Bob Schwartz

Some years I post about Labor Day, both on the date of the American holiday today and on May 1, which is Labor Day in the rest of the world.

Reviewing those past posts, I found one from 2017 about the International Workers of the World (IWW), also known as the Wobblies. The IWW was the most widespread radical labor movement in American history, its viewpoint reflected in the vintage IWW image above.

I have also posted about Hunter S. Thompson, one of the most dynamic writers and political journalists of his (or any) era. His politics and philosophy were unclassifiable. He had the clear-eyed vision of someone askew, the talent to describe it unforgettably, and the mad courage to not give a fuck about what he said or how he said it. If Hunter is observing and writing from heaven and/or hell, let’s pray there is someone who can channel his coverage of the Trump years and campaigns.

Back to Labor Day and the IWW. As the quote above shows, Thompson’s experience taught him that American politics might lack sufficient humanity. And that organized labor might have the power to inject some of that into it.

Whether or not one agrees with the IWW analysis and criticism of capitalism, it seems apparent that American politics might do with some humane correctives. And that organized labor might help.

Happy Labor Day!