Getting it out of my head and onto the page

[triadruid]

Apparently drinking scotch and talking philosophy before bed results in having philosophical discussions with yourself.

I was dreaming about some sort of international conclave, mostly Brits and Europeans but some Americans (enough that I was there, anyway). There was a fair lot of sociopolitical theory flying about, but the biggest point that made me wake up and want to write about it was this:

"Civic holidays like "Memorial Day" are a surcease, designed to provide an outlet for the masses to prevent them from building up enough steam to revolt or riot."

What do you think? Seemed fitting for this Friday, albeit awfully content-filled (potentially)...

Comments

[crookedface.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

[gr8wolf.livejournal.com]

I tend to respect Memorial Day and Veterans Day and Independence Day...but that is just me...not so much on other holidays

[bentgaidin.livejournal.com]

As opposed to religious holidays? *grins*

I'm not sure Memorial Day (or Veteran's Day) are really an outlet for the masses; "let's parade through the street with guns" doesn't seem like a good vent against a riot -- although they could use a good updating to include the past decade's wars, to stay a bit more relevant. Thanksgiving is the closest holiday to what's described; I know that I don't feel much like revolting after stuffing myself with turkey.

As for the rest, they seem more commercial holidays, designed to part consumers from their money by one means or another... (Although I suppose I can see how they would be useful when appropriated into outlets by someone who needed a distraction.)

[crookedface.livejournal.com]

It's not the surface content of the holidays that counts. They are days off work. They are distractions from the tedium of daily living. They are distractions from the poor conditions most people endure (in some form) inflicted on them by the status quo. They serve to help release frustration and anger amongst the masses so they don't rise up and force change on the system.

Or so some might observe.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Well, religious holidays *shouldn't* be civic in the first place, at least in this country, but for this context I'm only talking about holidays that the government/mother culture somehow promotes or endorses.

[graspless.livejournal.com]

Perhaps a good writing prompt...

[dramaticaddict.livejournal.com]

very good, except that the people who most desire revolt/revolution have to work these holidays(fast food employees, non govt/education people in low income jobs) Another intersting tangent this brings up could be why on earth we are required to pay people overtime to work christmas, a purely religous holliday, and yet not required to do so on Independence day, or President's day, or any official govt type holiday other than Thanksgiving.

[the-resonance.livejournal.com]

Perhaps there is some wisdom in your scotch-soaked subconcious. I actually think it is the middle class / suburbanite population that hate their lives and want to rebel the most.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure smarter people than I have figured out before that without the assistance of the complacent middle, no revolution ever succeeds.

[the-resonance.livejournal.com]

I think it is funny the way these kinds of philosophical or metaphysical conceptual mash-ups happen when one is asleep or in a state of half sleep.