Hobos. Most people hear the word “hobo” and immediately have the same thing come to mind:

• Vagabond
• Tramp
• Scamp
• Bum
• Transient

But, as most things in life, the word “hobo” has been bastardized and become a shorthand for an undesirable characteristic and way of life. No one thinks of “hobo” and immediately conjures up the image of a migrant worker traveling and willing to work. No one thinks of a member of a subculture, one that had it’s own colleges, mutual aid society, annual conventions and even “hobo code”.

Today, this International Worker’s Day, we look back at the history of a working subculture that shaped the culture of the United States in more ways than one.

This May Day, let’s honor the hobos.

This is not an article that has been written lightly. It might come across as strange to the uninitiated to see the US Pirate Party spending International Worker’s Day talking about hobos. I mean, what on Earth could pirates and hobos have in common?

Surely, on the surface, it looks odd. But when you look at the values that define both hobos and pirates (not the caricatures; the REAL movements), you’ll see something familiar: resistance to unjust systems, decentralized community and subculture, solidarity among the marginalized and a commitment to mutual aid over top-down control.

Hobos were not freeloaders, riding the rails without an end goal or destination. Hobos were workers without a boss, tradesmen without tenure, citizens without a fixed home. They travelled the rails not for leisure, but out of necessity, building the US up behind the scenes and without the fanfare.

Hobos found dignity in mobility, not in exploitation. Like the true nature of pirates, hobos created a “Hobo Code of Conduct”, developed informal communication network and created a decentralized, self-governing community long before there was a US Pirate Party.

In a way, you could view hobos and pirates as being cut from the same cloth.

Also like the US Pirate Party, hobos (still, to this day) host annual conferences. Since 1900, the National Hobo Convention in Britt, Iowa has been held yearly to honor the culture and impact on US society of the hobo, even electing a National Hobo King and Queen. The Pirate Party could only be so lucky to have our 125th Pirate National Conference in 2131, but that is a long way from today. Until then, we tip our pirate hats for that kind of longevity.

The United States Pirate Party believes that labor isn’t just something tied to a W2; it’s a deeply human act. Labor is building, creating, growing and surviving.

So this May Day, we don’t simply remember the striking factory workers, the unions and the bloodshed to get labor rights in this country.

Although yes, we DO this remember all of that today, including the Haymarket Affair of May 4th, 1886 that kicked this holiday off.

This May Day, we remember the people who labored outside of the system, because the system gave them no place. Hobos, the forget workers in our country’s history. They legacy should not be seen as a relic, but as pioneers, a warning and a blueprint.

This May Day, we honor the hobos.

Editor’s note

Below is the Hobo Code of Conduct, as adopted by the 1889 National Hobo Convention:

1. Decide your own life; don’t let another person run or rule you.
2. When in town, always respect the local law and officials, and try to be a gentleman at all times.
3. Don’t take advantage of someone who is in a vulnerable situation, locals or other hoboes.
4. Always try to find work, even if temporary, and always seek out jobs nobody wants. By doing so you not only help a business along, but ensure employment should you return to that town again.
5. When no employment is available, make your own work by using your added talents at crafts.
6. Do not allow yourself to become a stupid drunk and set a bad example for locals’ treatment of other hoboes.
7. When jungling in town, respect handouts and do not wear them out; another hobo will be coming along who will need them as badly, if not worse than you.
8. Always respect nature; do not leave garbage where you are jungling.
9. If in a community jungle, always pitch in and help.
10. Try to stay clean, and boil up wherever possible.
11. When traveling, ride your train respectfully. Take no personal chances. Cause no problems with operating crew or host railroad. Act like an extra crew member.
12. Do not cause problems in a train yard; another hobo will be coming along who will need passage through that yard.
13. Do not allow other hoboes to molest children; expose all molesters to authorities – they are the worst garbage to infest any society.
14. Help all runaway children, and try to induce them to return home.
15. Help your fellow hoboes whenever and wherever needed; you may need their help someday.
16. If present at a hobo court and you have testimony, give it. Whether for or against the accused, your voice counts!

In solidarity, below this is the “Pirate Codex” adopted by Pirates Without Borders on February 26, 2011:

1. Pirates are free – Pirates are freedom-loving, independent, autonomous, and disapprove of blind obedience. They stand for informational self-determination and freedom of opinion. Pirates bear the responsibility entailed by freedom.
2. Pirates respect privacy – Pirates protect privacy. They fight against the increasing surveillance mania of state and economy because it prohibits the free development of the individual. A free and democratic society is impossible without private and unobserved free space.
3. Pirates are critical– Pirates are creative, curious, and do not acquiesce in the status quo. They challenge systems, search for weak spots and find ways to correct them. Pirates learn from their mistakes.
4. Pirates are fair-minded – They keep their word. Solidarity is important when it comes to collective aims. Pirates counteract the blind-eye-mentality of society and take action when moral courage is necessary.
5. Pirates respect life – Pirates are peaceful. Therefore they reject the death penalty and the destruction of our environment. Pirates stand for the sustainability of nature and its resources. We do not accept patents on life.
6. Pirates are eager for knowledge – The access to information, education, knowledge and scientific findings has to be unlimited. Pirates support free culture and free software.
7. Pirates are social – Pirates respect human dignity. They commit themselves to a society united in solidarity where the strong defend the weak. Pirates stand for a political culture of objectivity and fairness.
8. Pirates are international -Pirates are part of a global movement. They take advantage of the opportunities offered by the internet and are therefore enabled to think and act without borders.

uspirates.org/through-the-spyg…