The fake bums stand out a mile away.

We might be the outcasts of society,

but people don't realize that life on the streets is a society in itself.

Homeless people can be divided into as many categories as people off the street can.

Most of us start out jobless, chasing unemployment checks,

hoping they'll cover rent until a better opportunity

comes along. Others are addicts, their lives ruined by drugs or alcohol, hustling for a few

dollars to pay for their next high. Then there are those like me, with a secret and on the

run, hiding in plain sight.

Maybe that's why these two MOOCs think they can pull a fast one on me.

They're dressed in several layers of mismatched clothes, huddled near a burning trash can.

Their words are all gibberish, with occasional odd twitches thrown in to sell the ruse.

It's a lousy act, performed by people

who've only seen the homeless epidemic on the surface, but have never been pulled in by the

undertow of desperation. The clothes might be the right style, but they're too clean. Hell, I can

practically still smell the fabric softener. They've leaned too far into the cliche homeless look,

copying the folks who have spent decades on the street. Nobody who has done that smells as good as these two.

The transition is also a slow one. The people only a few days into homelessness dress pretty

much the same as everyone else.

Over time, their clothes collect stains.

They miss a couple of shaves, and their hair subtly gets greasier.

But these guys just dove into method acting, like a couple of kids playing dress-up.

...