What do you prefer ?

[Redalgo]

Showers, though I dislike them as well. Unless I build up a sweat from hard work or expect to have company I usually only need to have one every 5-20 days.

[Redalgo]

Being liberated from the shackles of social norms and tradition isn't easy for others to accept! I think posters here may underestimate how radical I am in spite of the PM scores.

[Redalgo]

It has nothing to do with "social norms"... it has to do with basic decency towards those around you.  You might not mind your own stank (obviously you don't), but it's offensive to others.

Don't complain about being alone because you invite it.

Respectfully, I disagree. Basic decency is subjective and a construct, and it is not my responsibility to go about my life in a way that accommodates the preferences of others more so than mine - especially when there is no harm inflicted or injustice done. And I am alone because I'm a lower class hermit accustomed to being an outsider in his own society after a childhood of abuse and exclusion, more focused on the basic necessities of life (which I do not have reliable, sustainable means of procuring) than on placing emphasis on sprucing up the pleasantness of my most superficial qualities to others. If people find it offensive they should feel free to either not stand so closely, establish an order under which people like me wouldn't be so unhappy and devoid of any sense of self-worth as to neglect their hygiene, or offer cash to compensate me for the supplies of time, water, and electricity they want me to use differently.

Redalgo, how do you know when you "need" a shower?

My rule of thumb is to do so: whenever it is uncomfortably hot or I've been noticeably sweating - either from summer temperatures or from exercise, the former of which I avoid by being indoors for almost the entirety of summer and the latter from being sedentary aside from commutes into town; whenever any amount of odour can transfer to my nails from scratching behind either ear; or whenever I intuitively feel dirty (whichever of the three comes first).

If I were going to live with anyone, start looking for a gal, or have more than a moment's contact with other people outside of work I'd likely settle into a pattern of thrice a week out of politeness but for now I have more pressing things to worry about and am always short on time. I'm not going to do something like that for passing strangers.

Feel free to think less of me for it, but also realize that none of you dislike me more than I do.

[Redalgo]

No, I am not a radical fighting for fairness and justice and equality. I am one fighting for the freedom of individuals to do what makes them happy without subjugation under any sources of oppression. Things like fairness, justice, and certain forms of equality just happen to be conducive to that objective. At the heart of it I am a liberal as the word was used centuries ago, but who is convinced socialism rather than capitalism is most compatible with its overarching goals. There is no denying that I am a selfish person. All other people tend to be selfish too - merely expressing it in different ways. And that is okay, and can even be a positive thing in many contexts.

...You seriously expect people to pay you to take a shower?  Is that what you're saying?

No, I expect them to peaceably leave me to my own labours. Why should they try to control me?

[Redalgo]

Lack of personal hygiene is a serious indicator of depression.  Rather than addressing the depression, you seem to be adapting your life to accommodate it.

That's what one does when depressed for over a decade. Some of the symptoms can be managed but it is difficult to shake it entirely when ones brain chemistry is out of whack and ones income is so low that questions like, "If I can still only afford one of the three next year, should I pick shelter, food, or health insurance?" are not fanciful hypotheticals.

Drugs and help cost more than I'll be able to afford when I lose family coverage next year, so there isn't really much time left to sort it out. I am a very high strung, extremely unhappy bloke. While that is not an objectively good justification for neglecting oneself, finding ways to cope with the day-to-day realities of life is sometimes the best one can realistically hope to succeed in. I'll start caring about things like hygiene if/when I can safely leave survival mode.

I'm sorry you had an abusive childhood, but that has nothing to do with regular bathing.  I somehow doubt you're so poor that you can't afford to shower.  Hating yourself is also no excuse and you only reaffirm it by having the attitude you have.

Of course it does - just not along a line of thought that tends to make sense to people who are not already mentally ill. Enough folks have treated me badly on enough occasions that it seems pretty futile to try and win over others' goodwill. The typical person seems inclined to dislike me quite a bit if they learn much about what I think, what I value, and the nature of my customs so what? It is fair for them to demand I assimilate and conform as if I am somehow inferior or on a lesser plane of humanity? No. Society made me this way far more so than I did it to myself and, although there are things I can gradually do to change it, about all I have to say to people who think this is something one fundamentally chose to pull onto their self and then whine about is, "[Inks] you." Each of us is nothing more than a product of their circumstances, who can easily have their mind twisted into ways of thought that seem reasonable and logical to some but not to others. Both cause and effect and life in general are complicated like that, Snow Guy.

As for income, I have $558 per month available after taxes and am not eligible for any form of state assistance.