the Starbucks on Clairemont. Since then, I’ve seen him once more. This time I was able to read the sign he was holding. It read “Homeless, please help.” I’d be lying if I said after this second encounter that I didn’t burst into tears. Tell me I overreacted, call me emotional, whatever, but my heart is where I strongly feel everyone’s should be. I’ve made a promise to myself that if I ever see this man there again, no matter what I’m doing, I will stop at that Starbucks and bring the guy a cup of coffee and a piece of carrot cake or something. It’s not fixing his problem, but it’s something; it’s what I can do. And if everyone did something small like that, maybe we wouldn’t have companies trying to capitalize on the less fortunate.
Sources: 

http://www.shelterpop.com/2009/10/22/bedding-inspired-by-the-homeless/1#comments