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Ziggy the Bagman is an interesting character, but is not a hobo. Firstly, this hobo is a term applicable to a specific subculture in the United States; he lives in Australia. Secondly, he is not a railrider, nor does he engage in the other specific subcultural activities associated specifically with hoboes. He is a "vagrant" or "homeless" (despite his disdain for the term), but not a hobo. 167.80.244.204 20:17, 12 April 2007 (UTC)chevalier3
"Santiago One Cool HOBO" most likely should be deleted. There's nothing behind it or anything of significance for Santiago.
Jack Kerouac is the difinitive hobo! He needs to be added here, along with Neal Cassidy. -Jackmont Jan 7 2007
He mentioned the Hobo-phenomena as well, looking at it from the angle of an abandoned media (train - due to upcomming cars, busses and airplanes, wich he understood as media too). And than I found this: http://www3.georgetown.edu/grad/cct/academics/theses/stephenwanczyk.pdf. I didn't read it yet, but the subject (wi-fi-hoboism) seams interesting.
The wikipedia isn't a dictionary. An encyclopedia article needs more than a definition. Same goes for Tramp.
Shouldn't there be something like, "Hoboes first became common among released soldiers after World War I rode the rails, hopping illegally on trains in their quest for work . . . a significant hobo culture developed and even today restless people ride the rails and call themselves hobos, although . . . "
I've removed the following, added over a series of edits by two anon IPs (probably the same user):
It is, shall we say, rather idiosyncratic, and anyway, the article is about hobos, not bums. -- Camembert
The first paragraph says that a tramp, "loves lots of men." Isn't that a different sort of tramp?
I have a suggestion that the sections on books, movies and songs for both the Freighthopping and Hobo articles should get their own article, say, "Hobos and freighthopping in media". The reason for this is I can think of dozens more books to list and several more movies but if any more were added it would overwhelm the main articles. What does everyone else think about this? Kaibabsquirrel 29 June 2005 04:41 (UTC)
On 10 July the Hobo article was moved to Hoboism. Why? This makes absolutely no sense. I have never heard hobos or hoboing referred to as an "ism". The commonly understood term is Hobo. This article should be moved back. Kaibabsquirrel 01:56, 11 July 2005 (UTC)
I do not see any mention in the article about Woody that he was a hobo or that he hopped trains. Could we have some clarification? PerlKnitter 14:16, 3 October 2005 (UTC)
Clark Gable is listed as a notable hobo. I see no reference in the Clark Gable article of living as a hobo, train hopping, or even any reference to poverty. I don't think film roles (if any) should count. Can anyone substantiate this reference? 14:50, 16 Feb 2006 (GMT+9.5)
Eugene O'Neill is listed as a hobo; his article does not mention this. Remove?. 167.80.244.204 20:56, 2 April 2007 (UTC)Chevalier3
No mention of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglass or Dr./author Ben Reitman No mention of the agricultural/timber/mining industies or The I.W.W. No mention of the decline after the switch from steam to diesel locamotives.
I believe that Burl Ives should be mentioned. I remember reading that he had "rode the rails" in the 1930's picking up new musical material as he went. Umioso 18:58, 29 April 2007 (UTC)
This page is mostly absurd. It lists hobos as "Hobo Sapiens." Last time I checked they were humans just like the rest of us. This article is mostly useless and could use some serious work.
He's dressed like a pimp not a hobo!
The distinction between hobo, tramp and bum, attributed currently to a sitcom pilot, has been in use for some time. The original phrase was apparently:
"A hobo is a migratory worker. A tramp is a migratory non-worker. A bum is a stationary non-worker"
Based on a google book search, this quote is attributed to St. John Tucker, though I didn't see a date. (Long Steel Rails, Norm Cohen p343)
12.65.73.151 17:47, 9 January 2006 (UTC)
This page is sourceless and spurious. It looks like a joke or a complete fake to me. I think it should be removed, or marked controversial, or needs cleanup, or some form of probation. Really.
Abreviation of Homeward Bound, soldiers returning from the American civil war were called Ho Bo'sThere goes a Hobo, bound home from the war.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hobo
I added the term "Aaron Sin" to hobo lingo, then deleted it, as I didn't feel comfortable adding something with limited proven usage. Anyone else aware of such usage?
In exchange for weapons? Ranieldule 19:44, 28 July 2006 (UTC)
I doubt half of the words can be referenced. Even Urban Dictionary doesn't mention sloptart as a word that has to do with weapons. Wikipedia should not be a forum for creating new words.-- Infernallek 16:56, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
As already noted on this talk page, it's ethically questionable to take a picture of a neighborhood homeless person and add it to this article. The "Hobo Joe from Flushing NY" picture seems to depict a local homeless person, not a rail-hopping hobo. Note that the definition does not state that hobo is synonymous with "homeless"; rather, it suggests that a hobo is a type of homeless person who travels around the country via rails or other means. While the previous picture did not portray an actual hobo, it did depict the popular culture perception of a hobo, which is more relevant to the article than adding a picture of a modern homeless person (regardless of whether their nickname is "Hobo-something"). OhNoitsJamie Talk 12:14, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
They also had annual meetings in New Jersey where they would gather to elect a King of the Hobos. Although in theory the Hobo constitution gave the King wide-ranging executive powers, in practice his role was largely ceremonial: taking the first swig of hooch at the Hooch Festival, appointing the mayors of Bumtown and Crackville and lighting the torch at the Hobo Games.
Bold textEmperor of The North Bold text The Hobo page says this movie is based on "On The Road" by Kerouac but if you follow the link to the movie description, it says it was based on "The Road" and another book by Jack London. Besides, almost everything Kerouac wrote was based on his own experiance but this takes place in London's time.
What is meant by this sentence?
The population of hobos decreased during times of economic trouble, and their numbers increased greatly during the Great Depression. With no work and no prospects at home, many decided to travel and try their luck elsewhere.
Shurely shome mishtake? Should it be:
The population of hobos increased during times of economic trouble,
The Road is by Jack Kerouac, not by Jack London. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.101.96.66 ( talk • contribs).
Just my opinion, but it seems to me that the photo is an abomination. This fellow isn't dressed as a hobo, he is dressed like a hobo clown.
There are a LOT of good, authentic pictures of hoboes from 70-100 years ago that should do nicely. I'd like to see something that doesn't make a mockery of the entire article. Just my opinion. Richard Myers 12:16, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
citation conventions: I added some citations but I'm new at this.Hope I used the right form.
OK-theres a genuine ethical problem when someone keeps adding two references that are not used anywhere in the text.Anderson and Brun weren't used here, but now "editors" keep returning them.Homeguard
Brun is back up.I guess i shouldn't expect more.And no, I'm not brand new here-only new to the technical side of thing.Remember content? Scholarship?are either of you vaguely familiar with either one?I was the first one to point out that Keroauc didn't inspire Emporer of The North- and of course that got changed back for a while.And the SUBSTANTIAL issue with the references is that you haven't read them and don't know what they say.Anderson's book in paticular emphasis Hobos as workers-and yet the material you can claim he references is ONE condescending paragraph to the effect that Hobos saw themselves as workers-and before largely unregistered people started howling on the talk page, even that wasn't there. (Power cedes nothing without a demand, remember?)There is a labor history aspect to this thing you seem oddly indifferent to-or you would have changed that a long time ago.So now you have the multiple refernces you need to get the page unflagged-but one runs contrary to its conclusions, the other isn't used.Together, they reference less than a quarter of the article,but no one reading it wouldn realize that. And no, I'm not interested in learning to edit here-I couldn't justify helping legitimize this project.Homeguard 5:48 est fri.
Hobo or tramp markings bAlgiers, Louisiana entrance to the death to all across the the afgan river to Canal Street, New Orleans. "X" = "OK", slashed circle "A good way to go"? What about the rest? Wondering, -- Infrogmation 02:00, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I'd like to add the reference to the (great) graphic novel Kings in disguise, by James Vance and Dan Burr [2], winner of the 1989 Eisner Award [3]. Filobus 21:50, 22 April 2007 (UTC)
I came across a website with the hobo code and I found that there was another hobo code. It was: 16.-If present at a hobo court and you have testimony, give it, whether for or against the accused, your voice counts!
The Link is http://www.hobo.com/hobo_code.htm if anybody wants to check it out. Toby Keet 05:10, 27 September 2007 (UTC)
Your list of “Notable people who have hoboed” might add Eric Hoffer. Hobo are very wierd people................... Regarding "Tassos"; the word links to the Wikipedia article, but the external link seems to go to a porn site. Can someone check this out and fix it? Turmarion 22:36 4 October 2007 (EDT) —Preceding signed but undated comment was added at 02:38, 5 October 2007 (UTC)
The second sentence under "Hobo Code of Ethics" needs its comma upgraded to a semicolon and its semicolon to a colon.
-Jack Vermicelli 24.247.94.38 ( talk) 22:29, 21 June 2008 (UTC)
The article is locked, and has one book listed twice, can someone remove the former and add a "The" to the latter?
- "The Areas of My Expertise", by John Hodgman
- ...
- Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman - Humor book which features a lengthy section on "hoboes", including a list of 700 hobo names which spawned an online effort to illustrate the complete list.
Thanks!-- 192.100.124.218 ( talk) 12:08, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
hobos live by my house. one of them is my uncle —Preceding unsigned comment added by 168.212.110.20 ( talk) 18:14, 1 May 2008 (UTC)
I'm not sure how to add it with the semi-protection on even with my account being confirmed. DarkestRose ( talk) 07:15, 15 July 2008 (UTC)
Someone put this under history: "It is unclear exactly when homos appeared on the American railraving scene."
Since this page is protected and I usually don't login to make edits, I can't fix this on my own. Thanks!
SilentDude56k ( talk) 18:38, 11 August 2008 (UTC)
"With the end of the Mexican Civil War in the mid 19th Century,"
What exactly is this referring to? Is this talking about the Mexican-American War? Mexican Civil War redirects to Mexican Revolution, which occurred in 1910. Then there's the Mexican War of Independence in 1810-1821, which is in the *early* 19th century, which doesn't say anything about U.S. Soldier involvement and occurred at a time when trains were still in their infancy. 63.87.189.17 ( talk) 18:55, 28 October 2008 (UTC)
I would like to make a minor proofreading suggestion, but am an infrequent contributor to Wikipedia. The hobo lexicon has a lay/lie error in the entry on passenger cars (the hobo would LIE on top of the car, rather than "lay"). Garybletsch ( talk) 01:20, 19 December 2008 (UTC)Gary Bletsch
I just updated the introduction and etymology sections so that they are based on references. Here's hoping that other editors will continue that approach. 67.100.126.235 ( talk) 09:52, 5 August 2009 (UTC).
Back during the 1930's, there was a large switching railyard in Hoboken which sent trains in many directions. The name Hobo might be a derivative of this. 216.153.214.89 ( talk) 15:05, 23 September 2009 (UTC)
I think it would be more easy to understand if someone made graphics for each Hobo Code since writen description can be interpretated diferently from reader to reader. Do graphics just like in the warchalk article.
thank you Minako-Chan* 21:05, 27 October 2007 (UTC)
There's a lot of IP vandalism, I put in a request for indefinite semi-protection. Larryisgood ( talk) 14:06, 13 November 2010 (UTC)
And they did, any support for making this permanent? Larryisgood ( talk) 16:40, 13 November 2010 (UTC)
-- http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E2DE143FF933A25756C0A96F958260-- -- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5037/is_199905/ai_n18280872-- DarkestRose ( talk) 07:26, 15 July 2008 (UTC)
The Last Great American Hobo. Montana Blackie.
someone must surely add Louis Hardin AKA Moondog. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.2.150.233 ( talk) 23:06, 19 November 2010 (UTC)
Added reference to U Dhammaloka (new WP entry) under "People who have hoboed" - still learning the ropes and forgot to add in summary of changes. Apologies.-Laurence Cox- Laurence Cox ( talk) 07:55, 27 January 2011 (UTC)
where is "jungle" defined as a verb? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.58.29.215 ( talk) 00:49, 2 March 2011 (UTC)
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Hello, I have used Wikipedia but have never suggested any changes until now. I looked up "hobo" and thought I would send this thought along, not seeing it in the body of the article. Hobo's were typically transitory migrant workers during the depression. The[y] found work by working in fields as day labor. To enhance their chances of securing work they would often travel with a "hoe". These men were often referred to as "hoe boys' or "hobos' ----
98.94.146.127 ( talk) 16:48, 23 May 2011 (UTC)
Online Etym Dict says: "1889, Western Amer.Eng., of unknown origin. Barnhart compares early 19c. English dialectal hawbuck "lout, clumsy fellow, country bumpkin." Or possibly from ho, boy, a workers' call on late 19c. western U.S. railroads. " Any reason we shouldn't include hawbuck? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ethan Mitchell ( talk • contribs) 20:51, 14 August 2011 (UTC)
I get the impression from reading this article that the whole concept of a "hobo" is specific to the USA. Is this true? Are there equivalents, or similar terms, in other countries? Is it a phenomenon which only happens in America? I hope someone can add something to the page about this. Pippin ( talk) 23:28, 3 January 2012 (UTC)
The following books are from a Hobo bibliograpy I've created over the past 20 years.
Thanks, very interesting. One addition is this article: In search of the Female Hobo by Heather Tapley http://dc.msvu.ca/journals/index.php/atlantis/article/view/219/209 -- 94.223.3.213 ( talk) 03:48, 16 March 2012 (UTC)
"...has more self-respect, is usually young, and may, I believe, be called a tramp in the first stage..."
Not necessarily original research, but it sure sounds like personal opinion not fit for encyclopedia. It shouldn't be like this, right? I would fix it myself if I knew anything of the subject matter. -- M.A. 10:20, 4 July 2007 (UTC)
I have been riding the high iron for the past 18 years and recently settled down for the birth of my son. I can speak to what I 'know', but I am not a professor and the term encyclopedia seems to imply the need for such. We have three (03) levels in our subculture. The hobo (and here most of the old timers I rode with told me it came from ho boy which dealt w/hoeing a row for pay) will work his way across the country via the rails. It is KEY to note that you won't be welcomed in ANY real hobo camp if you're a slacker! The tramp will occassionally use the rails to roam around for somewhere to run sign or panhandle and the homeguard (I believe this is what ya'll call the bum) simply stays put in one area burning it out for their booze and such. My group, International Brotherhood of Rail Riders states we're hobos right from jump. Suppose it's a pride thing. Not only did my father (who rode for almost a decade as did his father) pound this in my head, but so did the old timers who were decent enough to teach me the ropes. A final note here: I remember a term called 'stiff' which referred to a bindle stiff being used back in the late 80's by the old timers. It traced its roots back to before there really was mechanized harvesting going on and today we sometimes use it about folks who catch on the fly (a moving train) w/little gear---they tend to roll up what personal gear they have in a blanket/sleeping bag like a burrito, tie off each end and then fashion a sling and wear it much like a rifle is carried so as to free up both hands to grab the ladder and hoist themselves up from the stirrup. If this isn't written properly simply delete it as I'm not to[o] educated; I'm simply a hobo.-- Ibrrorg ( talk) 02:00, 16 November 2009 (UTC)
This is correct as I am a Transient as well, to get accurate information on Hobo's, research the book "The Last Great American Hobo." as I am not very good at this editing stuff as well but I will keep checking in to verify accuracy.(I will sign up as well to answer questions) Signed:Z — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.255.101.3 ( talk) 21:53, 11 April 2012 (UTC)
The article states that 'hobo' is now a vulgar word. However I have heard some shows or films made in America, even children's ones, that use it. Is it really a rude term? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 101.166.150.53 ( talk) 10:51, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
I am going to make my way through, dropping anyone who does not have a source... if they are no longer living and their article says they hoboed. User talk:Unfriend12 14:46, 10 October 2012 (UTC)
Signs and symbols were often used by Gypsies in Europe: See Romany Rye, for example. Numanonja```` — Preceding unsigned comment added by Numanonja ( talk • contribs) 10:40, 14 January 2013 (UTC)
Why does every page on wikipedia have to either have something pro-gay or something against other sexual minorities? What is the sick agenda with all of this propaganda garbage? 67.238.153.126 ( talk) 21:48, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
Also, I seriously doubt this amazing ethical "code" of unstable criminals was written in 1889 due to anachronisms, and the citation link is dead. 67.238.153.126 ( talk) 16:09, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
Does that mean don't molest children like the "don't molest the wildlife" signs in parks or don't molest them like Penn State? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.231.176.54 ( talk) 04:07, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
I added the only picture I could find in Wikimedia Commons. A quick Google of "hobo symbols images" turns up plenty of diagrams and photos. Could somebody find or make a suitable rights-released chart with a few dozen of the most commonly-seen symbols? Reify-tech ( talk) 22:32, 10 April 2014 (UTC)
A new section has been added by a newbie ( WP:AGF) editor, but in the wrong location. The material probably ought to be a separate WP:STUB article, but the new editor may not have the ability to create a new article as of yet. Also, the newly-added info is unreferenced, although the new editor may simply not have had time to do this yet. Suggestions? Reify-tech ( talk) 20:53, 5 May 2014 (UTC)
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Only 5 of the 29 names at present have sources. I think any names included need to have sources, otherwise anybody could include any names.
The list includes some, such as Woody Guthrie, who are well known to have hoboed. Some others, such as Nels Anderson, Jack Kerouac, Carl Sandburg, are very likely candidates for the list and their WP articles might confirm it.
Some of the names are surprising, if not extremely dubious. One is Dr. Phil McGraw. I haven't found anywhere that confirms he has hoboed, and to be honest he seems the kind of person who absolutely would not hobo. I've taken his name off of the list.
Some might have done things that relate to the hobo lifestyle but, strictly speaking, have not actually hoboed. Mike Patton, for example, might have "used field recordings of hopping freight in musical composition", but that does not qualify him as having hoboed, so I took his name off the list.
Additionally, names who already listed under "Notable hobos" should not appear again under "Notables who have hoboed". I spotted Harry McLintock and Seasick Steve in both lists, so I've also removed their names from the second list. 2602:30A:2C4A:1CB0:B170:DDD8:D552:C628 ( talk) 18:15, 12 December 2017 (UTC)
A Google Books Search turns up this criticism of hobos in the Iron Molders' Journal from 1872:
--The actual article seems to be from 1896 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.57.205.168 ( talk) 15:08, 7 July 2019 (UTC)
These sections are entirely fictional and should be removed. There is no verifiable source and it is a prank. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:643:4301:37D4:2DFD:AE97:95A9:FF52 ( talk) 15:52, 24 August 2019 (UTC)
Does anyone have a legitimate source for the ethical code. The provided link is dead and the parent website doesn't appear to host the ethical code anymore. I've found it re-printed on a lot of blogs and message boards, but nothing that would qualify as a reliable source. Natalie ( talk) 17:19, 30 May 2011 (UTC)
I know there are citations here -- I'm still not buying that the claimed differentiation between the three 'classes' is anything but a recent, ROMANTIC invention. (Also, the way I've heard it, which I prefer is: "A hobo is one who travels (ed: "is a transient"), and does honest labor when necessary; a tramp travels, but won't work (ed:"do honest labor"), and a 'bum' neither works nor travels." (I accept that these definitions may exist as a neologism these days -- and I don't have any doubt that in the world of the, well, poor, that there are always distinctions maintained between social classes. People are people.) -- and now I get my own SMACKDOWN: now that I finally get to the website of the cite given, I see it was Mencken who claimed its use during the Depression. This, boys and girls, is why you verify the cites FIRST. <bows, departs> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.235.56.24 ( talk) 05:25, 5 March 2011 (UTC)
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I've been keeping an eye on this page and just noticed some reverted changes made by User:Thehistoricgraffitisociety. The thrust of what was added and then deleted is that "hobo signs" are an imagination story that has persisted for well over a hundred years now. This is an assertion I had read elsewhere as well, but only in passing; I had been hoping to find something to back it up, but so far I hadn't.
I agree that the changes made by Thehistoricgraffitisociety were not very encyclopedic or very well worked into the article. But User:Theroadislong's assertion in the changelog that the edits served solely to shill for the Historic Graffiti Society's website seems unjustified. The edits in question ( 1, 2) do mention that organization in the body of the text, which is certainly questionable. But that's one mention among quite a bit of apparently quite well-researched information, and I believe that the idea that hobo signs were never in widespread use should certainly be incorporated into the page, at least as one viewpoint, if not as the accepted fact. Every source besides the Historic Graffiti Society that I've read on hobo signs simply takes it as granted that they were a real phenomenon, but none of them provided an authentic photograph or firsthand account from a hobo who used them in real, day-to-day traveling—it's always some glossary of signs or a staged photograph. The Historic Graffiti Society's article is the first I've seen that looks even somewhat authoritative.
User Thehistoricgraffitisociety has now been banned, apparently for those edits. (I think that was extreme; I believe a warning should have sufficed. But this isn't the place to discuss that.) I plan to incorporate their viewpoint into the article soon, and wanted to take this space to assure everyone that I'm not in fact an alias for Thehistoricgraffitisociety. I don't even know them. But theirs is a legitimate viewpoint that I hope to spread. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nondirectional ( talk • contribs) 05:52, 10 February 2020 (UTC)
In the "Etymology" section, this statement appears: In 1906, Professor Layal Shafee, after an exhaustive study, put the number of tramps in the United States at about 500,000
Later in the same section, this statement appears: According to Ted Conover in Rolling Nowhere (1984), at some unknown point in time, as many as 20,000 people were living a hobo life in North America.
These statements are contradictory -- the lack of clear distinction between tramps and hobos may have led to the disparity in numbers. In any case, it is confusing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:268:C185:3618:D11A:B2B4:C083:BF4 ( talk) 11:14, 17 May 2020 (UTC)
I see that someone has posted that the Cuban colloquial expression correr jobos might be a source for the American English term. There is no citation for this, and I would hope one would be forthcoming. But it is plausible, except that one wonders how a Cuban expression for truancy or vagrancy would come to the US in the 19th century. A good possibility, but beyond my resources for support at this time, is that the expression was shared across the Gulf region to the Gulf coast of Mexico (where the jobo tree also grows) and from there, along the rails north to the US. The time period is right. And Mexican trackworker ( traquero) shantytowns---usually made from old boxcars---were widespread across the Southwest US for decades. It's too bad there are no easily accessible Mexican Spanish etymologies for colloquialisms...or are there? Tmangray ( talk) 00:44, 28 February 2008 (UTC)
It is difficult to distinguish much of the Etymology section from “original research”. I strongly encourage the inclusion of a citation for each theory.— SlamDiego ←T 09:01, 5 June 2008 (UTC)
-
From the article...
Bill Bryson suggests in Made in America (1998) that it could either come from the railroad greeting, "Ho, beau!" or a syllabic abbreviation of "homeward bound".
From me...
It is, in fact, a syllabic abbreviation of "homeward bound". You see, hobos traveled around seeking work. They did this, not only to earn money to support themselves, but also to support their families who had remained back home (mailing money to them as they could). When hobos were asked where they were headed, being homesick they most frequently answered with things like, "homeward bound... one of these days", or, "I'm homeward bound. If the good Lord is willing", or, "homeward bound... in a round about way". So, they became known as the "homeward bounds", which soon became shortened to "hobos".
Thibeinn ( talk) 04:56, 26 October 2020 (UTC)
The section has no sources cited, is written as an argumentative essay, and is entirely redundant because the convention has its own page. WahooSS238 ( talk) 17:14, 15 October 2021 (UTC)
I would argue we need an estimate from a reliable source to make this article a bit better. Cynthia-Coriníon ( talk) 03:23, 23 December 2021 (UTC)
Why is this so prominent in the article? 2001:420:C0C4:1005:0:0:0:20 ( talk) 14:44, 11 February 2022 (UTC)
There is a difference between "old school" hobos and "new school" ones. New ones usually use backpacks, often have mobile phones, and use sleeping bags a lot. Old school often used makeshift bags or bundles, apparently started with civil war soldiers. 188.210.27.247 ( talk) 14:04, 15 May 2022 (UTC)
How is only possible to narrow this down to within half a century. Why would you use circa then a 50 year range. 62.194.63.113 ( talk) 06:27, 17 July 2022 (UTC)
I have altered the text’s mention in “History” of hoboes’ appearance “on the railroading scene,” for here it’s a non sequitur, the hobo being described above as merely migratory, not specifically a rail migrant. But this connection suggests that clandestine train travel deserves mention in the introductory summary. Note this article’s repeated mentions of hoboes riding the rails, including to hobo conventions.
In that connection, the "History" section's assertion that the "transition from steam to diesel locomotives [made] jumping freight trains more difficult" deserves explanation. The transition from ordinary boxcars to containerized ones for hauling freight would be a more obvious source of difficulty. Mucketymuck ( talk) 06:45, 18 February 2023 (UTC)
Hello, I was just checking out the main page, and noticed there is no "hobos now", or "hobos in North America today" section. Fact of the matter is, there is a huge explosion in tent cities and homeless in USA, and obviously the same dynamic as in the 1930s Great Depression, e.g. massive economic downturn, super hi layoffs equals more and more hobos and homeless. Man, San Francisco is full of homeless vagrants, as is Portland, Oregon. Fact of the matter is there is a HUGE homeless encampment by the PDX Portland Airport. There are loads of folks living out of their cars nowadays, or in friend's cars. The term hobo applies to these folks today facing such hard times, going city to city by train, hitchhike, etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.7.5.132 ( talk) 01:36, 2 March 2010 (UTC) Suggestion inapplicable, as hobos are traveling for work, which does not describe the above description.
This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
Ziggy the Bagman is an interesting character, but is not a hobo. Firstly, this hobo is a term applicable to a specific subculture in the United States; he lives in Australia. Secondly, he is not a railrider, nor does he engage in the other specific subcultural activities associated specifically with hoboes. He is a "vagrant" or "homeless" (despite his disdain for the term), but not a hobo. 167.80.244.204 20:17, 12 April 2007 (UTC)chevalier3
"Santiago One Cool HOBO" most likely should be deleted. There's nothing behind it or anything of significance for Santiago.
Jack Kerouac is the difinitive hobo! He needs to be added here, along with Neal Cassidy. -Jackmont Jan 7 2007
He mentioned the Hobo-phenomena as well, looking at it from the angle of an abandoned media (train - due to upcomming cars, busses and airplanes, wich he understood as media too). And than I found this: http://www3.georgetown.edu/grad/cct/academics/theses/stephenwanczyk.pdf. I didn't read it yet, but the subject (wi-fi-hoboism) seams interesting.
The wikipedia isn't a dictionary. An encyclopedia article needs more than a definition. Same goes for Tramp.
Shouldn't there be something like, "Hoboes first became common among released soldiers after World War I rode the rails, hopping illegally on trains in their quest for work . . . a significant hobo culture developed and even today restless people ride the rails and call themselves hobos, although . . . "
I've removed the following, added over a series of edits by two anon IPs (probably the same user):
It is, shall we say, rather idiosyncratic, and anyway, the article is about hobos, not bums. -- Camembert
The first paragraph says that a tramp, "loves lots of men." Isn't that a different sort of tramp?
I have a suggestion that the sections on books, movies and songs for both the Freighthopping and Hobo articles should get their own article, say, "Hobos and freighthopping in media". The reason for this is I can think of dozens more books to list and several more movies but if any more were added it would overwhelm the main articles. What does everyone else think about this? Kaibabsquirrel 29 June 2005 04:41 (UTC)
On 10 July the Hobo article was moved to Hoboism. Why? This makes absolutely no sense. I have never heard hobos or hoboing referred to as an "ism". The commonly understood term is Hobo. This article should be moved back. Kaibabsquirrel 01:56, 11 July 2005 (UTC)
I do not see any mention in the article about Woody that he was a hobo or that he hopped trains. Could we have some clarification? PerlKnitter 14:16, 3 October 2005 (UTC)
Clark Gable is listed as a notable hobo. I see no reference in the Clark Gable article of living as a hobo, train hopping, or even any reference to poverty. I don't think film roles (if any) should count. Can anyone substantiate this reference? 14:50, 16 Feb 2006 (GMT+9.5)
Eugene O'Neill is listed as a hobo; his article does not mention this. Remove?. 167.80.244.204 20:56, 2 April 2007 (UTC)Chevalier3
No mention of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglass or Dr./author Ben Reitman No mention of the agricultural/timber/mining industies or The I.W.W. No mention of the decline after the switch from steam to diesel locamotives.
I believe that Burl Ives should be mentioned. I remember reading that he had "rode the rails" in the 1930's picking up new musical material as he went. Umioso 18:58, 29 April 2007 (UTC)
This page is mostly absurd. It lists hobos as "Hobo Sapiens." Last time I checked they were humans just like the rest of us. This article is mostly useless and could use some serious work.
He's dressed like a pimp not a hobo!
The distinction between hobo, tramp and bum, attributed currently to a sitcom pilot, has been in use for some time. The original phrase was apparently:
"A hobo is a migratory worker. A tramp is a migratory non-worker. A bum is a stationary non-worker"
Based on a google book search, this quote is attributed to St. John Tucker, though I didn't see a date. (Long Steel Rails, Norm Cohen p343)
12.65.73.151 17:47, 9 January 2006 (UTC)
This page is sourceless and spurious. It looks like a joke or a complete fake to me. I think it should be removed, or marked controversial, or needs cleanup, or some form of probation. Really.
Abreviation of Homeward Bound, soldiers returning from the American civil war were called Ho Bo'sThere goes a Hobo, bound home from the war.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hobo
I added the term "Aaron Sin" to hobo lingo, then deleted it, as I didn't feel comfortable adding something with limited proven usage. Anyone else aware of such usage?
In exchange for weapons? Ranieldule 19:44, 28 July 2006 (UTC)
I doubt half of the words can be referenced. Even Urban Dictionary doesn't mention sloptart as a word that has to do with weapons. Wikipedia should not be a forum for creating new words.-- Infernallek 16:56, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
As already noted on this talk page, it's ethically questionable to take a picture of a neighborhood homeless person and add it to this article. The "Hobo Joe from Flushing NY" picture seems to depict a local homeless person, not a rail-hopping hobo. Note that the definition does not state that hobo is synonymous with "homeless"; rather, it suggests that a hobo is a type of homeless person who travels around the country via rails or other means. While the previous picture did not portray an actual hobo, it did depict the popular culture perception of a hobo, which is more relevant to the article than adding a picture of a modern homeless person (regardless of whether their nickname is "Hobo-something"). OhNoitsJamie Talk 12:14, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
They also had annual meetings in New Jersey where they would gather to elect a King of the Hobos. Although in theory the Hobo constitution gave the King wide-ranging executive powers, in practice his role was largely ceremonial: taking the first swig of hooch at the Hooch Festival, appointing the mayors of Bumtown and Crackville and lighting the torch at the Hobo Games.
Bold textEmperor of The North Bold text The Hobo page says this movie is based on "On The Road" by Kerouac but if you follow the link to the movie description, it says it was based on "The Road" and another book by Jack London. Besides, almost everything Kerouac wrote was based on his own experiance but this takes place in London's time.
What is meant by this sentence?
The population of hobos decreased during times of economic trouble, and their numbers increased greatly during the Great Depression. With no work and no prospects at home, many decided to travel and try their luck elsewhere.
Shurely shome mishtake? Should it be:
The population of hobos increased during times of economic trouble,
The Road is by Jack Kerouac, not by Jack London. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.101.96.66 ( talk • contribs).
Just my opinion, but it seems to me that the photo is an abomination. This fellow isn't dressed as a hobo, he is dressed like a hobo clown.
There are a LOT of good, authentic pictures of hoboes from 70-100 years ago that should do nicely. I'd like to see something that doesn't make a mockery of the entire article. Just my opinion. Richard Myers 12:16, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
citation conventions: I added some citations but I'm new at this.Hope I used the right form.
OK-theres a genuine ethical problem when someone keeps adding two references that are not used anywhere in the text.Anderson and Brun weren't used here, but now "editors" keep returning them.Homeguard
Brun is back up.I guess i shouldn't expect more.And no, I'm not brand new here-only new to the technical side of thing.Remember content? Scholarship?are either of you vaguely familiar with either one?I was the first one to point out that Keroauc didn't inspire Emporer of The North- and of course that got changed back for a while.And the SUBSTANTIAL issue with the references is that you haven't read them and don't know what they say.Anderson's book in paticular emphasis Hobos as workers-and yet the material you can claim he references is ONE condescending paragraph to the effect that Hobos saw themselves as workers-and before largely unregistered people started howling on the talk page, even that wasn't there. (Power cedes nothing without a demand, remember?)There is a labor history aspect to this thing you seem oddly indifferent to-or you would have changed that a long time ago.So now you have the multiple refernces you need to get the page unflagged-but one runs contrary to its conclusions, the other isn't used.Together, they reference less than a quarter of the article,but no one reading it wouldn realize that. And no, I'm not interested in learning to edit here-I couldn't justify helping legitimize this project.Homeguard 5:48 est fri.
Hobo or tramp markings bAlgiers, Louisiana entrance to the death to all across the the afgan river to Canal Street, New Orleans. "X" = "OK", slashed circle "A good way to go"? What about the rest? Wondering, -- Infrogmation 02:00, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I'd like to add the reference to the (great) graphic novel Kings in disguise, by James Vance and Dan Burr [2], winner of the 1989 Eisner Award [3]. Filobus 21:50, 22 April 2007 (UTC)
I came across a website with the hobo code and I found that there was another hobo code. It was: 16.-If present at a hobo court and you have testimony, give it, whether for or against the accused, your voice counts!
The Link is http://www.hobo.com/hobo_code.htm if anybody wants to check it out. Toby Keet 05:10, 27 September 2007 (UTC)
Your list of “Notable people who have hoboed” might add Eric Hoffer. Hobo are very wierd people................... Regarding "Tassos"; the word links to the Wikipedia article, but the external link seems to go to a porn site. Can someone check this out and fix it? Turmarion 22:36 4 October 2007 (EDT) —Preceding signed but undated comment was added at 02:38, 5 October 2007 (UTC)
The second sentence under "Hobo Code of Ethics" needs its comma upgraded to a semicolon and its semicolon to a colon.
-Jack Vermicelli 24.247.94.38 ( talk) 22:29, 21 June 2008 (UTC)
The article is locked, and has one book listed twice, can someone remove the former and add a "The" to the latter?
- "The Areas of My Expertise", by John Hodgman
- ...
- Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman - Humor book which features a lengthy section on "hoboes", including a list of 700 hobo names which spawned an online effort to illustrate the complete list.
Thanks!-- 192.100.124.218 ( talk) 12:08, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
hobos live by my house. one of them is my uncle —Preceding unsigned comment added by 168.212.110.20 ( talk) 18:14, 1 May 2008 (UTC)
I'm not sure how to add it with the semi-protection on even with my account being confirmed. DarkestRose ( talk) 07:15, 15 July 2008 (UTC)
Someone put this under history: "It is unclear exactly when homos appeared on the American railraving scene."
Since this page is protected and I usually don't login to make edits, I can't fix this on my own. Thanks!
SilentDude56k ( talk) 18:38, 11 August 2008 (UTC)
"With the end of the Mexican Civil War in the mid 19th Century,"
What exactly is this referring to? Is this talking about the Mexican-American War? Mexican Civil War redirects to Mexican Revolution, which occurred in 1910. Then there's the Mexican War of Independence in 1810-1821, which is in the *early* 19th century, which doesn't say anything about U.S. Soldier involvement and occurred at a time when trains were still in their infancy. 63.87.189.17 ( talk) 18:55, 28 October 2008 (UTC)
I would like to make a minor proofreading suggestion, but am an infrequent contributor to Wikipedia. The hobo lexicon has a lay/lie error in the entry on passenger cars (the hobo would LIE on top of the car, rather than "lay"). Garybletsch ( talk) 01:20, 19 December 2008 (UTC)Gary Bletsch
I just updated the introduction and etymology sections so that they are based on references. Here's hoping that other editors will continue that approach. 67.100.126.235 ( talk) 09:52, 5 August 2009 (UTC).
Back during the 1930's, there was a large switching railyard in Hoboken which sent trains in many directions. The name Hobo might be a derivative of this. 216.153.214.89 ( talk) 15:05, 23 September 2009 (UTC)
I think it would be more easy to understand if someone made graphics for each Hobo Code since writen description can be interpretated diferently from reader to reader. Do graphics just like in the warchalk article.
thank you Minako-Chan* 21:05, 27 October 2007 (UTC)
There's a lot of IP vandalism, I put in a request for indefinite semi-protection. Larryisgood ( talk) 14:06, 13 November 2010 (UTC)
And they did, any support for making this permanent? Larryisgood ( talk) 16:40, 13 November 2010 (UTC)
-- http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E2DE143FF933A25756C0A96F958260-- -- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5037/is_199905/ai_n18280872-- DarkestRose ( talk) 07:26, 15 July 2008 (UTC)
The Last Great American Hobo. Montana Blackie.
someone must surely add Louis Hardin AKA Moondog. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.2.150.233 ( talk) 23:06, 19 November 2010 (UTC)
Added reference to U Dhammaloka (new WP entry) under "People who have hoboed" - still learning the ropes and forgot to add in summary of changes. Apologies.-Laurence Cox- Laurence Cox ( talk) 07:55, 27 January 2011 (UTC)
where is "jungle" defined as a verb? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.58.29.215 ( talk) 00:49, 2 March 2011 (UTC)
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Hello, I have used Wikipedia but have never suggested any changes until now. I looked up "hobo" and thought I would send this thought along, not seeing it in the body of the article. Hobo's were typically transitory migrant workers during the depression. The[y] found work by working in fields as day labor. To enhance their chances of securing work they would often travel with a "hoe". These men were often referred to as "hoe boys' or "hobos' ----
98.94.146.127 ( talk) 16:48, 23 May 2011 (UTC)
Online Etym Dict says: "1889, Western Amer.Eng., of unknown origin. Barnhart compares early 19c. English dialectal hawbuck "lout, clumsy fellow, country bumpkin." Or possibly from ho, boy, a workers' call on late 19c. western U.S. railroads. " Any reason we shouldn't include hawbuck? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ethan Mitchell ( talk • contribs) 20:51, 14 August 2011 (UTC)
I get the impression from reading this article that the whole concept of a "hobo" is specific to the USA. Is this true? Are there equivalents, or similar terms, in other countries? Is it a phenomenon which only happens in America? I hope someone can add something to the page about this. Pippin ( talk) 23:28, 3 January 2012 (UTC)
The following books are from a Hobo bibliograpy I've created over the past 20 years.
Thanks, very interesting. One addition is this article: In search of the Female Hobo by Heather Tapley http://dc.msvu.ca/journals/index.php/atlantis/article/view/219/209 -- 94.223.3.213 ( talk) 03:48, 16 March 2012 (UTC)
"...has more self-respect, is usually young, and may, I believe, be called a tramp in the first stage..."
Not necessarily original research, but it sure sounds like personal opinion not fit for encyclopedia. It shouldn't be like this, right? I would fix it myself if I knew anything of the subject matter. -- M.A. 10:20, 4 July 2007 (UTC)
I have been riding the high iron for the past 18 years and recently settled down for the birth of my son. I can speak to what I 'know', but I am not a professor and the term encyclopedia seems to imply the need for such. We have three (03) levels in our subculture. The hobo (and here most of the old timers I rode with told me it came from ho boy which dealt w/hoeing a row for pay) will work his way across the country via the rails. It is KEY to note that you won't be welcomed in ANY real hobo camp if you're a slacker! The tramp will occassionally use the rails to roam around for somewhere to run sign or panhandle and the homeguard (I believe this is what ya'll call the bum) simply stays put in one area burning it out for their booze and such. My group, International Brotherhood of Rail Riders states we're hobos right from jump. Suppose it's a pride thing. Not only did my father (who rode for almost a decade as did his father) pound this in my head, but so did the old timers who were decent enough to teach me the ropes. A final note here: I remember a term called 'stiff' which referred to a bindle stiff being used back in the late 80's by the old timers. It traced its roots back to before there really was mechanized harvesting going on and today we sometimes use it about folks who catch on the fly (a moving train) w/little gear---they tend to roll up what personal gear they have in a blanket/sleeping bag like a burrito, tie off each end and then fashion a sling and wear it much like a rifle is carried so as to free up both hands to grab the ladder and hoist themselves up from the stirrup. If this isn't written properly simply delete it as I'm not to[o] educated; I'm simply a hobo.-- Ibrrorg ( talk) 02:00, 16 November 2009 (UTC)
This is correct as I am a Transient as well, to get accurate information on Hobo's, research the book "The Last Great American Hobo." as I am not very good at this editing stuff as well but I will keep checking in to verify accuracy.(I will sign up as well to answer questions) Signed:Z — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.255.101.3 ( talk) 21:53, 11 April 2012 (UTC)
The article states that 'hobo' is now a vulgar word. However I have heard some shows or films made in America, even children's ones, that use it. Is it really a rude term? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 101.166.150.53 ( talk) 10:51, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
I am going to make my way through, dropping anyone who does not have a source... if they are no longer living and their article says they hoboed. User talk:Unfriend12 14:46, 10 October 2012 (UTC)
Signs and symbols were often used by Gypsies in Europe: See Romany Rye, for example. Numanonja```` — Preceding unsigned comment added by Numanonja ( talk • contribs) 10:40, 14 January 2013 (UTC)
Why does every page on wikipedia have to either have something pro-gay or something against other sexual minorities? What is the sick agenda with all of this propaganda garbage? 67.238.153.126 ( talk) 21:48, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
Also, I seriously doubt this amazing ethical "code" of unstable criminals was written in 1889 due to anachronisms, and the citation link is dead. 67.238.153.126 ( talk) 16:09, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
Does that mean don't molest children like the "don't molest the wildlife" signs in parks or don't molest them like Penn State? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.231.176.54 ( talk) 04:07, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
I added the only picture I could find in Wikimedia Commons. A quick Google of "hobo symbols images" turns up plenty of diagrams and photos. Could somebody find or make a suitable rights-released chart with a few dozen of the most commonly-seen symbols? Reify-tech ( talk) 22:32, 10 April 2014 (UTC)
A new section has been added by a newbie ( WP:AGF) editor, but in the wrong location. The material probably ought to be a separate WP:STUB article, but the new editor may not have the ability to create a new article as of yet. Also, the newly-added info is unreferenced, although the new editor may simply not have had time to do this yet. Suggestions? Reify-tech ( talk) 20:53, 5 May 2014 (UTC)
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Only 5 of the 29 names at present have sources. I think any names included need to have sources, otherwise anybody could include any names.
The list includes some, such as Woody Guthrie, who are well known to have hoboed. Some others, such as Nels Anderson, Jack Kerouac, Carl Sandburg, are very likely candidates for the list and their WP articles might confirm it.
Some of the names are surprising, if not extremely dubious. One is Dr. Phil McGraw. I haven't found anywhere that confirms he has hoboed, and to be honest he seems the kind of person who absolutely would not hobo. I've taken his name off of the list.
Some might have done things that relate to the hobo lifestyle but, strictly speaking, have not actually hoboed. Mike Patton, for example, might have "used field recordings of hopping freight in musical composition", but that does not qualify him as having hoboed, so I took his name off the list.
Additionally, names who already listed under "Notable hobos" should not appear again under "Notables who have hoboed". I spotted Harry McLintock and Seasick Steve in both lists, so I've also removed their names from the second list. 2602:30A:2C4A:1CB0:B170:DDD8:D552:C628 ( talk) 18:15, 12 December 2017 (UTC)
A Google Books Search turns up this criticism of hobos in the Iron Molders' Journal from 1872:
--The actual article seems to be from 1896 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.57.205.168 ( talk) 15:08, 7 July 2019 (UTC)
These sections are entirely fictional and should be removed. There is no verifiable source and it is a prank. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:643:4301:37D4:2DFD:AE97:95A9:FF52 ( talk) 15:52, 24 August 2019 (UTC)
Does anyone have a legitimate source for the ethical code. The provided link is dead and the parent website doesn't appear to host the ethical code anymore. I've found it re-printed on a lot of blogs and message boards, but nothing that would qualify as a reliable source. Natalie ( talk) 17:19, 30 May 2011 (UTC)
I know there are citations here -- I'm still not buying that the claimed differentiation between the three 'classes' is anything but a recent, ROMANTIC invention. (Also, the way I've heard it, which I prefer is: "A hobo is one who travels (ed: "is a transient"), and does honest labor when necessary; a tramp travels, but won't work (ed:"do honest labor"), and a 'bum' neither works nor travels." (I accept that these definitions may exist as a neologism these days -- and I don't have any doubt that in the world of the, well, poor, that there are always distinctions maintained between social classes. People are people.) -- and now I get my own SMACKDOWN: now that I finally get to the website of the cite given, I see it was Mencken who claimed its use during the Depression. This, boys and girls, is why you verify the cites FIRST. <bows, departs> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.235.56.24 ( talk) 05:25, 5 March 2011 (UTC)
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I've been keeping an eye on this page and just noticed some reverted changes made by User:Thehistoricgraffitisociety. The thrust of what was added and then deleted is that "hobo signs" are an imagination story that has persisted for well over a hundred years now. This is an assertion I had read elsewhere as well, but only in passing; I had been hoping to find something to back it up, but so far I hadn't.
I agree that the changes made by Thehistoricgraffitisociety were not very encyclopedic or very well worked into the article. But User:Theroadislong's assertion in the changelog that the edits served solely to shill for the Historic Graffiti Society's website seems unjustified. The edits in question ( 1, 2) do mention that organization in the body of the text, which is certainly questionable. But that's one mention among quite a bit of apparently quite well-researched information, and I believe that the idea that hobo signs were never in widespread use should certainly be incorporated into the page, at least as one viewpoint, if not as the accepted fact. Every source besides the Historic Graffiti Society that I've read on hobo signs simply takes it as granted that they were a real phenomenon, but none of them provided an authentic photograph or firsthand account from a hobo who used them in real, day-to-day traveling—it's always some glossary of signs or a staged photograph. The Historic Graffiti Society's article is the first I've seen that looks even somewhat authoritative.
User Thehistoricgraffitisociety has now been banned, apparently for those edits. (I think that was extreme; I believe a warning should have sufficed. But this isn't the place to discuss that.) I plan to incorporate their viewpoint into the article soon, and wanted to take this space to assure everyone that I'm not in fact an alias for Thehistoricgraffitisociety. I don't even know them. But theirs is a legitimate viewpoint that I hope to spread. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nondirectional ( talk • contribs) 05:52, 10 February 2020 (UTC)
In the "Etymology" section, this statement appears: In 1906, Professor Layal Shafee, after an exhaustive study, put the number of tramps in the United States at about 500,000
Later in the same section, this statement appears: According to Ted Conover in Rolling Nowhere (1984), at some unknown point in time, as many as 20,000 people were living a hobo life in North America.
These statements are contradictory -- the lack of clear distinction between tramps and hobos may have led to the disparity in numbers. In any case, it is confusing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:268:C185:3618:D11A:B2B4:C083:BF4 ( talk) 11:14, 17 May 2020 (UTC)
I see that someone has posted that the Cuban colloquial expression correr jobos might be a source for the American English term. There is no citation for this, and I would hope one would be forthcoming. But it is plausible, except that one wonders how a Cuban expression for truancy or vagrancy would come to the US in the 19th century. A good possibility, but beyond my resources for support at this time, is that the expression was shared across the Gulf region to the Gulf coast of Mexico (where the jobo tree also grows) and from there, along the rails north to the US. The time period is right. And Mexican trackworker ( traquero) shantytowns---usually made from old boxcars---were widespread across the Southwest US for decades. It's too bad there are no easily accessible Mexican Spanish etymologies for colloquialisms...or are there? Tmangray ( talk) 00:44, 28 February 2008 (UTC)
It is difficult to distinguish much of the Etymology section from “original research”. I strongly encourage the inclusion of a citation for each theory.— SlamDiego ←T 09:01, 5 June 2008 (UTC)
-
From the article...
Bill Bryson suggests in Made in America (1998) that it could either come from the railroad greeting, "Ho, beau!" or a syllabic abbreviation of "homeward bound".
From me...
It is, in fact, a syllabic abbreviation of "homeward bound". You see, hobos traveled around seeking work. They did this, not only to earn money to support themselves, but also to support their families who had remained back home (mailing money to them as they could). When hobos were asked where they were headed, being homesick they most frequently answered with things like, "homeward bound... one of these days", or, "I'm homeward bound. If the good Lord is willing", or, "homeward bound... in a round about way". So, they became known as the "homeward bounds", which soon became shortened to "hobos".
Thibeinn ( talk) 04:56, 26 October 2020 (UTC)
The section has no sources cited, is written as an argumentative essay, and is entirely redundant because the convention has its own page. WahooSS238 ( talk) 17:14, 15 October 2021 (UTC)
I would argue we need an estimate from a reliable source to make this article a bit better. Cynthia-Coriníon ( talk) 03:23, 23 December 2021 (UTC)
Why is this so prominent in the article? 2001:420:C0C4:1005:0:0:0:20 ( talk) 14:44, 11 February 2022 (UTC)
There is a difference between "old school" hobos and "new school" ones. New ones usually use backpacks, often have mobile phones, and use sleeping bags a lot. Old school often used makeshift bags or bundles, apparently started with civil war soldiers. 188.210.27.247 ( talk) 14:04, 15 May 2022 (UTC)
How is only possible to narrow this down to within half a century. Why would you use circa then a 50 year range. 62.194.63.113 ( talk) 06:27, 17 July 2022 (UTC)
I have altered the text’s mention in “History” of hoboes’ appearance “on the railroading scene,” for here it’s a non sequitur, the hobo being described above as merely migratory, not specifically a rail migrant. But this connection suggests that clandestine train travel deserves mention in the introductory summary. Note this article’s repeated mentions of hoboes riding the rails, including to hobo conventions.
In that connection, the "History" section's assertion that the "transition from steam to diesel locomotives [made] jumping freight trains more difficult" deserves explanation. The transition from ordinary boxcars to containerized ones for hauling freight would be a more obvious source of difficulty. Mucketymuck ( talk) 06:45, 18 February 2023 (UTC)
Hello, I was just checking out the main page, and noticed there is no "hobos now", or "hobos in North America today" section. Fact of the matter is, there is a huge explosion in tent cities and homeless in USA, and obviously the same dynamic as in the 1930s Great Depression, e.g. massive economic downturn, super hi layoffs equals more and more hobos and homeless. Man, San Francisco is full of homeless vagrants, as is Portland, Oregon. Fact of the matter is there is a HUGE homeless encampment by the PDX Portland Airport. There are loads of folks living out of their cars nowadays, or in friend's cars. The term hobo applies to these folks today facing such hard times, going city to city by train, hitchhike, etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.7.5.132 ( talk) 01:36, 2 March 2010 (UTC) Suggestion inapplicable, as hobos are traveling for work, which does not describe the above description.