Living in a Perpetual Labor Day!

Would you like to live in a perpetual Labor Day? Wouldn´t you? Would you like to live La Vida Loca like Ricky Martin, and enjoy life Despacito as Luis Fonsi en la Isla Bonita de Madonna? Why not?

So, ¿quieres ser a Ni-Ni? Do you wanna be a NEET? A what? A NEET? A Ni-Ni? You might be wondering: WTF are you talking about?

Don’t you know what a Ni-Ni is?

Well, isn’t a Ni-Ni the Spanish version of a NEET? Wait! What’s a NEET? They don’t work, and they don’t go to school.

It’s a double negative! We will explain this nonsense in the next sections. Don’t be needy! Don’t be a NEET!

Now that you know what a Ni-Ni is, would you like to be one of them, living on perpetual Labor Day? NO? Pues entonces…

¡Feliz Día del Trabajo! ¡CARAJO! (Happy Labor Day!) ¡Vivan todos los trabajadores del mundo! Long live all the workers of the world!”

Living a Ni-Ni’s Life

The fabulous Labor Day is a blessing upon humankind.  It is a day where many don’t have to go to work or school. 

Barbecues get fired up, kids wear pajamas and play all day, and even some adults do too.

But wait a minute!  Isn’t it like Labor Day for us (Ni-Ni’s) all year long? And, then, we heard them calling us NEET in ¨Inglich.¨ And we go: “NEAT?” They replied: No! No, no. It is NEET!

Let´s try this again: Do you N.E.E.T. what? Or explain to us what on Earth a NEET is?

Short answer:  A NEET is the same as a Ni-Ni—but in English. It is a perpetual Labor Day! That’s it!

Not in Education, Employment, or Training

NEET stands for “Not in Education, Employment, or Training“. It refers to a young person who is not willing to either work, study or train.

This acronym (NEET) started being used in the United Kingdom but now it is used in other countries and regions including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States.

In Spanish the words “neither, not, did not, does not, or nor,” are represented by the word Ni.

Are you a NI-NI?

In Spanish, a NI-NI is a young person who, “Ni trabaja, ni estudia.” He/she doesn’t work nor study. That’s a Ni-Ni, kind of a slacker.  So the same as a NEET.

It is interesting how in Spanish, on May 1st, we call Labor Day a celebration (probably because we always find an excuse not to work and drink as much as possible).

Labor Day on May?

Is Labor Day on May? It is in the rest of the world, but not in the U.S., where Labor Day is not in May.

It is in September! In the U.S., we don’t call it a celebration.  It’s just another day that we don’t have to work. 

Everybody doesn’t start wearing Labor Day shirts and going to church to cry their eyes out and hold candles in silent vigils. 

When’s the last time you saw people throw a wild jamboree and party like it’s 1999 on Labor Day?

Well, to be honest, in the American culture we also drink a lot of beer, meet friends, barbeque and eat tons of food for Labor Day.

But, Why on May?

Yes, why on May? may I ask? It is interesting that around the world Labor Day is celebrated on May 1st. Do you know why?

Let’s find out why: During the 19th century in the U.S., workers were getting ticked off they had to work 12 (or more) hours a day.

Despite an eight hour per day law passed in 1868, the federal authorities didn’t enforce it, so labor activists decided it could only be enforced through direct action from the workers themselves. 

And that´s how all started!

May Day is the Day

May 1st, often referred to as May Day, holds historical significance in the labor movement.

On May 4, 1886, labor activists in Chicago, while advocating for an eight-hour workday, faced a tragic event known as the Haymarket affair.

The event ended tragically with a bomb explosion and violence where civilians, protesters and police officers died.

The labor movement wanted to establish a global day of workers’ solidarity and activism, transcending national borders.

The goal was to create a shared international symbol for workers, and May 1st was symbolic due to its historical connection to labor struggles.

Labor Day moved to September!

After the Haymarket Affair, President Grover Cleveland signed a bill on June 28, 1894 declaring that Labor Day would become a national holiday.

The holiday was then changed to the first Monday in September.

The impact the Haymarket Affair had in the rest of the world and the labor movement in the U.S.—usually associated with socialists and anarchists—was the main reason to move the holiday to September.

But French decided otherwise!

From France, May Day spread to the rest of the world. And that’s why we started celebrating Labor Day here on a different date that the rest of the world—like many things we do differently here.

Americans have their own quirky way of doing things: We measure stuff in a totally different system (imperial instead of metric), write our dates all funky (month-day-year, not day-month-year), and we load our cups with ice like it’s going out of style. It might not be the cheapest way, but hey, it sure makes our drinks cooler – literally!

So, while the world celebrates Labor Day on May 1, we hold ours in September and grab bargains at the store and cook burgers on the grill.

Nobody’s really protesting anymore, because they’re just happy to be off from work for a day. Can’t get more American than that.

…Con el sudor de tu frente!

Lección del día (lesson of the day): Don’t be a Ni-Ni and Learn Spanish! Be a smarty and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

¨In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread¨: ¨Te ganarás el pan con el sudor de tu frente¨ You see, Ni-Ni: The Bible says that we must earn our bread by the sweat of our brow—and not of our bros.  

Learn Spanish at Kasa De Franko to be better prepared for a globalized world and be a productive member of a society.

Then you, Ni-Ni, would understand how it feels to be useful. What about a free lesson to get you started?

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Imagine being able to speak a romantic language that the whole world understands. Someday, you might even enjoy a beachside life thanks to the language skills you’ve gained, and save money on living expenses. So, why wait?

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 Prepare to fully immerse yourself in the richness of Spanish culture as never before! And, remember…

How to Make a Killing

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