REMEMBER LUDLOW! This is what the rich do to the poor!

[Drahthaardogs]

Today, 105 years ago, at the behest of Rockefeller, 4 women and 9 children were burned alive because they refused to be indentured servants. My family was there!

105 years. One generation away! Do not forget!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre

[malaise]

1. This must never be forgotten but it was several generations ago

like four or five.

[Drahthaardogs]

2. It was 1914, my grandfather was there

It is NOT ancient history and that is what is so scary. People think it is.

[malaise]

4. But your grandfather is two generations above you

and I'm sure you have kids and grandkids.

It is by no means ancient history, but it is not one generation away and we must not forget it. Indeed many of these ruthless, greedy scumbags are deified these days.
My father was born in 1912 and my mother in 1916 - I don't consider them ancient history either.

[Drahthaardogs]

6. I see your logic, but my mother is alive

As am I. It is only one generation away from living people, not ancient history.

[malaise]

7. LOL

It is one generation for your mom, two for you, three for your kids, four for your grandkids and five for great grands.

[Drahthaardogs]

8. Oh for fucks sake okay

It was FIVE generations ago, but please be situationally aware.

[MaryMagdaline]

9. Solidarity and respect

Lots of ghosts in our America family histories

[lambchopp59]

3. Irony: the Colorado coal miners sons/daughters I knew in late teenage years

The very same who defended their Union strength to demand safer working conditions...
Now vote against their own interests due to Faux Noise fearmongering.
The unholy marriage of republicanism and some distorted notion of "Christianity", still fearing great natural catastrophes because two men can legally married now... (I'm not kidding. They really believe the world will end)
Oddly enough, (I had to run away from that community long ago or be lynched) I'm some odd focus of their rage.

[delisen]

5. Too bad some have fallen for propaganda but most people have not

regarding gay rights.

As gay rights progressed from Stonewall through the aids crisis through marriage rights, sociologists have noted that the major decreases in prejudice and scapegoating of the gay population has come about through actual changes in how formerly prejudiced people view gay people.

At first it was though all changes in vies were generational-occurring among younger generations. However this is not the case.

It is now estimated that that although their may always be 10% of our population who will harbor prejudice against any group, that the gay population will reach full (90%) acceptance within 9 years.

This is astonishing. In comparision prejudice against elderly and disabled people is projected to not reach fill (90%) acceptance for another 150 years. This means infants born today will be facing prejudice when they are elderly or if they become disabled.

The massacre by Rockefeller is horrific and I was not aware of it. It is a history we all need to know.

[lambchopp59]

14. It was those coal miner's sons who related that tragic event

Making it all that much more ironic for them to be voting anti-union now.
Admittedly-- the rabid homophobes I was dealing with were part of a radical sect offshoot: the Westboro Baptists. (Members of the Phelps clan, Fred was their uncle, whom I had the displeasure of meeting face to face)
Yet an attempt at rekindling ties with some of the more reasonable miners I spent a couple high school years with, over a decade ago now via Facebook, quickly went sour as soon as Obama got elected and the horribly racist anti-Obama posts flourished from some of those... who de-friended me as soon as I let them know how offensive I found those posts.

[delisen]

17. What an experience. Appreciate your sharing.

These are the experiences that that teach us our real shared history.

[Uben]

10. I visited the memorial last weekend!

I had never heard of the Ludlow massacre until I saw the memorial marker sign on the highway and stopped to read the story. Took a beautiful drive through the mountains there on some gravel roads. It had snowed the night before and it was awesome! Saw tons of deer and wild turkeys. What a terrible shame it was that these workers were gunned down by Gatlin guns by the Colorado National Guard and the company security forces. They just wanted to be treated like humans. RIP

[Drahthaardogs]

11. They were gunned down AND burned alive by Rockefeller

And a corrupt government

[Uben]

12. I know......

….and its not like they had it good, they lived a very hard-scrabbled life, scratching out a very meager life. For what? TO make some oligarchs richer? All they wanted was to make a decent wage and work in conditions that wouldn't eventually take their lives and the lives of their families! American greed! The same evil that drives people today. The same evil that occupies the whitehouse today!

[Drahthaardogs]

13. If you drive up the canyon

You will see the concrete houses they "paid" to live in. You will see the foundation of the company store they had to shop in as they were paid with scrip, money only good at the company store.

The modern version of this today is people who work at Walmart are too poor to shop anywhere but Walmart

[Uben]

16. I was actually lost...

...as I was traversing through the canyons there. But, I knew as long as I kept heading south and west, I would eventually get back to hwy 12...which I did. It was so pretty there, I made the same drive again the next day! I plan to visit it again next year.

[abqtommy]

15. I agree that this was a horrific event.

But my education informs me that the passing of 25 years counts as one generation so for me this occurred four generations ago.

[ravencalling]

18. Thank you for the history - didn't know this

And now I want to visit the place. It is on my list.