1915: You Go

April 25, 2025

By AHNZ

“Not I,” said the dog. “Not I,” said the pig. “Not I,” said the cow. Oh, but then who should go to fight this Great War?

Some folks inherit star-spangled eyes
Hoo, they send you down to war, Lord
And when you ask ’em, “How much should we give?”
Hoo, they only answer, “More, more, more, more”

In this Maoriland Worker cartoon of 1915 we see it is the worker who is expected to put his life on the line.

I especially like the 2-headed politician showing Ward and Massey sharing power; Crashing the adversarial political system to focus on War.

Also we have the editor, squatter, boss, lawyers, priests, and…”fat,” with clear ideas about who is disposable. “You,” not them.

But the Worker will get his own back. By pushing him around like this and conscripting him for the Great War there would be pay-back in the form of Labour 1.0 rising up and taking over the country. It only took another generation. The Worker would become the new monster in the form of that Labour Ministry including a sequel to the war: World War II. It was unthinkable to many that a government of workers would ever conscript or ever go to war again but they sure did!

We make our own demons.

There was room on the many old War To End All Wars monuments to bolt on some new addendums. New fatalities. New battles. Slow learners.

—
Image ref, BB, Maoriland Worker (1915.) AHNZ enhanced (2024)

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