In the Tuesday Open Thread, BaldwinP started a conversation about a South by Southwest publicity stunt, where homeless people were hired to wear a t-shirt proclaiming “I’m a wireless hotspot!” The participants were paid $20 a day, plus they kept all monies paid by wireless hotspot users.
Predictably, Crasstalkers had opinions about this event. Although the operation seemed beneficent on the surface, some commenters opined that the setup ended up dehumanizing the homeless people who participated. Continue reading