A Hobo Wedding

[flat-top]

I once used the word "hobo" to describe how sloppily I was dressed one day to a girl I knew from Tennessee. She replied "Hey! My grandfather was a hobo!". I of course had to question this, and it turns out the man was indeed a rail riding actual hobo.
The word in and of itself isn't derogatory, as it was how these men described themselves.

 

[rue]

"Roman Scandals" (1933), one of my favorite films from that year. And if you look at that clip closely, the gal in the saddle shoes is Lucille Ball, in her movie debut. Being dispossessed never looked so fun.

Thanks Lizzie I'm keeping my eye out for it, because I thought the clip was so much fun. I'll watch it again to see if I spot Lucille.....

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

"Roman Scandals" (1933), one of my favorite films from that year. And if you look at that clip closely, the gal in the saddle shoes is Lucille Ball, in her movie debut. Being dispossessed never looked so fun.

In Roman Scandals Lucille Ball also did a nude scene in the No More Love number. In it she's wearing nothing but a blonde wig. It was during the filming of that scene that she suffered a couple of mishaps. She fell from atop the set when she passed out from the heat of the stage lights -- fortunately a stagehand caught her. Also she singed her eyebrows. For the rest of her career her eyebrows were painted on.

 

[Gregg Axley]

With the economy, wouldn't more people make their own wedding items?
This would save quite a bit IMHO.
So what were we talking about VC???
I forgot.
Her birthday was yesterday btw...

 

[sheeplady]

My grandfather never seemed to learn the word homeless. People were Tramps, Hobos, and Bums. He always gave money to homeless people on the streets because "hobos are good people" and he told me when I should do the same (and this was a man who was tight with his tips). When he was a kid hobos would share information with young people like him about opportunities, where to get food, best shelter, etc. I think he was always thankful.

A totally awesome wedding would be to do a lot of historical research on hobos and have the invitation printed on the backs of copies of the Hobo paper LizzieMaine mentioned. They could have placecards that told stories of individual hobos for each attendee. Perhaps even serve "hobo food" like "hobo hotdogs" (hotdogs on a stick cooked over an open flame). Now that would be a heck of a hobo-themed wedding and everybody would walk away having had a good time and having learned something about the past.

I think people are so negative on the internet because they have lost other places to nitpick and gossip. And because it is realitively anonymous, they can get the glamour without everybody in town thinking they are a nasty gossip so that makes them 10X as mean.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

As a teen Glen Bell, the founder of Taco Bell, spent his summers as a hobo to earn money for school supplies and other things in the fall. In fact his mother would even pack some food for him and see him off at the railroad yard.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

There's plenty of holier-than-thou sanctimony on the lounge. Only we're right.

My point being many of us have voiced our displeasure or looked down our noses at other people, sometimes a whole lot of us in one thread. Some might call that a mob mentality or anonymous nit-picking. I guess it depends which side you're on.

 

[LizzieMaine]

As a teen Glen Bell, the founder of Taco Bell, spent his summers as a hobo to earn money for school supplies and other things in the fall. In fact his mother would even pack some food for him and see him off at the railroad yard.

Another famous hobo was CBS News reporter/commentator Eric Sevareid, who rode the rails under the name of "Slim" after finding there was very little for a new college graduate to do in 1932. His autobiography, "Not So Wild A Dream," contains a vivid account of what the Depression-era hobo life was really like.

 

[Stray Cat]

Oh, my..
I just read this.
I LOVED the photography. It was captured so beautifully.. And, “Depression-era hobo” theme sounds like fun. And cheap, too.

 

[C-dot]

I just read through the post, the regretsy bashing, and this entire thread, and I'm not sure what to think!

I do think the wedding itself was unique, and as such, will provide a wonderful memory for the couple and their guests (which is what a wedding really should be about).

The 15k unsettles me a bit, but thats expected given my circumstances and resulting point of view. In reality, that could fund a bona-fide modern wedding, and the comparison might ignite some tempers. Personally, even if I did have the money, I think I'd just be happy with City Hall. lol

 

[LizzieMaine]

There's plenty of holier-than-thou sanctimony on the lounge. Only we're right.

My point being many of us have voiced our displeasure or looked down our noses at other people, sometimes a whole lot of us in one thread. Some might call that a mob mentality or anonymous nit-picking. I guess it depends which side you're on.

I think the thing that gets me is that this whole "Regretsy" thing is a symptom of something bigger. There has always been a place for pointed social/cultural criticism, and satire is an important element of that. But when you look at these sorts of snark-oriented blogs and sites, there isn't any point to it *other* than to mock and ridicule someone else. The great wits of the past who used satire as one of their weapons used it against those who genuinely deserved it -- the venal, the corrupt, the oppressive. The online snarkers, from what I've seen, seem to be interested only in making fun of people who they see as being *beneath* them, either in terms of social class or failing to meet some nebulous idea of coolness. (And no, donating a portion of your proceeds to charity doesn't justify it. A jackass who writes a check to a worthy cause to salve his conscience is still a jackass.) I think the whole ethic is contemptible, certainly more so than some harmless, wide-eyed hipster kids blowing a pile of money on a wedding.

 

[Undertow]

I think it looked like fun.

But I would see about cutting $15k down to $1.5k. Marriage should be a union of two people, not a personal debt crisis.

 

[Feraud]

Marriage should be a union of two people, not a personal debt crisis.

Easier said than done.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Easier said than done.

As they say, when poverty moves in, love moves out.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I think the thing that gets me is that this whole "Regretsy" thing is a symptom of something bigger. There has always been a place for pointed social/cultural criticism, and satire is an important element of that. But when you look at these sorts of snark-oriented blogs and sites, there isn't any point to it *other* than to mock and ridicule someone else. The great wits of the past who used satire as one of their weapons used it against those who genuinely deserved it -- the venal, the corrupt, the oppressive. The online snarkers, from what I've seen, seem to be interested only in making fun of people who they see as being *beneath* them, either in terms of social class or failing to meet some nebulous idea of coolness. (And no, donating a portion of your proceeds to charity doesn't justify it. A jackass who writes a check to a worthy cause to salve his conscience is still a jackass.) I think the whole ethic is contemptible, certainly more so than some harmless, wide-eyed hipster kids blowing a pile of money on a wedding.

Regretsy has done a great job of using snark against some of the corrupt, specifically large manufacturers passing off their cheap, machine (or sweatshop) made wares as hand-made by one person on etsy. Such dishonest sellers create an unlevel playing field for those who truly do produce hand made crafts. There was a high profile example when Glamour magazine featured a "hand sewn" wedding gown from etsy that turned out to be a mass produced item. Regretsy blew the whistle, so to speak. They also have a regular "Compare and Save" feature where they "out" such resellers by posting links to where you can buy that unique "vintage" or "handmade" item listed for say $50 on etsy selling on amazon for a few dollars. Now I'm not saying that's all that Regretsy is about, but that is what some of the snark is addressing.

 

[Mocheman]

As they say, when poverty moves in, love moves out.

Romance without finance is a nuisance.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

regretsy has done a great job of using snark against some of the corrupt, specifically large manufacturers passing off their cheap, machine (or sweatshop) made wares as hand-made by one person on etsy.

Yes!!! I'm glad you pointed that out, Prettysquaregal.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Ah, well, I see. As long as they slay the occasional dragon, it's perfectly OK for them to also mock people who aren't as smart, cool, talented, or Socially Conscious (TM) as they are. I stand corrected.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I think that regretsy should receive opprobrium where deserved and credit where it's due.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Ah, well, I see. As long as they slay the occasional dragon, it's perfectly OK for them to also mock people who aren't as smart, cool, talented, or Socially Conscious (TM) as they are. I stand corrected.

Back to my original point, there is a lot of mockery on here too, specifically directed at those who aren't as well-dressed or well-mannered as "us." Whether mockery comes in the form of passive snide remarks uttered by people in swanky fedoras and picture-perfect dresses or overt finger pointing and name calling by internet clods, it's the same game. Having said that, one doesn't "excuse" the other.