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May Day. what does it mean to you? The mark of the beginning of the summer or a national day for workers?

― jellybean (jellybean), Thursday, 1 May 2003 06:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh and I've just come back from watching a bunch of 14 year old kids, dressed in hoodies, morris dancing.. They called themselves the Urban Morris Crew

― jellybean (jellybean), Thursday, 1 May 2003 06:51 (twenty-two years ago)

It means visiting Karl Marx's grave. Unfortunately, I'm at work today and can't do this. Curse the capitalist overclasses! ::shakes fist::

Actually, it's an ancient Celtic fertility festival. But not like anyone cares about that any more. It's not like I'll get laid tonight.

― kate, Thursday, 1 May 2003 07:17 (twenty-two years ago)

URBAN MORRIS KRU COMIN' ATCHA 2003! BLINGIN'!!!!!

Ahem. Sorry about that.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 1 May 2003 07:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Better RED than not!

― Joyless Q, Thursday, 1 May 2003 07:23 (twenty-two years ago)

just heard the first claxon of the day! from my office window i hope to see all kinds of anti-capitalist shenanigans going on. anyone know what the protestors' plans are in london?

"And on that tree there was a limb,
And on that limb there was a branch," etc etc

― pete b. (pete b.), Thursday, 1 May 2003 07:24 (twenty-two years ago)

anyone know what the protestors' plans are in london?
Yeah, they are at Trafalgar square at 1pm then converging outside my office (the OLD shell building) at 4pm.
Hopefully we'll all get sent home for our own safety - if not I'll post pics!

― Simeon (Simeon), Thursday, 1 May 2003 08:16 (twenty-two years ago)

they're going to lockheed martin on high holborn as well, ie just round the corner from my office, we've been getting jittery mails from senior management, but i can't see them coming to get little fluffy us :)

also we have very thick walls and doors ;)

may day means wedding anniversary for me, and i even remembered last night and bought a card and everything (well, actually just a card). well done me.

also also HI JILL

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Thursday, 1 May 2003 08:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I love Mayday. In the maypole, archdance, mayqueen, stick dance, ploughman's lunch primary school, garlands everywhere way. Since that unfortunate incident in Oxford Circus I've decided to let capitalism do whatever it wants. I came into college today only to find my lecture wasn't running. Maybe I'll go to Richmond Park and look at Isabella Plantation instead. Spring sprung, rah!

― alix (alix), Thursday, 1 May 2003 08:36 (twenty-two years ago)

may day is just another day of living in this crappy world.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 1 May 2003 08:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Also today = 6th Anniversary of Tony's Team getting in.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 1 May 2003 08:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd like it a lot more if we had the actual DAY off, rather than some absract Monday with nothing to do with anything... isn't it the 5th? Why are we celebrating Cinquo de Maio or whatever?

― kate, Thursday, 1 May 2003 08:39 (twenty-two years ago)

When I was little, we always celebrated it as LadyDay or something like that (I want to say Ladyfest, but that's certainly not what it was) with Queen of the May (usually me, since my mum was on the Altar Guild or something like that) and lots of flowers and pretty dresses and dancing round a Maypole which seemed very silly since I was aware of all the Pagan symbolism and my mum wasn't.

― kate, Thursday, 1 May 2003 08:42 (twenty-two years ago)

may day is just another day of living in this crappy world.

yup, that's certainly one way of looking at it.

― pete b. (pete b.), Thursday, 1 May 2003 08:45 (twenty-two years ago)

true revolutionaries will always hold the 17th of April sacred. two years from now it will be the 30th anniversary!

― dave q, Thursday, 1 May 2003 08:47 (twenty-two years ago)

isabella plantation - you lucky sod! I was thinking the other day that it must be looking amazing at the minute.

Our searchroom's very quiet at the minute, family and postal historians have hopefully decided that they don't want to come into central london today, yay!

― Vicky (Vicky), Thursday, 1 May 2003 08:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm w/ julio.

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 1 May 2003 08:50 (twenty-two years ago)

I heart Isabella Plantation. In fact I may change my name to that.

Heightened security round at my multinational oil company today - and I don't know who the security guards are trying to kid by wearing civvies - they still look like failed policemen

― j0e (j0e), Thursday, 1 May 2003 08:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I was thinking about it when I walked in to college and saw loads of those lovely huge pink bushes, and considered skiving..then found out there was no lecture anyway! I win! It is but a short bus journey from here..bit rainy today though.

― alix (alix), Thursday, 1 May 2003 08:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Haha - our sales team are all in plain clothes today, including our Sales Director dressing casually for the first time ever. It took me j0e's post to help me realise the connection.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 1 May 2003 08:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Today I have a suit on. The only day of the year. That's how hard I am.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 1 May 2003 09:44 (twenty-two years ago)

are you in the dock today then Pete?

― j0e (j0e), Thursday, 1 May 2003 09:48 (twenty-two years ago)

*sigh* pete's been pimping again.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 1 May 2003 09:53 (twenty-two years ago)

dave q, I do hope you're not making a sick joke about the rise of Pol Pot.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 1 May 2003 10:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Big pimpiin' on TCR. It is my gift. It is my curse.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 1 May 2003 10:16 (twenty-two years ago)

It means just one more bank holiday to go and then it's peace and quiet at work until christmas.

― Matt (Matt), Thursday, 1 May 2003 10:31 (twenty-two years ago)

i've just realised St George's Day was over a week ago and no-one remembered....oh well who gives a shit eh?

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 1 May 2003 10:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I remembered. But I didn't comment on it.

― kate, Thursday, 1 May 2003 10:49 (twenty-two years ago)

we could at least have 'partied like the Irish on March 17th' for no logical reason...but no, the English are too guilt-ridden and inhibited - this is just the kind of ammunition dave q needs you know...

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 1 May 2003 10:51 (twenty-two years ago)

well you know, some of us don't need to have a reason for going to the pub

― j0e (j0e), Thursday, 1 May 2003 10:57 (twenty-two years ago)

'because it's there'

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 1 May 2003 11:00 (twenty-two years ago)

It took me 15 minutes to get home for lunch from work. My road (Clerkenwell Rd) is totally blocked off by protesters. Oh dear.

Workers of the world? they look pretty f@cking middle class to me. And they are *preventing* this worker from getting to and from work. I'm not sure what it's all about. I'm not sure what it's supposed to accomplish.

Anyone? Bueller???

― kate (suzy), Thursday, 1 May 2003 11:18 (twenty-two years ago)

The protest going along Clerkenweel rd is in part another stop the war march, so I don't know why you're whinging.

http://www.stopwar.org.uk/

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 1 May 2003 11:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Should someone tell that the war HAS stopped?

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 1 May 2003 11:39 (twenty-two years ago)

tell THEM that the war has stopped, I mean.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 1 May 2003 11:40 (twenty-two years ago)

and what ARE these bloody mayday protests about anyway?

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 1 May 2003 11:41 (twenty-two years ago)

In Lisbon the Comunist Party, which still remains stubbornly huge, holds a very large march and then a kind of festival near the centre of town. This really is a celebration of what it means to be Working Class and Portuguese, with very cheap food and drink provided by the trade unions, awful music, hour long speeches and, most importantly, thousands upon thousands of stalls selling fake designer goods.

Last year there was an ETA stall, staffed by two very dodgy types who were selling the Spanish, sorry Basque, drink Pacharan, which tastes great in the sunshine and is very very strong. We ended up buying every bottle they had with them, paying slightly over the odds, which made me feel more than a little responsible when I saw the news of a bomb they'd set off when I finally got home.

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Thursday, 1 May 2003 11:56 (twenty-two years ago)

The ones that started off at clerkenwell are the TUC march, I saw them go along theobolds road, from greys Inn rd. They were quiet quiet really. Pretty coloured banners.

― Vicky (Vicky), Thursday, 1 May 2003 12:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, it's all over now. Didn't particularly look like a Stop The War march, they were all holding banners saying informative things like "F**K CAPITALISM" which doesn't exactly seem to me to be a contructive thing to say...

And they made a right mess of Clerkenwell Green. This is what *really* bothers me about these protests - for supposedly left wing, eco-friendly anarcho-socialists or whatever they are supposed to be, they WASTE SO MUCH PAPER and they LEAVE SO MUCH LITTER. That rather invalidates their message, for me.

― kate, Thursday, 1 May 2003 12:03 (twenty-two years ago)

yeh, and they all take drugs, which is the biggest 'i love and support capitalism' statement ever, heh

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 1 May 2003 12:08 (twenty-two years ago)

and they're all tossers.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 1 May 2003 12:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, less directly, the drugs, I shan't comment on that.

But people who whinge about trees being cut down, but then leave REAMS of paper in the forms of handbills and posters and bits of wood and just random LITTER all over my neighbourhood... that's just SUCH bloody hypocrisy.

People who litter should just be shot. I believe so strongly on this I'd probably vote for a Tory if they'd make Littering a capital offense.

― kate, Thursday, 1 May 2003 12:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Why are they all tossers Dave? And what do drugs have to do with any of it?

― Alex K (Alex K), Thursday, 1 May 2003 12:50 (twenty-two years ago)

yeh, and they all take drugs, which is the biggest 'i love and support capitalism' statement ever, heh

This statement needs some clarification. I mean, it appears to be just complete bollocks, but maybe the person who wrote it has the slightest idea what they are talking about.

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Thursday, 1 May 2003 12:53 (twenty-two years ago)

you'd think so wouldn't you

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not so sure.

― Alex K (Alex K), Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:12 (twenty-two years ago)

There were may day dancers at the Easter parade we went to a couple weekends ago. They wore silly dresses and danced with ribbons, but they didn't have a pole. Bunch a hippies I tells ya.

― Sarah McLUsky (coco), Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:18 (twenty-two years ago)

beat me on the head with a copy of Socialist Worker if i'm wrong but to partake in the consumption of illegal narcotics, whilst not necessarily consciously condoning the various methods of which the narcotics industry operates, is to at least endorse the demand for said narcotics and ultimately sustain an industry fundamentally built on exploitation, hierarchy and other 'anti-Marxist' aspects, tolerated by capitalist governments for various politically-related pros and cons that I can't quite get my head round to explain anyway.

but no i have not read 'Das Capital' so fire when ready...

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:19 (twenty-two years ago)

were there any 'Fuck Ethical Capitalism' banners btw?

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:21 (twenty-two years ago)

oh fuck, my brain is being hijacked by the Daily Mail...help...me...

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:24 (twenty-two years ago)

beat me on the head with a copy of Socialist Worker if i'm wrong but to partake in the consumption of bananas, whilst not necessarily consciously condoning the various methods of which the banana industry operates, is to at least endorse the demand for said bananas and ultimately sustain an industry fundamentally built on exploitation, hierarchy and other 'anti-Marxist' aspects, tolerated by capitalist governments for various politically-related pros and cons that I can't quite get my head round to explain anyway.

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I only eat fair trade bananas. And I don't take drugs. AND I DO NOT LITTER!!!

― kate, Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Fuck anarcho-socialism!

In their world, the litter would stay in my freaking street until it rotted!

― kate, Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:28 (twenty-two years ago)

oh my God Gatinha you're right...so the protesters are eating bananas as well?! and, fuck, wearing clothes?!

i wasn't really suggesting the protesters are hypocrites but its always difficult to guage these things when all you've got to go on is 'fuck capitalism' banners, smashed windows, litter everywhere...these are the stereotypes the media highlight - and kate's confirming their existence has some justifiction at least. i know many protest for modified solutions based on 'ethical capitalism' i.e. prioritising environment, no sweatshops, slave labour etc. which is all well and good, tho i've never been convinced demos on the streets are an effective way of initiating changes (but then again i was one of the 1.5 million who trudged to Hyde Park a few months back...)

do bananas really cause as many problems as illegal drugs, or rather, the illegalness of drugs? i'll never smoke another one again...

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:38 (twenty-two years ago)

beat me on the head with a copy of Socialist Worker if i'm wrong but to not partake in the consumption of illegal narcotics, whilst necessarily consciously condoning the various methods of which the narcotics industry operates, is to at least not endorse the demand for said narcotics and ultimately not sustain an industry fundamentally built on exploitation, hierarchy and other 'anti-Marxist' aspects, tolerated by capitalist governments for various politically-related pros and cons that I can't quite get my head round to explain anyway.

― Alex K (Alex K), Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:40 (twenty-two years ago)

uh isn't stevem's point more that one of the social functions of drug use is to de-motivate and distract, on a short-term basis, those members of society most likely to complain about the status quo? ie, if you hate your life, take drugs to escape it, don't try and change anything? cf, the drug 'soma' in Brave New World and the glasgow house label.

i don't know what i'm talking about tho.

― pete b. (pete b.), Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmm, my post was a bit silly I guess, but I was just objecting to the idea that taking drugs in some way nullifies your objections to inequality and injustice. The idea that leftwingers have to dedicate every moment of their lives to the revolution is an extreme position. People who reject society in a political sense also live in that society. At the same time I don't like to see people drunk or out of their heads on demonstartions because I think demonstrations are a serious matter and it undermines the message, especially with some anarchist types who confuse rebellion with objectionable behaviour.

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I dunno Pete - I just hate it when critics start assuming you must be a rabid Marxist to sympathise with the protestors.

― Alex K (Alex K), Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Alex you are wrong ;)

my point was moot i suppose...but you can imagine people like Millar's 'objections' to the anti-war protests based on the fact that people (like me) don't really have enough of an idea about whats going on and there's a certain herd mentality there - which also applies to a quantity of the 'anti-capitalists' surely.

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 1 May 2003 13:58 (twenty-two years ago)

don't we all sympathise with the protesters in that we all despise the uglier aspects of capitalism and believe the system can work if recgonised ethics are prioritised over a quicker or bigger buck?

maybe i should be out there with them i dunno...picking up all the rubbish perhaps.

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 1 May 2003 14:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Dude - why the fuck not? What do you lose from going out there and doing just that? If you were sat next to me bro - I promise you we'd be walking out by now to pick the shit up.

"don't we all sympathise with the protesters" - apparently not - see Dave's post above. Or read the Daily Mail tomorrow.

I certainly don't disagree with your last two posts. Any herd will include people who want to be told to follow. But that people's leisure choices somehow immediately invalidate their commitment - I'm not so sure about that, which is what you seemed to imply. Besides, it appeared as a flippant stereotype to me, along with the SWP stuff.

― Alex K (Alex K), Thursday, 1 May 2003 14:10 (twenty-two years ago)

i suppose i was suggesting its impossible to not be seen as a hypocrite, but this doesnt necessarily discredit someone's argument as was rightly pointed out.

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 1 May 2003 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Mayday primarily means THAT IT'S MY BIRTHDAY.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Thursday, 1 May 2003 15:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I noticed that the the plants and trees have grown a lot in the past couple of weeks. That's a good thing.

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 1 May 2003 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

It's also my cat's birthday. Hurrah to you both.

― Chris P (Chris P), Thursday, 1 May 2003 15:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I think some of us are getting nostalgic for old meanings of May Day here. This is unwise: you are after all in the presence of an old man who grew up in the countryside in England - you are encouraging me towards throughts of sacrificing some/all of you. Good thing I didn't read this before the FAP, or there could have been carnage.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 2 May 2003 16:10 (twenty-two years ago)

eight years pass...

my breath is fucking baited

― surm, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 02:37 (thirteen years ago)

BLESSED BE HAPPY BELTANE

PUT A CLOTH OUT ON YOUR LAWN AND BATHE IN THE MORNING DEW TOMORROW

― homosexual II, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 02:47 (thirteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R92IsdDTfU

― former personal denim advisor to the mayor, (La Lechera), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 13:07 (thirteen years ago)

one year passes...

happy May Day!

http://blogfiles.wfmu.org/KF/2010/06/30/bmx2_big.jpg

― Pope Rusty I (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 1 May 2013 14:48 (twelve years ago)

More like YAY DAY amirite?! Felicidades a todos!

― free your spirit pig (La Lechera), Wednesday, 1 May 2013 19:58 (twelve years ago)

eight years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDrGZMTZC1c

― "Gaspar? No way." (sleeve), Saturday, 1 May 2021 18:27 (four years ago)

I like May Day.

Happy Birthday to Nicky D and the Vicar.

― the pinefox, Saturday, 1 May 2021 18:32 (four years ago)

I love May Day!! Happy May Day 2021 !!!

― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Saturday, 1 May 2021 19:02 (four years ago)

Happy May Day!

https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/may-pole-crop_fb379527755e155683c3b03c1330b67e.jpg

― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Saturday, 1 May 2021 19:26 (four years ago)

one year passes...

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/dailynebraskan.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/28/52859700-0c1f-11e6-bb7d-8f74d04eec10/57202335239eb.image.jpg

Cause of labor hope of the world etc

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Sunday, 1 May 2022 14:40 (three years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jIn3KcCiJg

― thinkmanship (sleeve), Sunday, 1 May 2022 14:56 (three years ago)

Been working like a dog and not enjoying the eight hour work day and i still love to celebrate May Day

💐🌹🎉Happy May Day!!! 💐🌹💪

― Piggy Lepton (La Lechera), Sunday, 1 May 2022 15:27 (three years ago)

may day broadcast stream from blank forms:

https://vimeo.com/event/2070781/videos/704278790/

Celebrating the 50th anniversaries of both Archie Shepp’s Attica Blues and Frederic Rzewski’s compositions “Attica” and “Coming Together,” we will play key compositions and political recordings from the 1970s, including a rare concert of Rzewski’s Attica works featuring Julius Eastman as the reciter and Sonia Sanchez reading at the prison accompanied by incarcerated poets and musicians.

― budo jeru, Sunday, 1 May 2022 16:10 (three years ago)

one year passes...

It's raining and I think I might deep clean the bathroom on this fantastic International Workers' Day

Happy May Day!!!

― Piggy Lepton (La Lechera), Monday, 1 May 2023 14:16 (two years ago)

one year passes...

I am not cleaning the bathroom today but it is a truly beautiful sunny 70 degree May Day

Still here for this fantastic multivalent holiday <3

― Piggy Lepton (La Lechera), Wednesday, 1 May 2024 19:09 (one year ago)

this is a fun list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_labor_slogans?wprov=sfti1#Glossary_of_labor_slogans

― brimstead, Wednesday, 1 May 2024 20:02 (one year ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs9PMky7Fj0

― Bernard Quidbins (NickB), Wednesday, 1 May 2024 20:08 (one year ago)

Happy may day one and all!

― Bernard Quidbins (NickB), Wednesday, 1 May 2024 20:14 (one year ago)

one year passes...

Happy May Day to all!!

― Piggy Lepton (La Lechera), Thursday, 1 May 2025 13:35 (five days ago)

Fight the power!

― brimstead, Thursday, 1 May 2025 13:38 (five days ago)

Protest in DC at 5 today

― Kung Fu Gift Shop (Boring, Maryland), Thursday, 1 May 2025 13:40 (five days ago)

LL when I realised last night that today was 5/1, I thought to myself that you'd be reviving this thread today. :) HMD.

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Thursday, 1 May 2025 13:44 (five days ago)

😀❤️🙌 love May Day!!!!

― Piggy Lepton (La Lechera), Thursday, 1 May 2025 13:50 (five days ago)

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Thursday, 1 May 2025 13:51 (five days ago)

Happy May Day!

joining my union at an anti-austerity march this evening

― rob, Thursday, 1 May 2025 14:30 (five days ago)

https://g123-media.sos-ch-gva-2.exoscale-cdn.com/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/f4/70/f4704327-0246-4e52-8f91-175c90bf26f1/greve-des-dactylos-nous-voulons-des-machines-labor-50860-femme-affiche-ancienne.jpg__960x0_q85_subsampling-2_upscale.jpg

― Andy the Grasshopper, Thursday, 1 May 2025 16:58 (five days ago)

Favorite holiday of spring and labor solidarity!!

https://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/binaries/content/gallery/website/national/regions/bath-bristol/places/dyrham-park/library/built-heritage-history-and-collections/postcard-children-maypole-dancing-dyrham-gloucestershire-512138.jpg?auto=webp&width=1440&crop=16:7&dpr=1

― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Thursday, 1 May 2025 17:11 (five days ago)

woo hoo it's our 16th wedding anniversary <3

― sleeve, Thursday, 1 May 2025 17:43 (five days ago)

What a great day to get married!!

― Piggy Lepton (La Lechera), Thursday, 1 May 2025 17:45 (five days ago)

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