Dear kids...

[Beegod Santana]

I'm writing this cause I've become fucking disgusted with the state of the traveler scene and feel some things need to be said about traveling in general, so here goes.

NO ONE OWES YOU ANYTHING!!!! "Fuck you pay me" is supposed to be a joke, not an actual lifestyle choice. I don't care how fucked your parents where, or how many people have a status advantage over you. You are only worth what you've earned. Whenever someone hands you money for sitting on your ass or holding a piece of cardboard, count it as a blessing. Flying signs is not ""work," busking is not "work," work is busting your ass. That $ you make panhandling doesn't belong to anyone, especially not you, you're just blessed to be in possession of it for a short period of time. In some parts of mexico, skilled carpenters make under $1 /hr. The fact that you can get drunk all day sitting on a street corner drinking $5-7 sidewalk slams is a testament to how great this country really is.

YOU HAVE NO GOD GIVEN RIGHT TO BE A BUM!! In many many countries on this planet the transient life is near impossible. Refusing to work can get you imprisoned or killed all over the world. No matter how low you are in American society, you still have it better than literally millions and millions of people.

TRAINS ARE NOT FOR TRENDY PUNK KIDS! Train hopping is for people who straight up can not live in normal society. Trains kill, trains are dirty, trains drop you out at sidings in the middle of nowhere, trains take you places you wish you've never been. Just because you've read all the threads on stp doesn't mean you know shit. Its not an easy road, and the last thing the traveler community needs is a bucha kids from the burbs trying to prove how "punk rawk" they are.

TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN ON THE ROAD!!! I have 1000x more respect for the kid who'll tell me that they took off from there mom's house a month ago and rode the greyhound then the fake ass punk kid lying about how long they've been traveling and where they've been. Whether you realize it nor not, real travelers see through your bullshit in a second.

GETTING DRUNK IN THE SAME CITY EVERYDAY DOES NOT MAKE YOU A TRAVELER!!! I don't care if you don't have a shopping cart, if you just spange the same places and get drunk in the same city /town /county, you're a fucking homebum. Deal with it.

SHARE BITCH!! Like I said earlier, that money doesn't belong to you. If you got something for nothing, fucking share it with other people who have nothing. Some of the most generous people I've met where also straight up junkies. Few things piss me off more than someone banking with a sign who then hoard it for themselves as if they earned it legitly. Don't worry, what comes around goes around, I'm living proof.

CLEAN UP YOUR SHIT!! One of the main reasons towns get harsh on travelers is because of the fucking messes you kids leave. Leaving trash at the spot you where just flying is a HUGE insult to the people who just helped you out.

I could go on and on, but these are main things I've been seeing a lot of lately that I feel need to be addressed. Oh, and all you tweakers can't drop dead soon enough as far as I'm concerned. Just please don't do it on a train.

 

[chooch352]

that was great, the truth is the truth.

 

[Missy]

You speak the truth!

 

[stonedwonderer]

TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN ON THE ROAD!!! I have 1000x more respect for the kid who'll tell me that they took off from there mom's house a month ago and rode the greyhound then the fake ass punk kid lying about how long they've been traveling and where they've been. Whether you realize it nor not, real travelers see through your bullshit in a second.

GETTING DRUNK IN THE SAME CITY EVERYDAY DOES NOT MAKE YOU A TRAVELER!!! I don't care if you don't have a shopping cart, if you just spange the same places and get drunk in the same city /town /county, you're a fucking homebum. Deal with it.

what about the travelling homebums I admit i havent left preschool yet (west coast) but once i get off probation I plan on heading to the east coast to check out that scene love my east coast family allways got something smart ass to say. but anyways you are right that this fuck you pay me is outta control wheres the wrecking crew at this shit wouldnt be going on if some of these children got a spanking.

 

[Beegod Santana]

"traveling homebum" = oxymoron.

 

[CXR1037]

Great post, Beegod Santana. You mentioned some of my least favorite things in the world. I can't stand people who lie about how long they've been traveling, or how many trains they've written. To me, it's no different than hearing trust fund bros in Newport Beach tell me how many "hot bitches" they've fucked in the last week, or how many cars their parents bought them.

Also, good point on the messes kids make. That's why I have little to no sympathy when I see cops fucking with "travelers" who've been leaving their messes everywhere. As far as I'm concerned, those people are less than human and are considered pests.

 

[supertramp1990]

sooo i like this a lot.

 

[dirtyfacedan]

Good thread, tell it like it is!

 

[captnjack]

thank you for finally saying something, shit!
and well said.
and for my own two cents, not only do the "yuppies" not owe you shit, but there's no reason the scream obscenities, let alone become physical with them. try not to make our lifestyle look like we're total fucking shitheads in the eyes of the public, please?
you'll have plenty of time to bitch and act obnoxious whenever you go back to wherever it is you go when you don't want to be seen in the public eye.

 

[EastCoast315]

Good post, this should stand as a guide for kids that actually give a fuck. I'm young and I travel, but I do what I can to respect everyone I come across. Maybe I'm not working, but I still have "higher ups" out there. And I'm ALWAYS thankful for whatever food/circumstantial swag comes my way.

 

[JungleBoots]

As an ass hole kid myself my heart reels in regret for some of the utter bull shit ive said for cool kid points. Fuck i even irritate myself sometimes

Anyway this thread winz cool kids points for realz

Truth.

 

[RideMoreTrains]

i agree with you about the work thing. i have seen people flying signs or spanging and when someone didn't give them money they talked shit or flicked them off as if anyone is entitled to give YOU there hard earned money. people don't have to give you shit. i don't care if someone can afford to give you the money or not it doesn't mean they have too, and if they don't you don't have to be a rude self-entitled piece of shit and expect kick downs. get off your god damn ass and earn it yourself. i work 6 months outta the year and when i travel i got the funds to take care of myself. doesn't mean i'm rich but at least i don't have to rely on someone else. that's what people traveling used to do. kids these days got a shit work ethic.

 

[Nelco]

I feel better already after reading this. I've wondered why some of the people think they way they do and I guessI'm not the only one..what you've is the reason I only travel with newbies or just alone.
I feel ya!

 

[ericafuckyea]

f'real. that shit blew my mind when i started traveling again after being housed up for a little while. 17 year old kids telling me they'd been on the road for four years... lol.
it's simple really. we're trying to sustain a lifestyle that allows us to escape this fucked up status quo, don't do things that endanger y/our ability to continue living this way. be nice to the locals. watch how you act around little kids (i try not to swear or be seen drinking when theres kids walking by) clean up after yourself & your dog. don't blow up squats or disrespect your rent-paying neighbors, etc.
all of that immature shit effects everyone who comes to that particular city / town after you leave, and it effects the publics perception of traveling kids overall.

 

[Matt Derrick]

Fuck yes, it's nice to see that I'm not alone in my opinions on this subject. Thank you for posting this, I hope lots of people read it... Should be a sticky somewhere...

 

[makan kotoran]

I totally agree with everything stated above, bar the busking comment.
spanging and busking are completely different...
busking requires effort, skill and the charisma to be able to involve the general public in whatever performance you may be putting on. juggling being the source of all my capital, it requires devotion, patience and having to lug my clubs around the country. I see no difference between, say, performers in a circus and buskers apart from the fact that we are freelance and can perform whereever we want, whenever we want. busking is "work", i fucking bust my ass hurling shit around in the air for as long as my arms can bare it, hoping that as well as getting some cash i can inspire somebody, or atleast amuse them for a while.
busking was able to get me enough dough to spend a year in SE Asia, busking has paid off my myriad of fines, and it has kept me alive for almost 4yrs now.
busking is not spanging, busking is not being slack, it's just less restricting than conventional work.
spanging is fucked up in my opinion, seriously, just because some yuppie has more money than you.... just remember that they probably wasted the greater portion of their life for that, and owe nothing to you..
fair enough if you REALLY have no other option. but c'mon surely the majority of you cats out there can pull something other than a piece of cardboard with a slogan on it together...

nice thread though, I hope people read it and take it in.

 

[makan kotoran]

still cant edit stuff?

 

[mikefwt]

read down to the part of "you have no god..." im just going to go ahead and stop cause i know where this rant is going and im just going to say i agree with it for the sake of actually having to read it

 

[mikefwt]

oh BY THE WAY 100th POST! PARTY AT MY HOUSE?

 

[venusinpisces]

busking requires effort, skill and the charisma to be able to involve the general public in whatever performance you may be putting on. busking is not spanging, busking is not being slack, it's just less restricting than conventional work.
spanging is fucked up in my opinion, seriously, just because some yuppie has more money than you.... just remember that they probably wasted the greater portion of their life for that, and owe nothing to you..
fair enough if you REALLY have no other option. but c'mon surely the majority of you cats out there can pull something other than a piece of cardboard with a slogan on it together...

nice thread though, I hope people read it and take it in.

Spanging requires a lot of charisma. The people who do the best at it are great conversationalists and able to tell jokes, entertain people and even be therapists sometimes. That's why you see so many beat up looking home bums, because that kind of charisma comes easiest when you're young and haven't been through as many hard times. Some people are able to keep it up indefinitely but they are in a small minority.

As for countries like Mexico where you don't see as much homelessness, that doesn't mean that people in the US have it so easy that everything is just handed to them. I think the average life span for homeless (not "summer camping") women in this country is about 35? I heard that statistic somewhere and it seems about right just based on the sheer number of my friends who've passed away/gotten cancers/Hep C/whatever else in their 20s and early 30s. Part of the implication in this rant seems to be that if you're asking for money here it's because you're either lazy or so unethical that you just don't want to work. Well, in some ways people in Mexico actually have it easier because their concept of extended family is so strong that most wouldn't even think about letting a relative sleep on the streets.

I had this really sweet Mexican lady literally chase me and my road dogs down the street with a huge bag of food one time. She was absolutely horrified that we weren't living with our families--it's like it was almost inconceivable to her that this could happen! We were pretty dirty at the time so I'm sure that added to the drama. That's not the only Mexican lady I've gotten that reaction from, either. I thought it was pretty funny because here in the states nobody will be surprised if you say your mom dropped you off at a church doorstep or a dumpster--that's just the way it is.

Now I do agree that it's best not to have a sense of entitlement about panhandling. You should always be polite to people who are helping you. And don't get so drunk and belligerent that you set a bad name for everyone else. But I'm not going to expect for a homeless person to be thankful that the standard of living in this country is so high that stockbrokers and CEOs can afford to have jacuzzis full of strippers on their nights off. Because, last time I checked, I think it was less than 1% of the US population that held more than 99% of the wealth. And people living in the ghettos here can and do have very hard lives. So yeah, if you're middle class, be grateful for that. But don't let that turn into contempt for people who have less than you. A lot of traveler kids will not be upfront with you about the extenuating circumstances that put them where they're at. I've met so many people in their mid-twenties with missing teeth and only a third grade education. At that point, it's pretty much guaranteed that life is not going to be great for you.

Why blame someone like this for being upset about the disgusting income disparities that exist here? This is just all the more reason to try to help other people and not be a judgmental asshole just because your family is supporting you so everyone else "must" have it good too. And yes, SHARE, if you can afford it. That's another part I do agree with.