DO NOW Padlet: Understanding Class Consciousness in the New Verses for "Solidarity Forever" by Dario Sulzman

Newer Verses in "Solidarity Forever"

dariosulzman — 2025-01-03 02:19:08 UTC

It is we that wash the dishes, scrub the floors and chase the dirt, Feed the kids and send them off to school and then we go to work; Where we work for half wages for a boss that likes to flirt, But the union makes us strong.

5. They say our day is over and they say our time is through, They say you need no union if your collar isn’t blue; Well that is just another lie the boss is telling you, For the union makes us strong.

6. They divide us by our color, they divide us by our tongue, They divide us men and women, they divide us old and young; But they’ll tremble at our voices when they hear these verses sung, For the union makes us strong.

Giuseppe Festa

2025-01-03 12:46:26 UTC

I believe someone found it necessary to add these newer verses because I believe these versus give a clear ideas of how these owners are living a lavish life while the workers can barely afford to make ends meet. This is shown in the new verse where it says, “it is we that wash the dishes, scrub the floors, and chase dirt… where we work for half wages for boss that likes to flirt.” This shows how the workers are doing all the work while the boss is sitting back doing nearly nothing.

Some elements of class consciousness that was absent or not completely understood in the first original verses was how these owners and bosses exploit you based on your job for example it the new verses it states, “They say out time is over and then they say our time is through. They say you need no union if your color isn’t blue.” This shows how these “higher ups” exploit these workers even more because they do not have a blue collar. Which shows a exploited class consciousness.

Emma Pedersen

2025-01-03 12:46:27 UTC

The new verses describe workplace harassment, how workers are categorized and deceived, and how things such as racism, misogyny, age... etc, are used as a tool to further divide workers.

I think someone felt as though these verses were needed because they go more in depth about how workers are exploited specifically.

Yanely

2025-01-03 12:47:20 UTC

I think the newer verses were likely added to address the evolving challenges and social issues of the 1970s. During that time, movements for gender equality and civil rights were gaining momentum, and there was a growing awareness of the need for broader labor solidarity.

These verses add several elements of class consciousness that were not as present in the original verses.

These additions reflect a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of the struggles faced by different groups within the working class, ensuring that the song remains relevant and powerful for all workers.

Natalia Jacobs

2025-01-03 12:49:26 UTC

In the updated version, verse 6 is replaced with a verse that adds more of an awareness to the division of color, gender, and age. "They divide us by our color, they divide us by our tongue, They divide us men and women, they divide us old and young; " I feel like someone felt like these verses were needed because workers are treated and exploited differently depending on their social class. "But they'll tremble at our voices when they hear these verses sung, For the union makes us strong." Saying that if you act collectively, it will be harder for the exploiting to target the social classes individually.

Emilia

2025-01-03 12:49:54 UTC

For verse 4, the new one compared to the original, adds the element of class consciousness that mentions that the class which exploits you depends on the labor resources produced by those in your social class to achieve their wealth and comfort. The verse gives examples of the kind of labor they do by mentioning washing dishes, scrubbing floors, and so on.

In general I think that these new verses are a more descriptive example of what the workers go through in their day to day.

Gabriella Pereira

2025-01-03 12:50:02 UTC

I think someone felt these verses were needed to show their concerns as union members. The newer verses give more details about the obstacles they faced.

I think the element of class consciousness that the new verses add is, "An understanding that the more of you act collectively, the harder it will be for those exploiting you to target you individually." I think the new verses added this element because in the last verse it states, "but they'll tremble at our voice when they hear these verses sung..." I think this is stating the power they have in their voices as a group and working together as a group to make them stronger.

Kevin Arcentales

2025-01-03 12:51:11 UTC

I believe someone added these newer verses because they show how owners live well while workers struggle. For example, the new verse says, "it is we that wash the dishes, scrub the floors, and chase dirt... where we work for half wages for a boss that likes to flirt." This shows how workers do all the work while the boss does almost nothing.

The original verses missed some points about how owners and bosses exploit workers based on their jobs. The new verses say, "They say our time is over and then they say our time is through. They say you need no union if your collar isn't blue." This shows how "higher-ups" exploit workers even more if they don't have a blue-collar job.

Alejandro Z

111355 — 2025-01-03 12:51:24 UTC

It seems like the new updated version includes verses that address division by race, gender, and age to highlight how workers were treated differently. This change was likely made to emphasize the main reasons behind these disparities and bring more awareness to these issues.

Bryan Padilla

2025-01-03 12:52:55 UTC

Both Verses do have the same theme of workers feeling oppressed by those at the top, However the older one does express more of an oppression by having the paragraph of "Is there aught we hold in common with the greedy parasite, who would lash us into serfdom and would crush us with his might? Is there anything left to us but to organize and fight? For the union makes us strong." which isn't present in the newer verse since that verse is more neutral in the subject or in other words isn't blatantly on the oppression of workers.

Janiah Miller

2025-01-03 12:53:15 UTC

I think that the author added more to the verses of the song because of how different society was starting to be the song goes into more depth and talk about more for example im the newer verse “they divide us by color, they don’t us by our tongue, they divide us men and women, they divide us old and young.” That’s very specific rather than what the author was saying before.

A type of class consciousness that goes over is the understanding that the more collectively withhold those labor and or Erich can impose a high cost on those exploiting I feel like it goes what I have at the top