The Life of American Vagabonds
In the UK they’re known as crusties, grebos or travellers – you know the sort, almost always middle class and rebelling against some unspecified unfairness by growing dreadlocks but the American version takes it’s lead from the old railroad hobo and they even have a more romantic name – Vagabonds. I’ve got many friends like this – I used to hang around traveller camps back in the late 80′s – but one thing has always puzzled me – how hard is it to find water to have a wash? Even the most nomadic tribes in Africa manage basic hygiene – rebelling against cleanliness isn’t a fight worth having to my mind.
cheers Kim
Speaking as an ex-traveller, the cleanliness issue stems from two problems: Availability of water (on most transient site you physically have to carry all the water from offsite). Now, you can either drink that water or wash in it, you can’t do both.
And secondly, the camps themselves are dirty/dusty/muddy/smokey places. Even if you washed every morning, you’d be dirty 2 hours later.
Can’t speak for all of them obviously, but I kept as clean as was practical.
They look like very civilised people, they have a cocktail cabinet and everything.
Also, my old workplace could do with one of those signs.
Re-reading my post, I do wonder if I was having a Daily Mail half hour when I wrote it, sorry if I came over a bit tory boy.
NSFW banner ads