Reader: People living off the grid are worthless, parasitic, freeloading street derelicts

To accompany his feature about surviving off the grid, Josiah Hesse assembled a list of six essential resources for living the life in Denver. But one reader didn't celebrate this information, or the people to whom it might appeal. Far from it...

By Michael Roberts

July 29, 2013

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To accompany his feature about surviving off the grid, Josiah Hesse assembled a list of six essential resources for living the life in Denver.

But one reader didn't celebrate this information, or the people to whom it might appeal. Far from it.

fishingblues writes:

The article's title should have been: "How to become a worthless, parasitic, freeloading street derelict." Way to go WW. Let's encourage more bums that leech off of the established system while offering nothing in return. In addition to living and eating out of garbage cans, they don't bother with hygiene (Did you ever smell one?), shit on the street, throw trash everywhere and have nothing but disdain for any laws that hold together a civilized society.

Yeah, let's glamorize the lifestyle. That shows a lot of class.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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