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The Philosopher's Shirt

Marx: I’m dreaming of a red Christmas

Ein festlicher Klassiker, bei dem durch die Änderung eines Adjektivs die gesamte Bedeutung verschoben wird. Die Melodie bleibt, die Eigentumsverhältnisse jedoch nicht.

Jeder steuert seine eigene Melodie bei, ob man ihn darum bittet oder nicht. Das gesamte Sortiment, in jedem Format, in dem wir es herstellen, wird auf Bestellung gedruckt, sobald ihr es kauft. Ein Weihnachtsgeschenk für Sozialisten. Rot träumen und sich dafür engagieren.

Questions about this design

What does the Marx – I'm dreaming of a red Christmas design show?
A classic ugly Christmas sweater pattern in a knit look – rows of red stars, little fir trees and golden stars – framing a portrait of Karl Marx, with the line I'm dreaming of a Red Christmas in festive red script. The joke rests on the double meaning of red – the colour of Christmas and the colour of the socialist movement.
Why is red the colour of socialism and communism?
The red flag became a symbol of revolution in the French Revolution. In 1791 a red flag signalled martial law against protesters, and radicals turned it into a banner of the people. Socialists adopted it in the revolutions of 1848, and the Paris Commune of 1871 flew it as its flag. From there it became the emblem of the labour movement.
Did Karl Marx celebrate Christmas?
Yes, the Marx family in London did. In letters to Friedrich Engels from 1859 and 1866, Jenny Marx thanks him for wine sent for the holidays and writes that it will make for a merry Christmas. Engels himself, according to Eduard Bernstein's memoirs, kept Christmas in English style, with plum pudding and a festive dinner.
Who said religion is the opium of the people – Marx or Nietzsche?
Karl Marx, not Nietzsche. The line comes from his introduction to A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right, published in 1844. In full, religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions – it is the opium of the people. Marx meant it as a diagnosis of suffering, not only as mockery.
What is commodity fetishism?
A concept from the first chapter of Marx's Capital, volume one (1867). In a market economy, relations between people – the labour that produced a thing – appear as relations between things and their prices. A gift on the shelf seems to have value in itself, while the work and the workers behind it disappear from view. December is a good month to think about it.
Who was Karl Marx and what should I read first?
Karl Marx (1818–1883) was a German philosopher, economist and journalist who spent most of his later life in London. He wrote The Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels in 1848 and analysed capitalism in Capital, whose first volume appeared in 1867. The Manifesto is the short, readable entry point; Wage Labour and Capital is a good next step.
Is this a good ugly Christmas sweater gift for leftists and history buffs?
Yes – for socialists, trade unionists, politics and history students, and anyone who likes a festive jumper with a joke that rewards a little background knowledge. The design is available as a sweatshirt, premium hoodie, T-shirt, mug and sticker.
Are there matching Marx Christmas designs for a group?
Yes. It pairs well with our other Marx Christmas designs – Merry Christmarx, Marx – This Is Not Santa, All I Want for Christmas Is the Means of Production and Santas of This World, Unionize – so a whole table can wear a different joke from the same bearded comrade.