Interesting Sign

I saw an interesting sign today in--where else?--New york City. I love that place, I really do. It's never dull there, ever. Anyway, there was this guy standing on the sidewalk holding a cardboard sign (as many do in NYC)--but his sign did not bear the usual "Homeless and hungry" message; instead, he had written, in big black letters: "NEED MONEY FOR BEER, DRUGS AND HOOKER. AT LEAST I'M NOT BULLSHITTIN' YOU." I kid you not, this is what the sign said. Now let's analyze this. First off, I'd like to start by saying I appreciate his honesty. It's refreshing to see some truthfulness (not that there aren't more honest homeless people. I know some are truly hungry and just want a meal, don't get me wrong). But what the hell does he expect to get from anyone? Is anybody really going to give that man money so he can further wreck his life?
When I told my mom about the incident, she brought up a point I had overlooked: It could all be a set-up. Think of all the times you've seen something like this on television--"Candid Camera" being the most popular example, probably. He was most likely observing other people's powers of observation: Do they really look at people and signs before they donate their dollar or do they just drop it in the cup without making eye contact? What a great idea this man had, I now realize. This guy I thought was a mere honest idiot could really be quite clever. And come to think of it, looking back, he really didn't look all that dirty or down-and-out. Not that you can always tell just from a person's appearance, but all I'm saying is I could believe him as a man with a home and enough money to get by who wanted to make a point-and a few dollars doing it. Look before you give your dollar away, people. See where it's going.