Workers Day

Happy retail sales day!  Yes, this is the same day as Labor Day and yes it is the same day set aside to commemorate the herculean efforts that made this country great.  Most industrialized nations have similar holidays but most celebrate on or near May first in connection with International Workers Day.  If that sounds a bit socialistic, that’s because it is.

After 364 days of general slavery for most the world turns it head and allows the “worker” to have a day off, except that day off has turned into one of the most highly prized days for retailers, often surpassing all but Black Friday as the most profitable day of the year and the irony is that in order to sustain those lofty economic numbers the slaves who so ardently sacrifice throughout the year are forced to work even longer hours on this supposed celebration of labor.

I guess if you really think about it what better way to revel and celebrate then to be fully engaged in the virtue of that pursuit.  Therefor the very act of working on Labor Day should be lauded as the ultimate tribute for those who work.  Taking this strain of logic even further perhaps we should only allow those who do work to participate in the holiday merriment, but only after their shift is over of course.

Even though Labor Day was started in response to Labor Unions and the socialistic designs to foster some celebrity for those in the trenches it has become, at least in the United States a day of extra labor.  The summer is at its end, high society no longer has to wear white (I don’t understand that one unless it has something to do with traditional tennis and the all-white uniforms of the past), most schools have already begun, having abandoned the other tradition of starting after Labor Day, choosing to start in the middle of the hottest part of the year, no explanation for that one either, and as the dog days of summer roll to a close most take the day to prepare for the coming year.

Lowe's and Home Depot are packed, malls are bustling and restaurants turn a happy profit as homes are cleaned, gardens are transformed, cars are washed and cloths are bought in hast on this last opportunity to get out and spend.  Evan for those who are not laboring and getting paid this is indeed a true labor day where everyone it seems is doing more than going to the beach, park or lake simply to sit back and eat chicken wings and hot dogs in leisure.  There is nothing leisurely about Labor Day and the trend seems to be moving toward more work not less, a fitting tribute to a day dedicated to the humble worker.

The real question is do you really care?  Does this day hold any special meaning other than another day off to do your own work or for those that are forced to work, just another day like all the rest with the exception of course of not being able to choose not to work, if not working at all was ever really an option? Keep in mind that work is a good thing but the whole idea of making a national holiday for workers and then making them work just seems a bit counterproductive. 

From the retail side of things and a far cry from the socialistic goals of the holiday not working or not staying open and forcing the workers to work is counterproductive so in the end Labor Day is exactly what it’s supposed to be, a day of extreme labor where only those at the top of the socialistic circles benefit from the “holiday” aspects of the holiday.  

Let me be perfectly clear there isn’t a lot of difference between the union lead ideals of Labor Day and those of big business, they both use the workers for their own advantage, they both want to make more money on the backs of those who put up the labor so they do not have to.  The exception to these two extremes is the small business owner who really does choose to work and slave and sacrifice it is for these hard working people around this world that Labor Day should be celebrated.

My simple suggestion is to frequent these establishments, support these businesses and use your hard earned money to bolster their efforts, not the purveyors of modern slavery, not the company store minded bosses that make life almost impossible but those who work in the trenches and supply most of the jobs, a majority of the income and GDP and overall opportunity for the millions of workers that they support.  Go to the mom and pop places, go the little boutique around the corner, go to the mechanic that works on your car…ooh wait I almost forgot, it’s Labor Day and their all closed so they can have a day off…