International Workers' Day (non-US)
Today, much of the civilized world celebrates Workers or Labor and the Working Classes. I must note in passing that Beltane/Samhain started yestidday, and may have something to do with the choice of this date, but only a little. The wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers%27_Day) tells us:
The date was chosen by a pan-national organization of socialist and communist political parties to commemorate the Haymarket affair, which occurred in Chicago on 4 May 1886.[6] The 1904 Sixth Conference of the Second International, called on "all Social Democratic Party organisations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on the First of May for the legal establishment of the 8-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace."
So, uh, the Haymarket Affair (supra) is why the US cannot join in this celebration. The US has a long history of trying to suppress labor, laborers, labor organizing, labor organizers and the like. The Haymarket affair was one major, discredited instance of that.
A Nationwide strike for an 8 hour day on May First exacerbated tensions at a local strike and lockout in Chicago, where Pinkertons had already fired on strikers in the past. At a May Third rally by the strikers the cops assigned to assist the Pinkertons and strikebreakers fired into the crowd. A rally was hurriedly scheduled for the next day in Chicago's Haymarket Square.
As the last speaker at the rally was winding down, the police arrived en masse and in formation to break it up. As they neared the speakers' wagon somebody tossed a primitive bomb between them and their intended target. It is unknown who threw said bomb. The cops immediately began firing at the by now fleeing demonstrators (and each other - it was getting dark), reloaded and fired some more. As is typical of the police assaults on laborers and strikers of the area, a very precise tally of the police injuries and deaths was compiled and nobody has any idea how many labor supporters were injured, maimed or killed. One paper did claim that at least 50 civilians were killed or wounded. Some reported that there had been an "exchange" of gunfire, but one cop asserted that many (most?) of the police injuries were from friendly fire.
The police ran amok harassing and intimidating workers, unionists, anarchists, immigrants and the like for about 2 months, trashing their homes, halls, businesses and the like. Meanwhile, a kangaroo court was quickly convened with 12 jurors who were admittedly prejudiced against the defendants and an anti-unionist judge. There, 7 persons were sentenced to death for "conspiracy" and one got a mere 15 years.
So, today, in honor of workers, the working class, laborers and labor movements, I'm going to play a collection of old wobbly tunes, introduced by Paul Robeson's version of Joe Hill. Since it has an intro, it needs an outro, which will be Bandiera Rossa.
But, first, we have a very important worker toiling away keeping this place up and running and paying all the bills. In the upper left (yay left!) corner are two buttons, "donate" and "subscribe". How about helping Johnny keep this joint up and running by pushing one, or otherwise tossing some coin into the pot as explained in the "Donation Info" link.
picture: Joe Hill, public domain
Comments
Pete Seeger taught me Joe Hill
...with this recording when I was a teen. I think this is the Weavers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMgE1GtTu8g (2.5 min)
Workers of the World Unite...you have nothing to lose but your chains.
Happy international labor day!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Good morning, Lookout, thanks for reading. I can't recall
when I first heard Joe Hill, but the Weavers are definitely a candidate source.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
America is a very stupid country.
Any attempt to make things better for labor has been met with resistance from everyone from top to bottom. And this will only continue under Dipshit and his billionaire goons because despite being 'woke', too many people are still all too willing to go along with labor suppression.
Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.
Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.
Indeed. In fact, a lot of workers go along with labor
suppression, either hoping to be entrepreneurs or rentiers someday, or because they fell for some con like "right to work".
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
So today is a day where workers celebrate
their accomplishments in their past battles to improve all workers work life conditions, no?
Celebrate means you do NOT work on this day. You have a day off from work and march to commemorate the past workers battles and fights and you march for peace. Do they do that en masse in the US?
So, why is it that the US seems to be the only country that DOES WORK today? You do not celebrate?
I never got it and since I came to the US I was always so disappointed what you made out of this day.
I remember we sang the "Internationale" knowing it was a famous socialist, communist, social-democratic and anarchist song. We didn't do "Ideology" back then. There are elements in the song which are just appealing for whoever is oppressed. So, I still sing it today. There are so many versions. Which one is your favorite?
Strangely nobody sang with him. Why not?
Sing along.
Peace.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Hiya, mimi. The US doesn't celebrate May Day for various
reasons, a primary one being that the date was chosen to commemorate the Haymarket Affair, described in the column above. It was one of the more famous of the great number of vicious and violent attacks on workers, strikers and unions in this country, and "looks bad" Instead the US celebrates "Labor Day" - in September, iirc.
I no longer remember my favorite version of the Internationale, but it was likely an early revision of the IWW version. This is more of less what I recall:
Arise ye pris’ners of starvation
Arise ye wretched of the earth
For justice thunders condemnation
A better world’s in birth!
No more tradition’s chains shall bind us
Arise, ye slaves, no more in thrall;
The earth shall rise on new foundations
We have been naught we shall be all.
Refrain:
’Tis the final conflict
Let each stand in his place
The International Union
Shall be the human race.
We want no condescending saviors
To rule us from their judgement hall
We workers ask not for their favors
Let us consult for all.
To make the theif disgorge his booty
To free the spirit from its cell
We must ourselves decide our duty
We must decide and do it well.
The law oppresses us and tricks us,
The wage slave system drains our blood;
The rich are free from obligation,
The laws the poor delude.
Too long we’ve languished in subjection,
Equality has other laws;
"No rights", says she "without their duties,
No claims on equals without cause."
Behold them seated in their glory
The kings of mine and rail and soil!
What have you read in all their story,
But how they plundered toil?
Fruits of the workers’ toil are buried
In strongholds of the idle few
In working for their restitution
The men will only claim their due.
We toilers from all fields united
Join hand in hand with all who work;
The earth belongs to us, the workers,
No room here for the shirk.
How many on our flesh have fattened!
But if the norsome birds of prey
Shall vanish from the sky some morning
The blessed sunlight then will stay.
Arise, you prisoners of starvation!
Arise, you wretched of the earth!
For justice thunders condemnation.
A better world's in birth.
No more tradition's chains shall bind us.
Arise, you slaves, no more in thrall!
The earth shall rise on new foundations.
We have been naught, we shall be all.
'Tis the final conflict;
Let each stand in his place.
The international working class [party]
Shall be the human race. [free]
We need no condescending saviors
To lead us from their banquet hall.
We workers ask not for their favors
We have been naught, we shall ba all
To make the theives give up their booty
To free the prisoner from his cell
We must ourselves decide our duty
We must decide and do it well.
'Tis the final conflict;
Let each stand in his place.
The international working class
Shall be the human race.
except that the last of the refrain was
The international party
Shall free the human race.
The Wobbly version is:
Arise ye pris’ners of starvation
Arise ye wretched of the earth
For justice thunders condemnation
A better world’s in birth!
No more tradition’s chains shall bind us
Arise, ye slaves, no more in thrall;
The earth shall rise on new foundations
We have been naught we shall be all.
Refrain:
’Tis the final conflict
Let each stand in his place
The International Union
Shall be the human race.
We want no condescending saviors
To rule us from their judgement hall
We workers ask not for their favors
Let us consult for all.
To make the theif disgorge his booty
To free the spirit from its cell
We must ourselves decide our duty
We must decide and do it well.
The law oppresses us and tricks us,
The wage slave system drains our blood;
The rich are free from obligation,
The laws the poor delude.
Too long we’ve languished in subjection,
Equality has other laws;
"No rights", says she "without their duties,
No claims on equals without cause."
Behold them seated in their glory
The kings of mine and rail and soil!
What have you read in all their story,
But how they plundered toil?
Fruits of the workers’ toil are buried
In strongholds of the idle few
In working for their restitution
The men will only claim their due.
We toilers from all fields united
Join hand in hand with all who work;
The earth belongs to us, the workers,
No room here for the shirk.
How many on our flesh have fattened!
But if the norsome birds of prey
Shall vanish from the sky some morning
The blessed sunlight then will stay.
Relatively few US persons know or sing it due to decades of red scares and persecutions, McCarthyism and the cold war.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Apologies and shame on me ...
I didn't read for comprehension the first time and now re-read again. What a sad affair lead you to remember the date May 1rst. I got it now.
So, in Europe, May 1rst is the "International Labor Day" or the "International Workers Day" to celebrate the workers. It would be called in the US also something like the "May Day", but isn't or if it is called 'May Day' then for different reasons that relate to the traditional "May Day Customs" the Europeans brought over to the US. I forgot about those. Sorry about that.
In the US it can't be a worker celebration on May 1rst, because you had actually the opposite of what one would think would be worth while to celebrate, the cruel and vicious attacks on striking workers. Wow. I was not aware of that. Thanks for your patience and explain it twice. May be I knew it once, but had forgotten. Apparently it was just by chance that the US equivalent to the "International Labor Day", what you now call the "Labor Day", was then suggested to be in the first week of September. It could have been as well be in October or August. There was no reason to have it in September then? OK.
What a pity! So we Europeans and you Americans can't celebrate the workers achievements together at the same date! What a sorry affair. I suggest we don't care about it and celebrate it twice, singing the Internationale on both dates.
Cheers and thanks again for your patience.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Beltaine
Progressive American Pagans are bringing the day back, slowly but surely. "Boss, I was happy to work Christmas Day, but I really do need Beltaine off!"
The Haymarket Riot isn't forgotten among Paganry, either. Many of us, myself included, view the Haymarket Heroes as holy Martyrs. They wouldn't recognize the terms of our religion; but we still hold them holy. They fought and died for us. And we recognize that.
Walter Crane "got" this connection a hundred years ago. His artwork on the subject of May Day is still the best exemplar of the connection between the real Labor Day and Beltaine out there.
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
I tried as best I could
to sing along! I'm not much of a singer but it's a lovely song. Thanks.
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
We must ourselves decide our duty
Makes the rulers look bad (which they are). Which is why it is not taught in schools. Even on the nationally sanitized 'labor day' most wage slaves work. We really need a workers party.
if at all it would be a day-laborer leased worker party
that's probably the majority of workers these days.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Ha, yes
A subbed out gig movement.