So this weekend I decided to visit the grave of Karl Marx.
A quick google search told me Karl had passed away in 1883, and his grave was located in Highgate Cemetery in North London.
A mere bus ride later I was confronted with this site:
“There are no depths of irony, or bad taste, to which capitalists won’t sink if they think they can make money out of it”
Whilst this criticism may arguably be a bit harsh, I couldn’t help feel both amused and slightly perturbed by the irony of the situation.
The ultimate advocate for the abolition of private property has become an object of the very thing he despised.
After a stiff enquiry as to its destination (charity for the maintenance of the cemetery), I coughed up my sterling and proceeded in search of Karl…
He was hardly inconspicuous…
Lying just metres from Marx I found Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm whom sadly passed away a few years ago.
Whilst neither man would have supported the idea of charging entry to this cemetery, I like to think they would at least have found humour in its astounding irony.
If you ever find yourself seeking an example of our society’s embedded desire to maximise profit, you need look no further than this gorgeous moment of Capitalist opportunism.
The Junction 