Labor Day: UR DOING IT WRONG

[chitinous]

This one yoga teacher addresses her adult students like we are mentally challenged kindergarteners. This is actually not as great as it may sound. Unfortunately, there was only one class available today, and she was teaching it. So I went.

The style of yoga I study, anusara, traditionally starts its classes with what I privately refer to as the

Comments

[delux_vivens]

Seriously, as a die hard new yorker, anyone who ignores the history of the triangle fire needs an ass beating. with flaming debris.

Shit, at least read A Tree Grows In Brooklyn or something

[chitinous]

No kidding! Actually, one thing I didn't know, or maybe did and forgot, was about the strike that happened about two years earlier. I can't stand that it seems to take massive amounts of death to get anything positive done.

[riverafire]

Thanks for posting this. Nice reminder that the point is not a day off from work, but rather a remembrance of all the workers whose lives were sacrificed.
I just read the Triangle Factory article aloud to my kids and we were all in tears before I was even halfway through it.

[chitinous]

Thanks for reading it!

Yeah, the Triangle Shirtwaist episode is just brutal. Utterly brutal. It makes me cry over and over, too, especially because while workers have made such huge gains since then, fucked-up conditions continue. Yesterday someone was telling me that the Good Vibrations collective had been sold to a man who made (and continues to make) his money exploiting underage Eastern European kids for porn purposes. Whether this is true or not I don't know, but the fact that it certainly sounds plausible enough is incredibly worrisome...and telling.

[fetteredwolf]

A new British coworker asked me on Friday what Americans do for Labor Day. I told him that it originated as a holiday to honor the workers, similar to the European May 1st holiday, but being typical Americans we've changed it to mean BBQ and Super Sales.

[fetteredwolf]

Oh, sorry. I should mention that I found you through reading my friendsfriends page. ;)

[chitinous]

Hi there! :>

Yep, BBQ and Super Sales sounds about right. Sigh.

[jactitation]

Yeah, yoga. Last November, this happened to me:

"The teacher made me angry and uptight by starting the class by wishing us all to think, "in the spirit of the holiday," about what we were thankful for.

"Uh, genocide?

"This is why I've always avoided yoga. I really hate depoliticized yoga people, and there don't seem to be many others of any other stripe. 'Cos, like, being angry about genocide would harsh their mellow or something.

"Luckily, by the time I got home and made some food, I was pretty much past it. I'm also not going back to that class."

[chitinous]

Haha. Oh, genocide, how thankful we are for you. Before the last presidential election, one of my teachers was passing out voter registration forms and telling people, "It doesn't matter who you vote for, just that you vote." And my cranky union organizer pal said, "Of course it matters who you're voting for!" The teacher did not like that.

I've tried a bunch of other kinds of exercise, and yoga happens to be the kind of movement that works best for my body. It clearly comes with its down side. I was heartened to learn that I am not the only politicized yoga person in my classes, though.

[jactitation]

Yeah, it's not great exercise for me. I still prefer weight training & pilates, but those didn't work when I was trying to get pregnant or pregnant. But now, look out! Oh, except now I no longer have any time to exercise. ;-)

[monablu]

each one, teach one. it doesn't matter who has the audience, as long as someone learns. I kind of wish some bitch-cat-slaps had happened though, in my non ego-awareness-self-introspect self-subsiding hater bone. xo

[chitinous]

Very true. I'm still thinking about your entry from earlier today. Also, the hater bone in me recognizes the hater bone in you: Namaste.