Yup, just like most of fark are virgins "by choice"

Sounds like some kind of wierdy...

Milk the system until it's dry, he will be a fantastic ambulance chaser.

You wanna live like Common People?
You want to do whatever Common People do?

Take his lockers away and give him a shopping cart. And make it a year, not just the warmer summer months.

fark this douchebag.

Sounds more like you went urban camping without the tent, you dolt.

So he had clothes at a health club where he could shower and ect... so it is like camping.

Sorry douche I am not impressed, and I hope you were able to do the soul searching by experiencing what millions of Americans do for recreation.

I fail to see the douchiness. He wanted a change, he made one, and found the key to making it work was having a gym membership (which is something a number of homeless people do- gym memberships can be had for rates significantly lower than rent). Heck, there are points in my life where, had I lived in the right climate, I might have been tempted to do the same. It's not like he was panhandling or anything.

...I didn't have really any challenges.

Seriously? What a douche.

t3knomanser: I fail to see the douchiness. He wanted a change, he made one, and found the key to making it work was having a gym membership (which is something a number of homeless people do- gym memberships can be had for rates significantly lower than rent). Heck, there are points in my life where, had I lived in the right climate, I might have been tempted to do the same. It's not like he was panhandling or anything.


Agreed, except that he felt the need to "tell his story". The fact that he thinks it's story-worthy is somewhere between lame and douchy. Depending on the look on his face, I guess.

He does have a point, though. The biggest advantage he enjoys is that he doesn't have the mindset of a very poor individual. That's non-trivial, and perhaps even the single most critical factor. Admit it -- a significant number of really poor people make consistently bad financial choices with what money they do have, ensuring they'll never drag themselves out of the gutter. Thinking like the class you want to be in is half the battle to getting there.

I had to really reduce the amount of stuff that I had.

The salient point here... our culture is drowning in STUFF. Many of us are prisoners of our stuff: we need bigger houses to hold it all, we pay a lot to insure and maintain it. We have to replace it as it breaks (too frequently) or becomes unfashionable (also too frequently). We don't need most of it, hell we don't even WANT a lot of it.

This may be a weird way to make that statement, but it's his own way. But yeah, try doing this in Toronto in February and see how long you last...

Reality Asylum: ...I didn't have really any challenges.

Seriously? What a douche.

Just because he has mastered everything doesn't mean you have to be a hater. Just try to be more like him.

As long as he doesn't spend his life talking about how the homeless have it easy because he managed, I'm okay with what he did. However, living on the streets, and having no place to go home to, are very different things. If he actually had to root through trash containers for newspapers to use as insulation, he'd have an idea. Like the fella above said, it's really camping in the city for this guy. I'm also willing to lay down bets on which half of the year he spent on the streets.

That said, the idea of him being a "Homelessness Consultant," fills me with the kind of disgust that has me fetching rat poison and a shotgun.

Wulfman: Agreed, except that he felt the need to "tell his story".

A law student living on the street is a noteworthy story, in that it's not a state of affairs the reasonable person would expect to see. Doing so voluntarily is also odd.

Now, he is a law student, so I'm absolutely certain that he's a douchebag. But not because of this little event.

r1niceboy: I'm also willing to lay down bets on which half of the year he spent on the streets.

Considering the article is very pointed about the fact that he moved back indoors during the winter, there's no bet there. I've read about folks living in SoCal that actually do just simply live out of doors, despite having the money to afford an apartment or house.

What an asshole.

Rootus: He does have a point, though. The biggest advantage he enjoys is that he doesn't have the mindset of a very poor individual. That's non-trivial, and perhaps even the single most critical factor. Admit it -- a significant number of really poor people make consistently bad financial choices with what money they do have, ensuring they'll never drag themselves out of the gutter. Thinking like the class you want to be in is half the battle to getting there.

Another big advantage that he enjoys is money.

You can criticize poor people all you want, but by the time that you're actually living on the street, it's significantly harder to climb out of that just by saving up your money and delaying big purchases. Also, chances are you're probably schizophrenic, seriously depressed, bipolar...

Oh, and conspicuous consumption is just as big (or bigger) of a deal among the middle and upper classes, it's just that they can afford it.

I don't have a problem with this as was mentioned earlier he made it work, it's semi interesting to read about it, that's it. I'm finding it hard to have much feelings about this in either direction. Why hate on the guy just because he's odd?

Egoy3k: I don't have a problem with this as was mentioned earlier he made it work, it's semi interesting to read about it, that's it. I'm finding it hard to have much feelings about this in either direction. Why hate on the guy just because he's odd?

Because that's what people do.

I don't think being homeless is as much a challenge when you have limitless funds.

Having a life without excess while for a few months?

That's okay.

Living 'homeless' with unlimited funds to spend on food, clothes, and storage then acting like every other homeless person is too stupid to do homeless right (and emailing the writer of the story to clarify that you're a 'law student' and not a 'college kid')?

Douche.

jagec: You can criticize poor people all you want, but by the time that you're actually living on the street, it's significantly harder to climb out of that just by saving up your money and delaying big purchases. Also, chances are you're probably schizophrenic, seriously depressed, bipolar...

Which begs the age old question, which came first the schizophrenia or the homelessness

"Just because you sleep outside for six hours a night doesn't mean that for the rest of the day you can't be shaved showered, in clothes, acting normal and doing normal things."

I will say this is a good point.

All you bums out there, take a shower!

Wait, hipsters dress like homeless people, now think being homeless is cool. Homeless people were homeless before it was cool, they're the hipsters now?

phedus: "Just because you sleep outside for six hours a night doesn't mean that for the rest of the day you can't be shaved showered, in clothes, acting normal and doing normal things."

I will say this is a good point.

All you bums out there, take a shower!

I believe they prefer to be called "hobos".

I think he practicing. Someone probably told him how hard it will be to get a job in law, when he graduates.

St_Francis_P: IntotheAbyss: Homeless people were homeless before it was cool, they're the hipsters now?

Nope. They didn't appreciate the irony.

You're right. It takes the cultivated taste of someone in the early 20s to understand. Like I posted above, I think these hipsters are just practicing for their future. Trying homeless, blue collar, or crazy on for size.

The grammar nazism and subsequent complete lack of recognition of sarcasm in the comments from TFA is really entertaining for anyone that missed it.

This guy just pretty much told the world at large that he's not getting laid at all.

But how hard was it to find suitable sleeping spots that didn't exceed a 26 minute commute to his gym?

Rootus: a significant number of really poor people make consistently bad financial choices with what money they do have, ensuring they'll never drag themselves out of the gutter.

Most homeless people are insane, making poor financial decisions with their bottle return money is the least of their problems.

DirkTheDaring: What an asshole.

This comment rules.

Apparently, homelessness isn't that bad when you have lots of money. What a shock.

trappedspirit: jagec: You can criticize poor people all you want, but by the time that you're actually living on the street, it's significantly harder to climb out of that just by saving up your money and delaying big purchases. Also, chances are you're probably schizophrenic, seriously depressed, bipolar...

Which begs the age old question, which came first the schizophrenia or the homelessness

Homelessness doesn't cause schizophrenia, though it can exacerbate a schizophrenic's symptoms.

"I wasn't satisfied, my life just felt meaningless because I didn't have really any challenges."

No challenges? How about working 2 or maybe 3 jobs while you're still working towards your degree, you whiny, self-indulgent little shiat?

Riffington: trappedspirit: jagec: You can criticize poor people all you want, but by the time that you're actually living on the street, it's significantly harder to climb out of that just by saving up your money and delaying big purchases. Also, chances are you're probably schizophrenic, seriously depressed, bipolar...

Which begs the age old question, which came first the schizophrenia or the homelessness

Homelessness doesn't cause schizophrenia, though it can exacerbate a schizophrenic's symptoms.

So does the bottle/syringe/pipe.

Rootus: The biggest advantage he enjoys is that he doesn't have the mindset of a very poor individual. That's non-trivial, and perhaps even the single most critical factor. Admit it -- a significant number of really poor people make consistently bad financial choices with what money they do have, ensuring they'll never drag themselves out of the gutter. Thinking like the class you want to be in is half the battle to getting there.

He also has money to go to law school. He can do this for fun, and stop when the weather turns cold. He can afford to keep gym memberships and dress clothes. He has a *lot* going for him that most homeless people don't have.

If he's enjoying himself, fine, but bragging about it to the press just makes him a bigger douche.

Homeless on an unlimited budget. He solved teh homeless situation in the country nay the world!!!!

He should have let the rats gnaw on his brain.

Late to the thread, but...

My mom works for the VA, counseling veterans. Many of her clients have been homeless at one point or another. There's one guy who refuses to take any of the housing options available to him - prefers to be on the streets, pushing his belongings in a shopping cart. For what it's worth, he apparently showers every day at a shelter and takes care to launder his clothes. I should also mention that this is in LA, where the climate is homeless-friendly.