The CEO Sleepout is a charity initiative from the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Every year, CEOs from across Australia come together to "sleep out" for one night, donating money to the charity and experiencing for themselves how thousands of homeless Australians live every day.
People can also "sponsor" a CEO who is sleeping out. Each CEO has a target amount they are trying to reach – some aim for close to $150,000, others just try to earn as much as they can.
The 2017 CEO Sleepout began on Thursday, with hundreds of CEOs parking themselves in locations across Australia's major cities. They were provided with cardboard to lie on and tried their best to sleep through the cold winter night. Good on them.
However, one aspect of the event has caused outrage online, after the CEO Sleepout Twitter account posted a video of CEOs using virtual reality (VR) to "get a glimpse of the realities faced by the people who experience this every day."
Our Sydney CEOs using virtual reality to get a glimpse of the realities faced by the people who experience this eve… https://t.co/QFHgdt3hrl
The VR setup was almost immediately criticised on social media as"tone deaf" and "vile poverty porn."
@CEOSleepout When you want to be woke but don't actually want to mingle with the dirty poors
@CEOSleepout Yes! Dealing with the virtual cold, the virtual violence, the virtual hunger, the virtual untreated il… https://t.co/IFxJBnCAKW
Next year's CEO sleepout: we take our brave leaders on a tour of a gallery that includes a portrait of a below median income earner
@CEOSleepout It's gonna be weird when they don't give a shit because all you did was make them watch a video, huh?
@CEOSleepout Press Play to avoid social responsibilities.
@CEOSleepout Why don't they go outside and talk to some homeless people?
@CEOSleepout Homelessness is NOT a game.
@CEOSleepout Here is an idea. How about you let real people who are homeless talk to the out of touch millionaires.… https://t.co/SnyF2cMpY2
@CEOSleepout Just bullshit! How about we increase taxes on corporations and use that to fund housing, mental health… https://t.co/wHPlzCTk7b
@CEOSleepout Press 'F' to pay respects.
@CEOSleepout Or they could, I don't know, go outside and actually speak to homeless people and open their goddamn eyes? Wow... 😡
@CEOSleepout Wow. Is it possible to be any more tone deaf?
@CEOSleepout Nope..not understanding this at all😐..wrong on so many levels..get them to walk the real streets of ho… https://t.co/1n3Ecy7a8P
@CEOSleepout Really happy to see you waste 10 grand of funding on making a homelessness simulator for Tech babies
The CEO Sleepout has raised almost $5 million and will provide assistance to those experiencing homelessness. The charity hopes to help thousands of young and old Australians find a way out of the cycle of homelessness.
BuzzFeed News has contacted CEO Sleepout for comment.