May Day, the day officially known as Labor Day, is approaching. Let's
see where its roots are and if there is really something to celebrate.
---- Let's start with the history. We could talk about it for a long
time, but we will summarize it in a few sentences. At the beginning, the
movement for the eight-hour working day stood in the United States,
where demonstrations were already held for this demand in 1872-73.
Unions in the US and Canada decided that starting May 1, 1886, workers
would only work eight hours. Workers in Chicago were also preparing for
this date. But it was preceded by large-scale repression in the Mac
Cormik farm machinery factory with the help of the state and private
police. On that day, more than 25,000 workers stopped work in Chicago,
and by May 4, the strike had become almost universal. The leading
speakers at the meetings were anarchists. On 3 May, police opened fire
on about 200 strikers outside Mac Cormick's factory, leaving six dead.
The next day, a demonstration was called at the Haymarket, the police
took violent action against the peaceful assembly. After a while, there
was an explosion, followed by police shooting. Thrown by an unknown
hand, the puma killed seven capital guards. Subsequently, eight
anarchists were arrested and charged with murder, although only two of
them were present, and even they were not proven. The prosecutor
declared: "The workers must be driven into their holes like rats." It
was decided in advance that the defendants must be executed. This
happened on November 11, 1887. Two years later, at the International
Socialist Congress, a proposal was made to hold international workers'
demonstrations from May 1, 1890, in honor of these events.
The capitalists and the media serving them portrayed the coming event as
the end of the world (their world). Unfortunately, nothing of the sort
happened. There were also strikes and demonstrations in the Czech
Republic, especially in the mining north and in Prague, where thousands
of people filled Strelecky Island and the adjacent waterfront. Modern
anarchists commemorate this event every year at this place, and this
year is no different.
The ruling classes of the individual regimes soon understood that it is
easier to co-opt this holiday, i.e. to include it in their own
ideological framework, and thus to suppress its subversive potential,
than to stand violently against a holiday that the working class has
adopted as their own. Thus, on May Day, various political parties began
to take to the streets, and in many places the day became an official
holiday celebrating work.
But there is a big difference in the ideological conception of the work
of authoritarian regimes, such as they are or were capitalist, Bolshevik
or fascist, and in the conception of the work of, for example, the
Chicago anarchists who stood up for their ideas and desires on the
gallows. The ideology of work presented by capitalists, fascists and
Bolsheviks is quite similar. Their main concern is to impose on workers
the idea that wage labor is a virtue that ennobles them and, according
to some brutally cynical slogans, even liberates them. This idea is
always to show the workers where their place is in society - that is, at
the bottom, in an unprivileged position that belongs to "virtues" such
as loyalty, obedience, diligence and also national pride. The latter is
then supposed to ensure the dedication of workers in wars for the
interests of their ruling class.
Such an approach would undoubtedly be described by the Chicago
anarchists and their followers as the construction of a slave mentality
and a great deception that serves only those at the top, whether in
their pursuit of maximizing profits or consolidating positions of power
without the risk of resistance from the underprivileged. The anarchist
ideal of work is quite different.
It is not based on the interests of a narrow minority at the expense of
the rest of society, but on the interests of both each individual and
society as a whole. It does not stand on the principle of exploitation
and abysmal social inequalities like the current regime, but on the
principles of truly free choice, free agreement, solidarity, mutual
support and social equality.
On May Day, we anarchists do not celebrate work that does not develop or
satisfy us, but on the contrary kills, bores and degrades us to mere
cogs in the profit-generating machine of a narrow elite. We celebrate
free work on May Day. The kind of work that doesn't reek of slavery,
serfdom, mercenary or mercenary work. Work that we can decide on
ourselves in cooperation with others who participate in it in the same
way. Work that is a joy to do. Work that benefits us and our
surroundings. Work where we have full control over inputs and outputs.
Work that emancipates us, bonds communities and heals society and the
planet. Work that makes the world a better place for everyone.
The eight-hour workday, taken for granted by those of us more fortunate
than those who don't have to take on more jobs to survive, was a radical
and supremely heretical demand in its day. And for us to take it for
granted, it was not without long periods of struggle and sacrifice.
Equally heretical is our demand for free labor today.
And it looks like he won't be without long fights either.
https://www.afed.cz/text/8156/a3-dokud-nebude-prace-svobodna
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
see where its roots are and if there is really something to celebrate.
---- Let's start with the history. We could talk about it for a long
time, but we will summarize it in a few sentences. At the beginning, the
movement for the eight-hour working day stood in the United States,
where demonstrations were already held for this demand in 1872-73.
Unions in the US and Canada decided that starting May 1, 1886, workers
would only work eight hours. Workers in Chicago were also preparing for
this date. But it was preceded by large-scale repression in the Mac
Cormik farm machinery factory with the help of the state and private
police. On that day, more than 25,000 workers stopped work in Chicago,
and by May 4, the strike had become almost universal. The leading
speakers at the meetings were anarchists. On 3 May, police opened fire
on about 200 strikers outside Mac Cormick's factory, leaving six dead.
The next day, a demonstration was called at the Haymarket, the police
took violent action against the peaceful assembly. After a while, there
was an explosion, followed by police shooting. Thrown by an unknown
hand, the puma killed seven capital guards. Subsequently, eight
anarchists were arrested and charged with murder, although only two of
them were present, and even they were not proven. The prosecutor
declared: "The workers must be driven into their holes like rats." It
was decided in advance that the defendants must be executed. This
happened on November 11, 1887. Two years later, at the International
Socialist Congress, a proposal was made to hold international workers'
demonstrations from May 1, 1890, in honor of these events.
The capitalists and the media serving them portrayed the coming event as
the end of the world (their world). Unfortunately, nothing of the sort
happened. There were also strikes and demonstrations in the Czech
Republic, especially in the mining north and in Prague, where thousands
of people filled Strelecky Island and the adjacent waterfront. Modern
anarchists commemorate this event every year at this place, and this
year is no different.
The ruling classes of the individual regimes soon understood that it is
easier to co-opt this holiday, i.e. to include it in their own
ideological framework, and thus to suppress its subversive potential,
than to stand violently against a holiday that the working class has
adopted as their own. Thus, on May Day, various political parties began
to take to the streets, and in many places the day became an official
holiday celebrating work.
But there is a big difference in the ideological conception of the work
of authoritarian regimes, such as they are or were capitalist, Bolshevik
or fascist, and in the conception of the work of, for example, the
Chicago anarchists who stood up for their ideas and desires on the
gallows. The ideology of work presented by capitalists, fascists and
Bolsheviks is quite similar. Their main concern is to impose on workers
the idea that wage labor is a virtue that ennobles them and, according
to some brutally cynical slogans, even liberates them. This idea is
always to show the workers where their place is in society - that is, at
the bottom, in an unprivileged position that belongs to "virtues" such
as loyalty, obedience, diligence and also national pride. The latter is
then supposed to ensure the dedication of workers in wars for the
interests of their ruling class.
Such an approach would undoubtedly be described by the Chicago
anarchists and their followers as the construction of a slave mentality
and a great deception that serves only those at the top, whether in
their pursuit of maximizing profits or consolidating positions of power
without the risk of resistance from the underprivileged. The anarchist
ideal of work is quite different.
It is not based on the interests of a narrow minority at the expense of
the rest of society, but on the interests of both each individual and
society as a whole. It does not stand on the principle of exploitation
and abysmal social inequalities like the current regime, but on the
principles of truly free choice, free agreement, solidarity, mutual
support and social equality.
On May Day, we anarchists do not celebrate work that does not develop or
satisfy us, but on the contrary kills, bores and degrades us to mere
cogs in the profit-generating machine of a narrow elite. We celebrate
free work on May Day. The kind of work that doesn't reek of slavery,
serfdom, mercenary or mercenary work. Work that we can decide on
ourselves in cooperation with others who participate in it in the same
way. Work that is a joy to do. Work that benefits us and our
surroundings. Work where we have full control over inputs and outputs.
Work that emancipates us, bonds communities and heals society and the
planet. Work that makes the world a better place for everyone.
The eight-hour workday, taken for granted by those of us more fortunate
than those who don't have to take on more jobs to survive, was a radical
and supremely heretical demand in its day. And for us to take it for
granted, it was not without long periods of struggle and sacrifice.
Equally heretical is our demand for free labor today.
And it looks like he won't be without long fights either.
https://www.afed.cz/text/8156/a3-dokud-nebude-prace-svobodna
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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