Political, be warned.
I meant to write a post about something hot... but what I really want to talk about is the significance of tomorrow, May 1st. Most people grew up knowing May 1st as May Day, a day to ring people's doorbells to leave them flowers or dance around the Maypole. But the real origins of the holiday are much deeper than that, much more significant and closer to my heart.
May Day was originally known as International Workers' Day, a day meant to commemorate the Haymarket Riot (*for those of you who don't know what the Haymarket Riot was, I've added a footnote to the end of this post). Instead of flowers, cuteness and dancing, this day was meant for people to rise against their government and make their views heard. Multiple riots have happened on this day throughout history. Through time and oppressive government, we've had this tradition forced away from us and turned into something sweet and harmless. Such is our government, in 1886 and in 2006. The same point in history that forced the words "under god" into our Pledge of Allegiance erased our connection to the ancestors that fought for what we have today. As
I believe a job should be like a good relationship... when all are treated fairly, everyone wins. It's hard to believe, in this age when unions are barely even needed, that we once had to struggle to only work a 9 to 5 and to have weekends off. No matter how good the government is treating you at the moment, you must remember that (as was very succinctly put in V for Vendetta) people should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people. Tomorrow, May 1st, is a day to remind them of that. On the 120th anniversary of the Haymarket Riot, stand up. Be heard. Remember that you, as an individual, are still strong. You still influence policy and social change... don't let anyone think you are weak because you stand alone. One person can change the world.
*The Haymarket Riot was originally a protest, mainly by anarchists, for worker's rights. They, we, fought for an eight-hour work day because the standard at the time was ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week. Although the actual date of the Haymarket Riot is May 4th (1886), the organization happened on May 1st.
During the rally at Haymarket Square in Chicago, a lit bomb exploded at the police line, killing a police officer. Police immediately opened fire on the crowd, killing eleven people. Seven police officers died. Eight anarchists were arrested, seven were sentenced to death and, on November 11th 1887, 4 (August Spies, Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer and George Engel) were hanged together in front of the general public. Their last words, from the mouth of August Spies, were "The time will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today." The other 4 were ultimately pardoned for their innocence, and the trial is often referred to by scholars as one of the most serious miscarriages of justice in United States history.
May Day was originally known as International Workers' Day, a day meant to commemorate the Haymarket Riot (*for those of you who don't know what the Haymarket Riot was, I've added a footnote to the end of this post). Instead of flowers, cuteness and dancing, this day was meant for people to rise against their government and make their views heard. Multiple riots have happened on this day throughout history. Through time and oppressive government, we've had this tradition forced away from us and turned into something sweet and harmless. Such is our government, in 1886 and in 2006. The same point in history that forced the words "under god" into our Pledge of Allegiance erased our connection to the ancestors that fought for what we have today. As
I believe a job should be like a good relationship... when all are treated fairly, everyone wins. It's hard to believe, in this age when unions are barely even needed, that we once had to struggle to only work a 9 to 5 and to have weekends off. No matter how good the government is treating you at the moment, you must remember that (as was very succinctly put in V for Vendetta) people should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people. Tomorrow, May 1st, is a day to remind them of that. On the 120th anniversary of the Haymarket Riot, stand up. Be heard. Remember that you, as an individual, are still strong. You still influence policy and social change... don't let anyone think you are weak because you stand alone. One person can change the world.
*The Haymarket Riot was originally a protest, mainly by anarchists, for worker's rights. They, we, fought for an eight-hour work day because the standard at the time was ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week. Although the actual date of the Haymarket Riot is May 4th (1886), the organization happened on May 1st.
During the rally at Haymarket Square in Chicago, a lit bomb exploded at the police line, killing a police officer. Police immediately opened fire on the crowd, killing eleven people. Seven police officers died. Eight anarchists were arrested, seven were sentenced to death and, on November 11th 1887, 4 (August Spies, Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer and George Engel) were hanged together in front of the general public. Their last words, from the mouth of August Spies, were "The time will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today." The other 4 were ultimately pardoned for their innocence, and the trial is often referred to by scholars as one of the most serious miscarriages of justice in United States history.
This entry was posted by Mellie, on
Sunday, April 30, 2006.
