Russia, U.S.: Reactions to WSJ Story on Web-Savvy Homeless · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Earlier this month, Russian social networking portal Habrahabr.ru featured photos and some translated text (RUS) from the May 30 Wall Street Journal piece on the online presence of the U.S. homeless – On the Street and On Facebook: The Homeless Stay Wired.
The original English-language story has generated 93 comments. On Habrahabr.ru, there are currently 183 responses – and below are some of them:
kakains:
Wow!!! 0_0
Here you don't run into bums with laptops […]
isnotme:
Here even if you run into one, you wouldn't think that he bought it.
Unechka:
Here a bum would get killed for this laptop. And, quite possibly, by the law enforcement people.
Sigurd:
Here even an ordinary person who takes out a laptop in the street wouldn't survive for too long…
crazysiemens:
Here it's not even often that you run into an ordinary person with a Macintosh ))
jeje:
If this were April 1, I would've never believed it. But, damn it, we are dirt poor even compared to the bums in the United States.
dymdym:
These are singular cases. We also have all kinds of whiz kids among bums. One is even making movies and winning awards at festivals. But the majority are alcoholics.
r_p:
Here some students can't afford to buy a laptop […]. It's making me sad (
Inskin:
There is some difference – as far as I know, they have summer in California all year round. And there are many open – and free – wifi's, too, I guess. Here in [St. Petersburg], if you become homeless, then nine months of the year a laptop and internet are the last things to be concerned about. :)
Petrucha:
Here vodka is the best laptop.
hypercom:
There, bums can't live without internet, while here educated and well-employed people have no idea what internet is for. This difference is more upsetting that the difference in money availability.
big_jump:
Some people can't understand what they need a computer for, and internet is a totally different dimension for them altogether.