The Price of Liberty

There are just a few nations that do not consider May Day – the First Day of May – to be Labor Day, or “International Workers’ Day.” Most of these nations which do not recognize it are English-speaking: Old Commonwealth dominions, including both the Australian States and the Canadian Provinces. And of course, the Fifty States. (As far as we know, NO State recognizes May Day as a labor day or holiday.)

Ironically, in the States, Labor Day is the first Monday of September – in 2025, that is indeed the 1st of September. Traditionally the end of Summer, including Summer holidays in traditional American schools. This is ironic because even Marxists accept that the 1st of May became International Workers’ Day first in the United States – actually in Chicago way back in 1884, when the American Federation of Labor (AFL) declared it was to be the beginning of the 8-hour work day. The AFL was one of the “early adopters” of national Socialism – what they called wrongly Progressivism.

The AFL and its fellow Marxists believed that May Day and the 8-hour work day were yet another nail in the coffin of evil, hated capitalism. And paving the way for full socialism and even communism.

Of course, it was the Communists – International Socialists – who made the First Day of May popular and spread it around the world. The failure of Communism in Europe and the fall of the Soviet Union led to a decline in celebrating the “no-work” Workers’ Day. However, various sources tell us that idea is picking up again, a third of a century later. It certainly has a certain Transnational flavor to it.

This definitely fits into the category of “any excuse for a day off work” that permeates more and more of Western “Civilization.” No doubt, part of its glamor has been lost as work days and work weeks were shortened by government fiat across much of the world.

Of course, everyone expects to get paid for not working that day – along with a dozen other holidays. It is yet another example of lack of responsibility and promoting a culture of parasitism. (And in the case of government workers and other essential workers who must work on such holidays, getting paid double or more.)

It makes as much sense to instead take of the Fourth of May for Star Wars fanatics, or March the 14th for Pi Day for math lovers.

And of course, workers in the Fifty States do not totally miss out on holidays in the merry month of May, since Memorial Day still gives them a three-day holiday at the end of the month.

In many ways, all these holidays, however nice they are and however much people love a day off – and a three-day weekend, we can argue that establishing all of these holidays throughout the year are just another form of “Bread and Circuses” to keep the natives happy.