# What do conservatives celebrate on Labor Day? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 5, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107 "2016-09-05T17:09:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/1 "2016-09-05T17:09:32Z")
> **[Labor Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day)** > > Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States. > Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. "Labor Day" was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the... > [@](#): > > Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the country. The modern conservative movement is doing its best to weaken unions, and the percentage of jobs represented by unions are at the lowest in 76 years. So what are conservatives celebrating today? Their victory over labor? The end of summer? The return of heavy, dark clothing? Does Labor Day have any significance at all to conservatives? ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/2 "2016-09-05T17:25:37Z")
Barbecue, beer, and mild late-summer weather. Just like liberals. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/3 "2016-09-05T17:32:16Z")
In the UK, like the rest of Europe, it’s May 1, but UK conservatives have the option that it’s the anniversary of the Union between England and Scotland. For the moment (thanks to them, it might still fall apart). But no-one bothers that much, since the public holiday is the first Monday in May; and it usually rains. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/4 "2016-09-05T17:41:58Z")
A day off work? ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/5 "2016-09-05T17:56:53Z")
I don’t eat grapes for 24hrs. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/6 "2016-09-05T18:50:10Z")
I sit in my ivory tower drinking imported whiskey, smoking Cuban cigars, while slave girls from Russia cool me with palm fronds. Don’t we all? ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/7 "2016-09-05T19:27:31Z")
Management Day? ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/8 "2016-09-05T20:38:41Z")
Management celebrates by keeping stores open on Labor Day ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/9 "2016-09-05T20:46:49Z")
I picture them angrily mowing their lawn, over and over and over. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/10 "2016-09-05T21:30:10Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I picture them angrily mowing their lawn, over and over and over. We order our servants to mow the lawn over and over and over, while the palm frond slave girls perform oral sex over and over and over. 🙂 We sometimes awaken to piss on the yard boys cutting the grass. _sarcasm ends_ Was this a serious question from the OP? Assuming, arguendo, that us conservatives don’t give a fiddler’s fuck about the plight of the average laborer, do you think we just walk around in circles, confused about why we have this day off? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/11 "2016-09-05T21:37:38Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Was this a serious question from the OP? Assuming, arguendo, that us conservatives don’t give a fiddler’s fuck about the plight of the average laborer, do you think we just walk around in circles, confused about why we have this day off? I think they give two fiddler’s fucks about unions, which they wish would take a flying leap into the nearest quarry. Am I wrong? ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/12 "2016-09-05T21:38:18Z")
Let’s take just a part of the wiki quote: [It honors…and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the country. [/quote] There’s two things in that sentence being honored. You can loathe unions with a deep and all encompassing passion and still celebrate the second part… ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/13 "2016-09-05T21:38:49Z")
I think many conservatives are just offended by it. “Why would you celebrate work by not working?” ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/14 "2016-09-05T21:45:15Z")
I am economically conservative and disrespect labor unions in general. I also work in management for high-tech manufacturing. We treat our workers (I am one too; there is no hard distinction between managers and “workers”) extremely well so that unionizing would be nothing but disadvantageous to everyone involved. I am confused by the question as well. Labor Day is one of the low maintenance holidays like Memorial Day or the 4th of July. You just get a day off and can do whatever you want. It has nothing to do with unions unless someone is under the delusion that only the small percentage of unionized “workers” are the only ones that contribute. It is just a day off to hang out and nothing more than that. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/15 "2016-09-05T21:49:23Z")
I have a hankering to mow the lawn. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/16 "2016-09-05T21:50:04Z")
I don’t think labor unions are worth their cost, but I usually just go boating, have a BBQ, or do other summer-time vacation-ish stuff on Labor Day. I really don’t think about labor unions during the holiday. If I did, it’s because I had some crappy interaction with some unionized TSA goon or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/17 "2016-09-05T21:57:27Z")
I would think conservatives have been mollified by not holding Labor Day on May 1 like the rest of the world. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/18 "2016-09-05T22:19:44Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I would think conservatives have been mollified by not holding Labor Day on May 1 like the rest of the world. That and not using the metric system 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/19 "2016-09-06T00:18:48Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I would think conservatives have been mollified by not holding Labor Day on May 1 like the rest of the world. What do “Liberals” celebrate on Labour day? For the last 100 years May 1 has been “promoted by the international labour movement, socialists, communists and anarchists”, in competition to our (vic.aus) state Labour Day (8 hour day), the second Monday in March. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107/20 "2016-09-06T00:47:26Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I think they give two fiddler’s fucks about unions, which they wish would take a flying leap into the nearest quarry. Am I wrong? celebrate all the illegal aliens taking union jobs. Wait, wrong party. Sorry, We’re celebrating the FOIA so we can try and find out what politicians are selling behind closed doors when they get 6 figure incomes for a speech. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-conservatives-celebrate-on-labor-day/765107.md?page=2)