Some folks just don't have definitive answers when questioned about the names they use to describe others, or the choices other folks make, like whether or not getting a job is actually important enough to bother with. It was common during the first great depression, to call the unemployed, bums, even though many did not consider themselves such. Hobo was the term they used to describe their condition. A hobo was willing to work for a meal or whatever was offered in recompense. Bums were those that sought handouts but were not willing to work for it. Nevertheless the two terms were often lumped together. The latter was often used to describe the former.

There's a wonderful song that I have a couple of versions of on 78rpm. My favorite version is by a fellow named Lazy Larry (Howard Johnson). It's called "Who Said I Was A Bum?" I've been playing this song for years. It very playfully blurs the differences between hobos and bums.

On a more serious note:

There are a great many folks today who are unemployed. They are standing in food bank lines, and unemployment office lines because of the greed of white-collar thieves, the callous disregard of profiteering CEOs, stockholders, and shortsighted legislators. These are good folks who have lost life long job situations due to the present attitude in America that places profits before the needs of American families. These families dedicated their lives to developing businesses that are now turning their backs on very people that helped them become the success they are today. This is how we in America see fit to reward these hard working folks for a lifetime of loyalty and service. It's turned into a stampede, U.S. businesses rush to ship American jobs to other countries where the cost of labor is just a fraction of what it is here in the states, just so that a select few at the top can see a little more $. Watching this happen, as it has been so often here in the good ol' U.S. of A., I'm not surprised when folks question whether or not they should even seek employment. I certainly wouldn't call them names because of their lack of employment or their choice to remain unemployed. Where's the profit in trying to build a life for yourself and your family when some slick CEO can so easily rob you of your life savings, your retirement funds, and those of a great many others, and then walk away smiling all the way to the bank.

End of rant….