Rick Dancer wants to know: Is sleep a human right?

Rick Dancer is pretty darn sure that having a safe place to sleep is not a human right. He doesn’t want to be “insensitive” he says in the video, but as he writes in the comments of his Facebook page where he posted his “driving while videoing” musings, “I agree it would be nice if we all had a safe place to sleep but that’s not a right, that is what we call a privilege.”

He then continues in the sort of “I’m not a racist; I have black friends” vein with how he showers with homeless people in Springfield all the time: “I met them in the showers at Willamalane Pool. In Springfield Willamalane lets these guys shower for 50 cents and we all know them and talk with them.”

You can also watch the video here on Dancer’s Facebook page to get the full benefit of the comments and responses.

Hey, Rick Dancer, we have a challenge for you: Why don’t you spend three days outside with nowhere to sleep? Downtown Eugene, downtown Springfield (you know, so you can shower), either one is good. Then let’s check in and decide whether a safe place to sleep is a right or a priviledge.

India’s Supreme Court ruled that “a citizen has a right to sound sleep because it is fundamental to life” in 2012, and the BBC says sleep deprivation has been used as torture around the world.

Studies have shown that lack of sleep can lead to a higher mortality rate, and to quote the National Institutes of Health, “Sleeping is a basic human need, like eating, drinking and breathing.”

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

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