Whether it’s satire or real, a Reddit post in r/AskSF is becoming very popular and probably for the wrong reasons: it's titled “I want to go homeless for a bit, need some help.” Yup, you read that right.
The question, posed by user xredxditx, is phrased around wanting to save money by not paying for an apartment. According to their post, this Redditor is a full-time programmer, making over $100,000 a year, they but don't like spending over half their salary on rent. So naturally, their solution is to live out of a tent in San Francisco instead of moving somewhere cheaper.
Because it’s Reddit, the responses are broken down evenly between serious suggestions and angry posters telling xredxditx to basically shut the hell up and stop complaining. They get into everything from where this programmer could go to the bathroom (one Redditor answer: BART, where the escalators are more often out than working due to human waste) to suggestions that they spend time in a real homeless shelter. Of course, serious ideas also pour in, with commenters recommending everything from living in someone’s backyard to getting a permit for a campground on Angel Island. One Treasure Island resident tells xredxditx that unfortunately for him/her, squatting isn't allowed on that island.
If you’re still wondering if this is serious or not, the original user states they're in this financial bind because they help their family pay bills, in addition to living the good life here in the city. Meanwhile, if someone who makes $100,000 a year thinks it's time to leave their apartment behind, one can only imagine what residents making much less are feeling about their housing choices. Or wait, we already know.
Top photo courtesy of David Lytle/Flickr.
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