The Graves of Heroes and Villains On my weekend vacation to Chicago, I revisited the graves of labor activists and leaders I've long admired, as well as the graves of two genuine, absolute monsters. On the hero side: the Haymarket Martyrs', Emma Goldman, Lucy Parsons, and all the other socialists, communists, anarchists, unionists, and other leftists buried in Forest Home Cemetery. On the villain side: Allan Pinkerton and George Pullman - the mercenary and the industrialist, whose actions and power decimated the poor and working class during their eras, buried in Graceland Cemetery. (Additionally, I also visited the grave of famous boxer Jack Johnson, and returned to the grave of Augustus Dickens, brother of Charles Dickens.) I remember part of a conversation I had with a Grand Rapids comedian on my podcast awhile back, where we basically agreed that leftists generally care more about their comrades - living and dead - than reactionaries do. Today, and yesterdays, grave visits reminded me of how right we were. The graves and monuments on Forest Home's "Radicals Row" are visited often, and are abound with tokens of respect, remembrance, and Love - flowers, coins, buttons, handwritten personal messages, and sometimes even discarded employee I.D.'s! There have been numerous gatherings, lectures, vigils, and even concerts in this area! People not only want to visit these comrades, they feel like they NEED to come here. They need to honor those who have passed, those that are struggling now, those who will join the fight in the future, and to honor themselves - to know that their lives are not futile. Pinkerton and Pullman's graves, on the other hand, show no such signs of visitations and affection. Parts of Pinkerton's grave, along with his family members, and agents who I guess were deemed worthy enough to be buried next to their boss, are so washed out now that you can barely make out some of the inscriptions. His grave had to be guarded 24/7 for some time after he passed because it was feared that the various peoples his organization oppressed, beaten, and murdered would dig him up and fuck with his corpse. You don't see the FBI, CIA, or other intelligence and "security" agencies coming by to pay respects to Allan's plot, even though they descend from his organization. Other than being known as historical, strike-breaking, union busting thugs, the only real time you hear of the Pinkerton's these days is when they're suing games companies like Rockstar for defaming their image by making them the bad guys in their games, or bands like Weezer for apparently infringing on their trademarks by titling one of their two great albums after a opera character who shares the same name. What a shitty legacy to have. (NOTE: this poem is largely made up of a Facebook post I made of this visit, and the best comment I got was "Pinkerton's went after Arthur Morgan too I’ll never forget") Pullman's grave is much better off, but then you remember that he had his lead casket encased in cement, steel rails, and even MORE cement, because he feared the workers he exploited and attacked would still be so pissed at him that, after he took a dirt nap, they would dig him up and fuck with his corpse. You won't ever see corporate maniacs like Musk or Bezos leaving flowers on Pullman's grave, despite their thought processes and business tactics descending from scumbags like him. You won't see your typical small business tyrant looking up to Pullman as a hero, even though they have the same desire to control their workers, as well as their communities if it'll help them fill their pockets. And you certainly won't see these sigma grindset, alpha male motivational influencers cite Pullman as someone to emulate - and you can be sure these huskers have NEVER even heard of him - even though they share the same fiery motivation to be looked upon as capitalist deities. What a REALLY shitty legacy to have. TLDR: if you gain money and power by fucking over people, you won't be honored nor remembered, even by those whose emulate your actions in the far future. If you try to help mankind, even if you die early, penniless, and in pain, you will be honored, remembered, and Loved by those who continue the fight. Keep that in mind. (FINAL NOTE: Jack Johnson's grave was adorned with flowers, coins, and cigarettes, and Augustus Dickens had nothing, because who's gonna remember Charles Dickens brother other than literary nerds like me?) Garret Schuelke is the author of the GODAN series (Bakunin Incorporated), WHUP JAMBOREE: STORIES (Elmblad Media Group), and ANAMAKEE (Riot Forge Studios). He hosts The Garret Schuelke Podcast, and makes music under the moniker Neobeatglory. He currently resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and can be found on Twitter: @garretschuelke
Garret Schuelke is the author of the GODAN series (Bakunin Incorporated), WHUP JAMBOREE: STORIES (Elmblad Media Group), and ANAMAKEE (Riot Forge Studios). He hosts The Garret Schuelke Podcast, and makes music under the moniker Neobeatglory. He currently resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and can be found on Twitter: @garretschuelke