Well-to-do Victorian British households were known to pay small sums to have a destitute homeless person sit at their stoop -- a ward of sorts -- as a show of wealth and beneficence. Fast forward to 2013 and the bourgeoisie are still using homeless individuals for their petty whims.
According to reports, homeless people have been paid by eager Apple consumers to wait in line overnight in preparation for the first sales of the new iPhone models. "Several homeless people Friday were being paid to stand in line for the release of the iPhone 5C and 5S," the AP and CBS Local reported from Los Angeles:
“I was asked yesterday if I would be willing to sit in line for someone so they could get a phone. I said, ‘Sure, I’ve got nothing else to do.’ So I’m here,” said Mickie, who was driven from the Midnight Mission area along with 10 others.
It was unclear how much Mickie was being compensated, however, others in line said they were being paid as little as $35 to wait in line for hours.
Meanwhile the Los Angeles Times reported that fights in line for the new smartphones had led to arrests. On the same day the House voted to gut the food stamp program by $4 billion a year, it's good to see consumerism is keeping things in perspective.
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