Thursday, August 24, 2017

Writing on the wall

Let’s have a bit of history by way of intro to today’s post—going back to the golden years of another Republican administration, when thousands of men moved from town to town across the country, searching for work. This being before the days of Geico, they mostly hitched illegal rides on freight trains, congregated in camps known as Hoovervilles and performed odd jobs in exchange for food.

Kind of like the men who hang out around Home Depots looking for work as day laborers.

Anyhow, this confraternity of traveling men developed a kind of hieroglyphic shorthand scrawled on various flat surfaces to communicate with those who followed, to guide them, warn them and share general insights. Viz.:


Not sure how much it will resonate with the general readership, but this updated chart of hobo-like signs for freelance writers is spot-on.






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