The Tender has the scoop on Goofy's downfall.

In my vast experience of standing on the sidelines and gawking at protests, I've noticed that there are generally three types of rallies: 1) winning the hearts and minds, 2) building awareness, and 3) catharsis and opportunism.  The first type of protest is fairly obvious: most anti-war protests attempt to do this through speakers and music in public parks, although they generally miss the mark.  Protests designed to build awareness generally use spectacle and absurdity to give the media something to talk about, as exemplified by the Arab Spring, the Mission's anti-gentrification protests of the late 90s, or various street art campaigns.  Catharic protests exist merely to burn it all down when people feel like they have nothing left, and maybe get a new pair of shoes.

People somehow manage to convince themselves that protests are designed to win public support and forget about other potential objectives, which is why at first glance, #OpBART appeared to be a complete failure.  No signage, no organized message, no speakers, no obvious rallying point, no clear objective, less than 100 people turned out, and the 5 idiots from Oakland that carry around a banner covered in Swastikas and anarchist circle-As hijacked a protest about free-speech, turned it into a protest against cops with guns, and began marching down Market Street roughly 30 minutes after the protest was scheduled to begin, fracturing any critical mass that could have been established.  Then to top it off, they closed off the Ferry Building and access to BART to the majority of San Franciscans.

However, as the obviously irritable and impatient people such as Jason Permenter seem to miss, the goal wasn't to win over the hearts and minds of mid-Market coffee snobs and downtown accountants.  That's not why websites were hacked, personal information leaked, and public transportation crippled.  No, the fact of the matter is no one in this city would be talking about egregious violations of our right to assembly and free speech unless a few dozen sexless nerds in Teva sandals and Vibram toe shoes made it so Jason had to take the bus home for work.  Admittedly a fate worse than death in San Francisco, but it's only one day.

(Also, deeply sorry to use a hashtag in the post title.  This is truly a sad day.)

Here's an interesting new tour being offered on Vayable - for $100 this guy will take you on a 24 hour journey to discover what it's like to be homeless in San Francisco. The details:

Uncover the experience of 6500 people in SF.

Whether you're an SF local or visitor, it's difficult to traverse the city neighborhoods without coming across people living on the streets. You may have wondered what it's like to spend a day in their shoes, but probably don't want to give up your creature comforts to find out. I will guide you on a 24-hour journey deep inside the minds, hearts and lives of the San Francisco homeless. Eat your meals at a shelter, share survival stories and learn how to find a place to sleep.

For: People who want to know what it's really like to be homeless. Whether you're into policy or just curious, this is a truly unique experience.

Cost Includes: A guided experience of what it's like to be homeless from a homeless-friendly person. I'll help you find food and at least some semblance of shelter. (All fees collected by Vayable will go to the local shelter you visit).

My initial reaction to this whole thing was a negative one, mainly beacuase it seems wrong to me to basically imitate the disadvantaged populations of San Francisco for entertainment purposes. But on further examination, it looks pretty legit. The guy leading the tours has been on and off the streets for decades, and is an active volunteer at Glide which makes me think it'd be on the level. Either way, it'd be a great way to learn a lot about the city from someone with a totally different perspective on SF.

What do you think? Would you ever give something like this a try, or is it just something you'd never want to experience? Or just not your thing? At $100 it's a little steep, although the money does all go to charity. Anyone want to donate to a fund to help me be homeless for a night?

[LINK]

Speaking of unwanted attention, sometimes sexual harassment is funny! (Sometimes, almost never, maybe if it's a movie starring Charlie Day).  Someone is out there chronicling the sexual advances of the Tenderloin's crackhead nobility and, if you do a good job visualizing the charmed and beautiful faces making the comments, it's pretty fucking funny. [@TLcatcalls]