There are stars whose light reaches the earth...
When I'm already in an edgy mood, I probably shouldn't go to ontd_political and actually comment. Especially on articles about Episcopalian priesthood. Um.
Instead I'll listen to this song on repeat some more.
It's the 100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire which people far smarter than I have already talked about (including roz_mcclure who has a really nice roundup of links here) but I wanted to say something...
I grew up in a solidly pro-union household. My mom's family is the variety of blue collar Democrats who'd have had a picture of Roosevelt on the wall a few generations back. I'd say it would be next to Jesus, but the family's also been staunchly atheist for at least three generations. When my mom started going to church when I was 8 or so, my grandpa almost had an aneurysm. I suspect that somewhere back there in that working class stew of miners and carpenters, there were also strong Communist sympathies. On the other hand, my dad was the beloved son but black sheep of parents that probably thought old Joe McCarthy was unfairly maligned for just "trying to keep America safe." Seriously. My great-aunt was a speech writer for Strom Thurmond back in the day. I shudder and also do not talk to her.
What I'm trying to say is my hippie parents raised me to believe unions were a good thing so it's slightly embarrassing that it wasn't until I read a particular book from the Sunfire series that WHY that was the case really struck home. Do you guys remember those? They were historical romances set in different periods of US history. All of them were titled with the main character's name (Emily, Danielle, Victoria, and so on) and the girl was generally completely out of character for the period and had to choose between two suitors for her affections. I LOVED them. The one that I'm referring to here though is Rachel. That one was about a teenage Jewish girl in New York who worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, and as I remember, the book didn't spare the horrifying details of the tragedy. It's a terrible book, I'm sure, but the horror of realising viscerally that girls just a little bit older than me (I must have been 10 or so cause this was before I watched Newsies) DIED because a company couldn't be bothered to unlock the doors or install sprinklers or have any respect for their lives has always, always stuck with me.
It's been a hundred years today that nearly 150 people - mostly young women and girls - died because their bosses were more concerned with turning a profit than with their safety. It was unacceptable then, and it's unacceptable now.
Roz said it best today. When businesses self-regulate, people die.
Spare a thought or a prayer for those who died a hundred years ago today. And don't stop being angry at those that killed them.
There are stars whose light reaches the earth
only after they themselves have disintegrated.
And there are individuals whose memory lights
the world after they have passed from it.
These lights shine in the darkest night
and illumine for us the path.
~Hannah Senesh
Instead I'll listen to this song on repeat some more.
It's the 100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire which people far smarter than I have already talked about (including roz_mcclure who has a really nice roundup of links here) but I wanted to say something...
I grew up in a solidly pro-union household. My mom's family is the variety of blue collar Democrats who'd have had a picture of Roosevelt on the wall a few generations back. I'd say it would be next to Jesus, but the family's also been staunchly atheist for at least three generations. When my mom started going to church when I was 8 or so, my grandpa almost had an aneurysm. I suspect that somewhere back there in that working class stew of miners and carpenters, there were also strong Communist sympathies. On the other hand, my dad was the beloved son but black sheep of parents that probably thought old Joe McCarthy was unfairly maligned for just "trying to keep America safe." Seriously. My great-aunt was a speech writer for Strom Thurmond back in the day. I shudder and also do not talk to her.
What I'm trying to say is my hippie parents raised me to believe unions were a good thing so it's slightly embarrassing that it wasn't until I read a particular book from the Sunfire series that WHY that was the case really struck home. Do you guys remember those? They were historical romances set in different periods of US history. All of them were titled with the main character's name (Emily, Danielle, Victoria, and so on) and the girl was generally completely out of character for the period and had to choose between two suitors for her affections. I LOVED them. The one that I'm referring to here though is Rachel. That one was about a teenage Jewish girl in New York who worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, and as I remember, the book didn't spare the horrifying details of the tragedy. It's a terrible book, I'm sure, but the horror of realising viscerally that girls just a little bit older than me (I must have been 10 or so cause this was before I watched Newsies) DIED because a company couldn't be bothered to unlock the doors or install sprinklers or have any respect for their lives has always, always stuck with me.
It's been a hundred years today that nearly 150 people - mostly young women and girls - died because their bosses were more concerned with turning a profit than with their safety. It was unacceptable then, and it's unacceptable now.
Roz said it best today. When businesses self-regulate, people die.
Spare a thought or a prayer for those who died a hundred years ago today. And don't stop being angry at those that killed them.
There are stars whose light reaches the earth
only after they themselves have disintegrated.
And there are individuals whose memory lights
the world after they have passed from it.
These lights shine in the darkest night
and illumine for us the path.
~Hannah Senesh