Some years ago, a slightly pompous and therefore British fellow by the name of Robert Owen believed that people should have 8 hours to work, 8 hours for recreation and 8 hours for sleep. And if I remember correctly-I can’t actually be bothered to look it up- this Robert bloke helped to foster the philosophy known as the Eight Hour Movement.
And this then brings me neatly to the year 1856, where the first Labour Day parade was held in Melbourne on April 21st, to celebrate the 8-hour working day. And this was all jolly good.
Now snap forwards into the year 2010, where on this day, the 8th of March, I sit in my bedroom on my slightly untidy bed writing to you and steadily eating my way through a bag of peanuts M&M’s, which is what old Robert Owen would have wanted.
Back in 1856, people where out in the streets of Melbourne, rejoicing in their new-found freedom. Yet today, in the year 2010, on this very public holiday, I have a very jam packed day involving me, a vacuum cleaner and my little red car.
Which brings me- bear with me- to my main point; where has the celebration and sense of occasion gone from these public holidays? From what I can gather, back in the day public holidays such as this Labour Day long weekend where the product of the public’s two fingered riposte and protest to ‘the man’, aka the government, doing what it has always deemed to be their responsibility; running our lives and taking our money. Which is why, from what I can gather, the public holiday was devised; to be a celebration of sleep-in’s and lazy coffee’s on a Monday morning.
Back in 1856, people where out in the streets of Melbourne, rejoicing in their new-found freedom. Yet today, in the year 2010, on this very public holiday, I have a very jam packed day involving me, a vacuum cleaner and my little red car.
Which brings me- bear with me- to my main point; where has the celebration and sense of occasion gone from these public holidays? From what I can gather, back in the day public holidays such as this Labour Day long weekend where the product of the public’s two fingered riposte and protest to ‘the man’, aka the government, doing what it has always deemed to be their responsibility; running our lives and taking our money. Which is why, from what I can gather, the public holiday was devised; to be a celebration of sleep-in’s and lazy coffee’s on a Monday morning.
Nowadays, a long weekend usually involves families consisting of two parents and 2.5 children cramming themselves and their dog into their Pajero or other horrible four-wheel-drive which they do not need considering they live in the city, and setting off for a relaxing weekend down in the country or by the beach with three million other stupid touristy people who’ve all had the exact same idea.
People, I ask you; have we all forgotten the good work of Mr Owen and his ‘888’ philosophy? Where have the street parades and celebrations gone from this public holiday? Holidays, by definition, are a time of relaxation, of celebration and fun. Now, everywhere I look I see stupid city folk with their sticky children screaming at seagulls and trees and other assorted items of Mother Nature which ‘we don’t have in the city’. Should we be fighting for the restoration of the essence of the public holiday? Or do we just sit by and watch the long weekend that we all hold dear to our hearts turn into somewhat of a job in itself?
Dear reader, this has turned into somewhat of a revolution; the fight agains stress and tension and traffic jams and dippy tourist people, the fight for a proper holiday? Perhaps in a hundred years time they will remember us; the children of the revolution, and we will be celebrated with an even longer weekend, where it is illegal to do anything other than walk the streets, hand sweets out to children and shaking hands with your fellow man whilst the band plays. By point of illustration, the great Aristotle once said; ‘The end of labour is to gain leisure.’
Dear reader, this has turned into somewhat of a revolution; the fight agains stress and tension and traffic jams and dippy tourist people, the fight for a proper holiday? Perhaps in a hundred years time they will remember us; the children of the revolution, and we will be celebrated with an even longer weekend, where it is illegal to do anything other than walk the streets, hand sweets out to children and shaking hands with your fellow man whilst the band plays. By point of illustration, the great Aristotle once said; ‘The end of labour is to gain leisure.’
