Spanging (aka "spare changing")

Travelers on their way to San Diego by way of wherever suits their fancy

Well, it didn’t take long for me to find something interesting to shoot. The day started out all right with me going to see a doctor about my shoulder pain and me telling him that one of the reasons that I love America  is because they do not have these MRI machine things  in Afghanistan ...but that, I suppose, is a story for a political editorial.

Ready for the Zombie Apocalypse

No, this time, as I was driving from my hovel, which is located uptown, down to the higher end of town , known in San Antonio as “09 territory” , where little bungalow costs as much as in Los Angeles, but which is about 5 times the price for that same bungalow anywhere else. And, even though you see yard signs in some of those million dollar lawns,  proudly proclaiming “ No Selfishness”,  we all know what those high prices keep out don’t we??? O crap- I keep going political.

Anyway, looking to my right as I rounded the corner, I see two people walking down the sidewalk, shouldering hiking style backpacks, and dressed in that funky European youth traveler style. Long skirt, fatigue jacket, campo hat with all of kinds of funk attached. For a minute, I considered just continuing on my way, but then the cameraman in me kicked in and I spun the car around to see if I could catch up to them.

What ensued was a lively and informative discussion about all manner of things, ranging from politics, to street art, to graffiti, to youth attitudes toward America. The travelers, who I will call Rachel and Justin, have come on foot and by thumb, from the Boston area, and are on their way to San Diego, according to no particular timetable other than what suits their fancy when they wake up in the morning.

As far a motivations for living this lifestyle, my take on things after talking with them is that it certainly NOT about working for the man for the rest of your life to wake up and find no pension, and all your savings gone, but instead a way of living outside the grid and unconstrained by all the chains that many people find themselves bound by. This is not to say that this lifestyle is that of a bum in the street, as these two appeared to know full well what they were doing and considered it all an adventure.

We discussed the police and how they treat people who look different, and they indicated that in the other areas of the country, they encountered a bit more negative reaction to their state of dress and manner, but, that in Texas, people seemed to be friendly and helpful. Well, that was everywhere except up near one of the NASCAR racetracks when they said that free bus tickets were being given away for the "undesirables" to get out of town.
br />Asking about how they got money along the way, Rachel said that they go "spanging", which is street slang for flashing for spare change. Flashing itself meaning pulling out those cardboard signs saying things like "Money needed for Zombie Apocalypse". Zombie Apocalypse being a metaphor for the mechanical suits that the world seems to be manufacturing these days. Mechanical suits being the term used to describe all the businessmen working their asses off for their piece of silver.

Another bit of insight was gleaned from Rachel, when we somehow got off on a discussion of Mitt Romney’s statement to me during a past interview at a local Starbucks, that the current generation will be fine, but the next has no idea of what is happening or what is going to hit them in the future.. Romney meaning that the baby boomers will be able to suck out of the system all the wealth and "benefits" that they have accumulated and earned, and that they will all have that Medicare, etc.; but that with the way things are going , that the 20-30 year olds will have nothing there when they go to use it because the government is giving free stuff and welfare to all comers.

This is where a new idea was posed to me - that perhaps the younger generation does not value things in the same way as the older generations, and that they will not care a wit about waiting 3 hours in the bread line, nor be the least perturbed about waiting 10 hours at the free clinic to get their government provided flu shot. ( Gee funny me, I thought that all those people in the bread lines in Russia were pissed off at being there, but maybe they figure it was all OK.)

So foreign to me, but then again this sentiment regarding the old work ethic has a familiar refrain which I have heard from other "youth".

I mean, what’s the difference, standing in line for 18 hours to get a new iPhone, or 18 hours for a government welfare check.???

Hey, I’m just sayin.