Labor Day Is a Commie Holiday, Change My Mind

 

You know how I know Labor Day is a commie holiday? Nah, nah, it’s not the history of its inception. I’ll let R> historians address that.

It’s that it’s a damn lie and distortion of language. Propaganda, if you will.

“Labor Day” is supposed to honor the American worker, I guess. But, tell that to retail workers this weekend. Or the truckers who resupply the stores. Or people working the restaurants, hotels, and resorts where other workers will take their vacations this weekend. The only people assured of a day of rest are government workers — and not even all of them (essential military personnel).

Only commies could arrange it so that a holiday supposedly giving laborers a break have them working harder than ever. Damned commies.

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  1. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Western Chauvinist (View Comment):
    including individualism (which Protestants tend to take too far (sorry, it’s true))

    • #31
  2. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    I’ve always wished we used the day to celebrate the unions’ history. Like all things, they outlived their usefulness, but their founding and early growth in the 1800s and 1900s, their work and sacrifices, are responsible for the huge middle class in our country. They were against unlimited immigration. That was common sense. Wage growth cannot occur in an unlimited unskilled-labor market. That’s why they fought the strike breakers. Nor can protections for workers on the job. Employers can be very abusive.

    There is a lesson we need to relearn from those unions of yesterday–how labor markets work.

    • #32
  3. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    Western Chauvinist (View Comment):
    @WC

    As to DBD, his exact words were: “Catholics have a structural proclivity for communism.”  
    That’s ridiculous and completely in error. Structural proclivity is not just from Latin American Catholics, and you can find Latin American Protestants with those same views. He’s perpetuating a myth, an incorrect understanding, and frankly a slander. Structural proclivity to communism is complete bull crap. 

    • #33
  4. Randy Weivoda Moderator
    Randy Weivoda
    @RandyWeivoda

    Manny (View Comment):

    Western Chauvinist (View Comment):
    @ WC

    As to DBD, his exact words were: “Catholics have a structural proclivity for communism.”
    That’s ridiculous and completely in error. Structural proclivity is not just from Latin American Catholics, and you can find Latin American Protestants with those same views. He’s perpetuating a myth, an incorrect understanding, and frankly a slander. Structural proclivity to communism is complete bull crap.

    Perhaps a lot of non-Catholics have an incorrect perspective of what the church teaches because the popular press publishes stories about bishops, cardinals, and priests (not to mention the current pope) denouncing capitalism and never running stories about church leaders defending capitalism.  Maybe most Catholics do reject socialism, but if a person not in the church is just looking at the mainstream media, you can understand why they would think Catholics and socialism go together like peanut butter and jelly.

    • #34
  5. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    Randy Weivoda (View Comment):

    Manny (View Comment):

    Western Chauvinist (View Comment):
    @ WC

    As to DBD, his exact words were: “Catholics have a structural proclivity for communism.”
    That’s ridiculous and completely in error. Structural proclivity is not just from Latin American Catholics, and you can find Latin American Protestants with those same views. He’s perpetuating a myth, an incorrect understanding, and frankly a slander. Structural proclivity to communism is complete bull crap.

    Perhaps a lot of non-Catholics have an incorrect perspective of what the church teaches because the popular press publishes stories about bishops, cardinals, and priests (not to mention the current pope) denouncing capitalism and never running stories about church leaders defending capitalism. Maybe most Catholics do reject socialism, but if a person not in the church is just looking at the mainstream media, you can understand why they would think Catholics and socialism go together like peanut butter and jelly.

    Criticism of capitalism is not the same thing as endorsing socialism, or for good heavens, communism. Intellectual endeavors require a bit more than black and white thinking. But DBD said something very specific: structural proclivity for communism. That was a statement that was purely ignorant and the phrasing gave the assumption he did some particular research and analysis of Church dogma and beliefs. For all I know he was just trying to sound smart and did no such thing. However if unanswered it would leave the impression that he was knowledgeable and did such research and therefore would pass on incorrect information and would distort other’s beliefs. I felt I had to come down on it. 

    • #35
  6. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patriot) Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patriot)
    @ArizonaPatriot

    drlorentz (View Comment):

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):
    What does communism have to do with Labor Day?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers%27_Day

    The more you know…

    I knew.  I was making a joke — Labor Day being a second Mother’s Day.

    It is getting hard to tell satire from reality these days.

    • #36
  7. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patriot) Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patriot)
    @ArizonaPatriot

    Western Chauvinist (View Comment):

    Manny (View Comment):

    BDB (View Comment):

    . . .

    Maybe you should learn a little something on a subject before making such declarative statements.

    I think BDB was observing that the Catholics coming over the southern border, for example, tend toward “socialism” (that nice feel-good communism, you know). There’s truth in that. Rather than dismiss it, I think we, as Catholics, should try to understand the reasons.

    You’re correct, Manny, that the Church teaches against communism (while recognizing the flaws in capitalism), but how many Catholics actually know or believe what the Church teaches? 10%? Fewer? Certainly not Joe Biden! And on topics way more important than economic systems (the Real Presence, abortion)!

    I always say that, within the Body of Christ, I am a collectivist. But, the Left (by which I mean Satan), has a way of corrupting all good things of God, including individualism (which Protestants tend to take too far (sorry, it’s true)) and collectivism (which many Catholics take too far). Liberation theology, which is Satan’s false promise of collective salvation (the flip-side of which is collective punishment — a grave evil being perpetrated in the current environment by the Left against conservatives Christians, especially if they’re white. . .) was born in Latin America. Catholic Latin America. It was condemned by St. PJPII, but it persists. So, the good that is the unity — the collective — within the Body of Christ in the Church has become corrupted and many Catholics have fallen for it and promote it in their economic philosophy.

    Fact check: True.

    I’m an outsider to Catholicism.  Do you think that it is still true that the Catholic Church teaches against Communism?  I think that this was manifestly true under John Paul II, and under Benedict XVI.  Today, I’m not so sure.

    I expect that you will know far more about this than I, so I’d appreciate your view.

    • #37
  8. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Western Chauvinist (View Comment):

    Manny (View Comment):

    BDB (View Comment):

    . . .

    Maybe you should learn a little something on a subject before making such declarative statements.

    I think BDB was observing that the Catholics coming over the southern border, for example, tend toward “socialism” (that nice feel-good communism, you know). There’s truth in that. Rather than dismiss it, I think we, as Catholics, should try to understand the reasons.

    You’re correct, Manny, that the Church teaches against communism (while recognizing the flaws in capitalism), but how many Catholics actually know or believe what the Church teaches? 10%? Fewer? Certainly not Joe Biden! And on topics way more important than economic systems (the Real Presence, abortion)!

    I always say that, within the Body of Christ, I am a collectivist. But, the Left (by which I mean Satan), has a way of corrupting all good things of God, including individualism (which Protestants tend to take too far (sorry, it’s true)) and collectivism (which many Catholics take too far). Liberation theology, which is Satan’s false promise of collective salvation (the flip-side of which is collective punishment — a grave evil being perpetrated in the current environment by the Left against conservatives Christians, especially if they’re white. . .) was born in Latin America. Catholic Latin America. It was condemned by St. PJPII, but it persists. So, the good that is the unity — the collective — within the Body of Christ in the Church has become corrupted and many Catholics have fallen for it and promote it in their economic philosophy.

    Fact check: True.

    You know, I don’t remember the exact words but 0bama once even referred to the need to work toward and the promise of a “our” social salvation.

    • #38
  9. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    Manny (View Comment):
    Criticism of capitalism is not the same thing as endorsing socialism, or for good heavens, communism. Intellectual endeavors require a bit more than black and white thinking. But DBD said something very specific: structural proclivity for communism.

    I think the “structural” part is the Catholic emphasis on unity — the “collective.” One Lord, one faith, one baptism. . .

    But, like any aspect of a “both/and” approach (we’re both parts (individuals) and the whole of the Body (collective)), people can overemphasize one to the neglect/detriment of the other. And there are many, many Catholics who overemphasize the collective while neglecting the individual parts (Protestants tend to have the opposite problem). I’ve met more than a few in the parish hall of my church in this very conservative, Christian-friendly city. People involved in JustFaith (started by the Sojourner guy), for example.

    Some of us more, um, anti-socialist types convinced them to attend a meeting where we showed The Commanding Heights and later  we took them to a talk by Fr. Sirico of the Acton Institute to see the trailer for the film, The Poverty Cure. Which, btw, Fr. Sirico, points out, there is no “cure.” We will always have the poor with us (Someone important said that once). But, Fr. Sirico didn’t get to choose the title. I recommend both to anyone who hasn’t seen them, although I don’t think we made a dent in the thinking of our SJW-type co-religionists. As Ben Shapiro might say, it’s hard to overcome feelings of (self-)righteousness with facts.

    • #39
  10. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):
    I’m an outsider to Catholicism.  Do you think that it is still true that the Catholic Church teaches against Communism?  I think that this was manifestly true under John Paul II, and under Benedict XVI.  Today, I’m not so sure.

    I can understand why you might question that under the papacy of Francis. But, that’s not really how it works. There’s a Deposit of Faith in the Church which no one — not even Pope Francis — gets to memory-hole. Those teachings going back well before PBXVI and St. PJPII still stand. Do many Catholics know about them? Probably not. Catholicism is Christ’s universal church — meaning for all the people, not just intellectual types who study papal encyclicals teasing out the dogmas from the doctrines from the disciplines. As the Church grew, the vast majority of people were illiterate and there are still many Catholics in world who wouldn’t know how to find the Vatican website and access the documents, even if they had the means. Sunday and weekday preaching (where most Catholics are taught) is on Sacred Scripture, not economic philosophy. 

    In my not-fully-to-be-trusted opinion the closest Francis has come to breaking with past teachings is on the death penalty. But, even his changes to the Catechism in this regard (making capital punishment “inadmissible” — what does that even mean? Typical Francis ambiguity) hasn’t been proclaimed “infallibly,” although Catholics are bound to respectfully consider it as given under the authority conferred by Christ.

    And, btw, Catholic apologist Trent Horn recently published a book with his co-author Catherine Pakaluk which answers the question, Can a Catholic be a Socialist? Short answer — “no.”

    • #40
  11. Old Bathos Member
    Old Bathos
    @OldBathos

    Western Chauvinist (View Comment):
    And, btw, Catholic apologist Trent Horn recently published a book with his co-author Catherine Pakaluk which answers the question, Can a Catholic be a Socialist? Short answer — “no.”

    Depends on what temporary revisionist definition of ‘socialism’ is being advanced in the moment. With Catholic leftist friends we could say: “Golly, if only there were some transnational movement or organization devoted to the spiritual and material well-being of all persons we would not have to be reliant on dubious secular political solutions…”

    • #41
  12. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    Western Chauvinist (View Comment):

    Manny (View Comment):
    Criticism of capitalism is not the same thing as endorsing socialism, or for good heavens, communism. Intellectual endeavors require a bit more than black and white thinking. But DBD said something very specific: structural proclivity for communism.

    I think the “structural” part is the Catholic emphasis on unity — the “collective.” One Lord, one faith, one baptism. . .

    I don’t think that’s what he meant.  Those words are from Ephesians 4:5-6.  I believe Protestants include Ephesians in their Bibles.  And besides I’ve heard/seen Protestants quote that phrase.  That phrase is not one of the dividing phrases between Catholics and Protestants.

    For the life of me I can’t conclude what he meant by “structural proclivity.”  I assume he meant it was something that was innate philosophically to Catholicism.  Well then he couldn’t be referring to just leftist Catholics, because structural and innate mean more than public opinion.  Structural implies there is something in inherent to Catholicism itself that leads it to go to communism.

    Think of it this way.  There are recent polls that show the United States is inching toward supporting socialism.  Here is one that shows 39% of Americans support socialism.  If 39% of Americans support socialism, does that mean America has a structural proclivity to socialism?  Of course not.  Public opinion has nothing to do with a system’s innate proclivities.  

    But, like any aspect of a “both/and” approach (we’re both parts (individuals) and the whole of the Body (collective)), people can overemphasize one to the neglect/detriment of the other. And there are many, many Catholics who overemphasize the collective while neglecting the individual parts (Protestants tend to have the opposite problem). I’ve met more than a few in the parish hall of my church in this very conservative, Christian-friendly city. People involved in JustFaith (started by the Sojourner guy), for example.

    Personally I don’t think he meant anything like this.  He can explain if he likes.

     

     

    • #42
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