Hobology (March 2009)
Friday, February 18, 2011 at 5:56PM The economy stinks. Stable jobs disappear. But so have the hobos. We need to share and learn what we’ve gained and what we’ve lost through their history and an examination of hobo mythology.
Excerpt:
"...When I proposed this topic several months ago, I had in mind to describe, in light-hearted terms, a minor subculture within our society that could be better understood, especially since the faltering economy was going to bring us all down. It was funny and ironic to suggest we all might need to develop hobo skills, learn how to make do with little, learn to survive on the edge of society, and strive to live simple unstructured lives, all within a community of like-minded or like-fated outcasts.
Well, it ain’t funny anymore. Things have gotten worse. It’s sad and close to home. Moreover it turns out hoboes are nearly extinct. Good riddance, many would proclaim. And yet, a mythology about hoboes persists, evolving from and winding through two centuries of political philosophy, economic turmoil, and cultural dream-weaving."
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Lecture first presented in the Whiting Theatre at the Center for the Arts in Homer, NY