[nbroyal]

I see that as a false dichotomy. There are many other options between staying in the ivory tower and playing homeless.

[lutusp]

> There are many other options between staying in the ivory tower and playing homeless.

Yes, there are. But one advantage of "playing homeless" is that you might run into actual homeless people and find out about their lives.

[nbroyal]

I think you could do that just as easily without the lifestyle tourism. Volunteering at a shelter/soup kitchen is something that comes to mind.