On 2013-01-16, at 9:18 AM, Wojtek S wrote:
> ...I am
> naturally skeptical of all signs of martyrdom. My own attitude is to
> fuck them over and live to tell about it.
A good attitude! But, while the quest for martyrdom may be true of religious zealots who believe in a rewarding afterlife, I don't think it applies to those who become political martyrs. Joe Hill would have preferred to live, I think, even though he faced death squarely, conscious that his sacrifice could serve as an inspiration. Same is true of the young resistance fighters who bravely faced Nazi firing squads, and of early union activists who risked death on the picket lines, in the streets, and in the prisons. They all, I'm sure, would have preferred to fuck them over and live to tell about it.