Maids must have one day off a week — For the Bible tells us so.

I found a way to convince my grandmothers that Domestic Workers should get a day off.

So this evening, in the car, the mother , grandmother & other grandmother  were group-ranting AGAINST the One Day Off  campaign that’s going on (really great campaign effort, by the way — that even the GRANDMOTHERS know about it).

They were spouting the usual “the maid will get pregnant” “there’ll be more crime and murder” “when you have a maid you’ll understand” etc etc

I tried convincing them maids where human . I compared what they were saying to the arab world’s justification to lock up all females & allow them out only if accompanied (my mom replied that we’re talking about maids, not muslims!!!!!)  The usual liberal, human rights rhetoric, in another words.

(My opening line, when I decided I had to plunge into the conversation, was to out myself as one of those people asking the govt to legislate a one day off for maids. My grandma said I mustn’t say this in public and shouldn’t say this out loud. I told her the campaign’s all over the newspapers)

Finally, I said, the Bible said that everyone must rest for one day a week*.

And suddenly they were all Hmmmmpphhh. Pause. Change topic.

Amazing.

A line that works. Leaves them speechless. They HAD to AGREE!!

I think we should have a God Says Everyone Must Rest For One Day Campaign to convince the Christian Right to lobby(like how they lobby to keep 377a)  for One Day Off for Domestic Workers ……

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*

Exodus 34:21 “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.

Exodus 20:10 “On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns”

Exodus 31:15 “For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death”  ( —- Thanks , S! ; )  )