I’m not an artist: Celebrate Labor Day with both hands

Have a hammer and sickle to celebrate the accomplishments of the labor movements.

This may come off as inflammatory post, but I wanted to draw something for Labor Day here in the U.S. that was both celebratory and critical.

Labor unions and the organized labor movement helped usher in more reasonable 40 hour work weeks, stopped child labor, formalized weekends, require safety equipment, and sick leave. Things would look very different in America if people hadn’t organized, gathered, and demonstrated for a better life.

I chose the hammer and sickle as it is an iconic representation of labor, but also a highly politicized symbol. In the U.S. the only “-ism” that seem to be okay is capitalism and, unofficially... or maybe officially, racism. Communism is a foreign demon, and socialism is a slippery slope. This bothers me greatly as many of the improvements that many take for granted, such as sick days, are a socialist concept. Capitalism is a predatory idea that pits us all against each other with the vain hope of hoarding the most wealth to protect ourselves from all of the systemic inequities that are core tenets of capitalism.

If you like the weekend or consider humans to have some value outside of their ability to create and consume commodities, consider the fact that you may be more of a socialist than you think. If you think you are entirely against socialism, remember that the early fore fighting brigades were for profit and only tried to save your home from the flames if you could pay their exorbitant fee.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph