The worker is the slave of capitalist society, the female worker is the slave of that slave.
James ConnollyRead
Irish tory employers hid[e] their sweatshops behind orange flags, and Irish home rule landlords us[e] the green sunburst of Erin to cloak their rack-renting in the festering slums of our Irish towns.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote criticizes the hypocrisy of those who exploit the working class while using national symbols to mask their actions.
James Connolly's quote highlights the duality of Irish identity and the exploitation of labor, pointing out that both employers and landlords use the imagery of nationalism to hide their unethical practices. While they wave flags symbolizing pride and unity, their actions result in suffering for the working class, demonstrating a disconnect between patriotic symbols and the reality of social injustice.
Themes
HypocrisyExploitationNationalismIrelandSocial Injustice
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about social responsibility, you might quote Connolly to illustrate how symbolism can conceal exploitation.
More from James Connolly
All quotes βThe Irish Republic must be made a word to conjure with - a rallying point for the disaffected, a haven for the oppressed, a point of departure for the socialist, enthusiastic in the cause of human freedom.
James ConnollyRead
If you remove the English Army tomorrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin Castle., unless you set about the organization of the Socialist Republic your efforts will be in vain. England will still rule you. She would rule you through her capitalists, through her landlords, through her financiers, through the whole array of commercial and individualist institutions she has planted in this country and watered with the tears of our mothers and the blood of our martyrs
James ConnollyRead
If you remove the English army to-morrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin Castle, unless you set about the organisation of the Socialist Republic your efforts would be in vain.
James ConnollyRead
Whoop it up for liberty! After Ireland is free, says the patriot who won't touch socialism, we will protect all classes, and if you won't pay your rent you will be evicted same as now. But the evicting party, under command of the sheriff, will wear green uniforms and the Harp without the Crown, and the warrant turning you out on the roadside will be stamped with the arms of the Irish Republic. Now, isn't that worth fighting for?
James ConnollyRead
There can be no perfect Europe in which Ireland is denied even the least of its national rights.
James ConnollyRead
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