Comments on: May Day in Cuba https://www.habitablezone.com/2011/05/01/may-day-in-cuba/ Tue, 14 Apr 2026 01:30:43 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: TB https://www.habitablezone.com/2011/05/01/may-day-in-cuba/#comment-378 TB Mon, 02 May 2011 14:19:54 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=514#comment-378 Our side doesn't work that way. Their side does. Over 100 million dead. Our side doesn’t work that way. Their side does.

Over 100 million dead.

]]> By: ER https://www.habitablezone.com/2011/05/01/may-day-in-cuba/#comment-351 ER Mon, 02 May 2011 04:23:34 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=514#comment-351 "Thath desthpicable". Maybe we should just outlaw it. That'll show 'em who's boss. “Thath desthpicable”.

Maybe we should just outlaw it. That’ll show ‘em who’s boss.

]]> By: TB https://www.habitablezone.com/2011/05/01/may-day-in-cuba/#comment-342 TB Mon, 02 May 2011 03:12:32 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=514#comment-342 The modern International Workers Day is almost entirely a function of communists, socialists, and other left-wing movements. Celebrations, parades, and protests are organized by and comprised of these groups. The earlier history, while accurate, isn't any more relevant in our times than the original meanings of words like "liberal" and "gay." Or maidens dancing around maypoles. The modern International Workers Day is almost entirely a function of communists, socialists, and other left-wing movements. Celebrations, parades, and protests are organized by and comprised of these groups. The earlier history, while accurate, isn’t any more relevant in our times than the original meanings of words like “liberal” and “gay.” Or maidens dancing around maypoles.

]]> By: ER https://www.habitablezone.com/2011/05/01/may-day-in-cuba/#comment-337 ER Mon, 02 May 2011 03:00:05 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=514#comment-337 May Day has been around a lot longer than Communism. It has been celebrated in all over the world, in countries before they became Communist, and remains celebrated today after those same countries rejected Communism. And it is celebrated in countries that never were Communist. Even pre-Castro Cuba celebrated El Primero de Mayo, Dia de los Trabajadores. The fact the Communists celebrated it means nothing, they celebrated New Year's Day, too, that doesn't mean they co-opted it.. As far as I know, only the USA has felt the need to embarrass itself by abandoning an accepted international holiday and create its own, to celebrate the exact same thing. I don't have any doubt it was the result of a desire to conflate Socialists and trade union activists with Communists., which is precisely what that website is trying to do. I suspect at least two other readers made the same observation: Tanya says: "Labor deserves its own day and the fact a day used to honor it was abused by communists doesn’t mean the day itself should have its purpose changed. The realistic result of making a day honoring labor into a day honoring victims of communists is to harm labor, since it will be tarred with the same brush in various ways. " gray says: "At best the proposal is patronising and offensive to the Labour Movement. That the USSR tried to co-opt the day doesn’t diminish the origin of the day or the worthiness of its observation." "Solidarity" was a Polish trade Union, and its leader, Lech Walesa, was not just a trade union organizer, he was a shipyard electrician. He was a worker. May Day has been around a lot longer than Communism. It has been celebrated in all over the world, in countries before they became Communist, and remains celebrated today after those same countries rejected Communism. And it is celebrated in countries that never were Communist. Even pre-Castro Cuba celebrated El Primero de Mayo, Dia de los Trabajadores.

The fact the Communists celebrated it means nothing, they celebrated New Year’s Day, too, that doesn’t mean they co-opted it.. As far as I know, only the USA has felt the need to embarrass itself by abandoning an accepted international holiday and create its own, to celebrate the exact same thing. I don’t have any doubt it was the result of a desire to conflate Socialists and trade union activists with Communists., which is precisely what that website is trying to do.

I suspect at least two other readers made the same observation:

Tanya says:
“Labor deserves its own day and the fact a day used to honor it was abused by communists doesn’t mean the day itself should have its purpose changed. The realistic result of making a day honoring labor into a day honoring victims of communists is to harm labor, since it will be tarred with the same brush in various ways. ”

gray says:
“At best the proposal is patronising and offensive to the Labour Movement. That the USSR tried to co-opt the day doesn’t diminish the origin of the day or the worthiness of its observation.”

“Solidarity” was a Polish trade Union, and its leader, Lech Walesa, was not just a trade union organizer, he was a shipyard electrician. He was a worker.

]]> By: TB https://www.habitablezone.com/2011/05/01/may-day-in-cuba/#comment-327 TB Sun, 01 May 2011 23:22:46 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=514#comment-327 Related: <a href="http://volokh.com/2011/05/01/victims-of-communism-day-3/" rel="nofollow">Victims of Communism Day</a> <blockquote>"May Day began as a holiday for socialists and labor union activists, not just communists. But over time, the date was taken over by the Soviet Union and other communist regimes and used as a propaganda tool to prop up their regimes. I suggest that we instead use it as a day to commemorate those regimes’ millions of victims."</blockquote> <a href="http://www.distributedrepublic.net/archives/2005/05/01/the-red-plague/" rel="nofollow">Some numbers.</a> Related: Victims of Communism Day

“May Day began as a holiday for socialists and labor union activists, not just communists. But over time, the date was taken over by the Soviet Union and other communist regimes and used as a propaganda tool to prop up their regimes. I suggest that we instead use it as a day to commemorate those regimes’ millions of victims.”

Some numbers.

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