That was kind of an eye-opening perspective. For background, my employment causes me to come across a lot of homeless people. There are the "frequent flyers" who know what to say and how to act to cause the reaction they are looking for (a warm place to be with a sandwich), but they know how the system works and how to work it; and they still don't get out of the loop. This then leads to the mental illness aspect, which I think is the root of the issue. I sympathize with it, sometimes, but at the same time, it makes me more jaded. It's a tough balance. Sometimes, a referral is made, but the person doesn't want to go with the program that wants to help them. Then what?

I'll go to bat for the person that truly needs the help, but when I see it being abused, the coin flips and I "turn off." This is why I tell people not to burn their bridges, especially with their parents (assuming the parents were alright in the first place).

I'm glad the author of the article was aware of his outward appearance and how being honest and trustworthy means. This, in my opinion, might keep anarchy at bay. I think in terms of how Japan dealt with their recent disaster; there were no reported acts of violence (like riots) and it appeared to be orderly (at least on TV). I don't have a lot of confidence here.