May Day and all...

An overcast Chicago day.

I rollerbladed over to Grant Park and caught a little of the immigration rally. Lots of people, lots of flags (mostly American), lots of signs (mostly in English). All in all, it was quite an impressive assembly, and it would have doubtless been more so if the weather'd been a bit sunnier and warmer. On my way back downtown, their cheers echoed off the towering buildings as they paraded down Jackson; a lot of the nearby streets were closed off, or clogged with people streaming back to the West Side.

There were a couple leftist-demagogues about--I noticed one Che Guevara sign and one "The White Man Stole Our Land" poster--but not a super great amount considering it was, you know, May Day and all. By and large I get the sense most of them just want to keep doing what they're already doing: working hard so they and their families can have a better life.

Meanwhile, my lazy ass got up at noon and spent the early afternoon filing for unemployment :-)

I did get a lot of work done later on my screenplay. And I helped my buddy with his student film. But I couldn't help but note the clash of cultures. So many native-born Americans I know are looking for relatively easy, fun, self-actualizing jobs, while foreigners are beating down the door and marching, actually marching in the streets, for the right--the right!--to work hard.