"Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor
movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of
American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the
contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and
well-being of our country." - US Department of Labor
Today, Labor Day--like many other American holidays--has become a big day for special promotions and sales in many industries, especially retail. Retail workers, as we know, are often part-time, and usually are at or close to the minimum wage.
I cannot help but think of the irony that this holiday is now taking a holiday away from those it was intended to celebrate.
Say an extra thank you to those who are staffing the checkouts or handing over the ice cream cones, or taking your tickets at the county fair today.
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As our culture is more and more enthralled with entertaining ourselves and the pursuit of monetary gains, that we have any connection left to public holidays is amazing and disturbing to me.
ReplyDeleteKen - Thanks for taking the time to comment. I think entertainment on holidays is fine: backyard horseshoes, the county fair, grilling, and maybe a movie or a baseball game (and yes, those require staff as well). But the profit motive has devalued this and many other holidays. Businesses can't say no to profits, it seems, to say thank you to the people who make those profits possible.
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