"This above all, to thine own self be true"
who is chatting on SOLO ChatThe Free RadicalPopular contentWho's onlineThere are currently 2 users and 6 guests online.
Online usersPollElection 2008: Who Will Win? Obama by a landslide 12% McCain by a landslide 18% Obama comfortably 13% McCain comfortably 27% Either narrowly 30% Total votes: 60
 Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell
 Economics In One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt
|
Child labor, ooh scary! Submitted by personallydisin... on Sun, 2008-02-10 19:31.
If a child isn't harmed, what is wrong with child labor? Is it preferable to forcibly keep them out of the market? I don't think so. I got my first paycheck when I was 12 and I think I'm better for joining the labor market at a young age. I still have all my fingers, take pride in my work, have a good work ethic, and had plenty of incentive to finish my education. Keeping children from having their limbs chopped off in machinary accidents is one thing, but what is wrong with having a 12 year old work a cash register for a couple hours, do yard work during their vacation, etc? IMO keeping children out of the labor market creates poor employees and disinterested students (I'm not letting government education off the hook). Disclaimer: I am certainly not endorsing forced labor! The current authoritarian trend in education is to fine or confine students who misbehave or do not put forth sufficient effort. It isn't too far a leap to put kids in hard labor camps to motivate them. Digging holes and filling them in again, only teaches people that they are worthless. But I admit, it might get them to do their homework.
( categories: )
|
User loginFeatured BookNavigationSyndicate  The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
 Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
|
What about the developed world?
Most people in the developed world have a visceral reaction to the idea of child labor because they misunderstand the worst case scenario that you have described.
My point is that a proper education involves real world productivity. Of course children should learn academics, but they should also have real world experiences. Keeping someone in a classroom for 13 years teaching him concepts that seem completely irrelevant until he finally reaches the workforce, is incredibly harmful. This of course is not a concern in developing countries as children are lucky to have a third grade education.
Sweat shops are often run in
Sweat shops are often run in areas where, were the children not working 12 hour days in a factory, they would be working 14 hour days on the family farm and experiencing a much lower standard of living. By working in the factory, they are providing more for their families than their labour used at home would.
Neither situation is ideal, and ideally these children would be receiving an education instead of working longer weeks than the average adult westerner. "Sweat shops" aren't the great evil they are made out to be - they do more good than harm. They are not ideal, but then that is a fault of the political and economic climates in the countries where you find them.
A shoe factory could only operate that way, in those areas or not at all. Were the factory not there these children would be working a lot more for a little less. It's ugly and sad, but the blame lies squarely with a lack of (mainly) economic and social liberty - not with "sweat shops".