Pilgrimage Ponderings
Why Do We Do This?
I've just been reading about the history of Labor Day. It started in the 1880s and was intended to be a "workingman's holiday." The first celebrations involved parades and family picnics to both celebrate the contribution of working folks to the economic and social development of our country and to give something back to them and their families.
Sort of a national day of rest.
So, how do we as a country celebrate today? It seems to me that certain people get to take the day off. But some of our hardest workers have to work even harder.
With the commercialization of our culture, Labor Day is now another excuse for retailers to offer a sale, and another occasion for people to spend money. If you were an alien from another world trying to figure out the meaning of Labor Day by looking at a Sunday paper, you might draw this conclusion: Labor Day is a special day set aside for shopping.
So tomorrow, much as I need some new clothes and would like to take advantage of the sales, I have decided not to shop as a way of honoring those women and men who work hard in the retail industry and get very little time off compared to a lot of other people who expect to be able to go shopping when they have a day off.
I don't imagine many people will notice one person not participating in the commercialization of this important day, but I think I'll feel better.
Happy Labor Day.
Ray Reavis: I'm glad you brought that up, Kathy. I have a good friend that used to be restaurant general manager that was part of a major chain. He loved getting business because the better the restaurant did, the better his paycheck looked. But when they made him start opening on Thanksgiving day he was hoping business would be horrible. He was afraid if business was good they would start requiring that he open every year for Thanksgiving. Sure enough, sales were just good enough that they made that the new company "tradition." And not by a huge margin, so don't think that individuals could have made a difference voting with their dollars. (09/01/08)
Allan R. Bevere: Kathy: Thanks for your thought-provoking post. I am already planning to enjoy my Labor Day tomorrow, but your comments will be with me. Thanks for the challenging and truthful words. (08/31/08)