I worked as a Junior Salesman at my Dad's carpet store as a kid, while also home-schooling for four hours a day. Nobody 'forced" me to work...I saw that the work was fun and rewarding, and I took to it like a duck to water. My wages (which were ample for a kid my age), combined with the work experience I acquired and the genuinely great time I had richly and dramatically increased the quality of my childhood. In contrast, the brief time I spent in public and private schools made me feel more like a head of cattle than a thinking individual with my own interests, opinions, and ambitions.
Maybe my own "child labor story" is an exception to the rule and some really have been unexploited...but I suspect that, for every young worker whose lot in life was improved by these laws, there were just as many, like me, who would much rather have been allowed to make a living than spend 8 hours a day learning nothing at all.
Which is better: child labor, creating entrepreneurial capitalists: or poverty expansion through gov't subsidy?
Minarchist
2011/12/07 11:31:46
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My Granfather had forethought into the prevention of my father getting into trouble through making my father starting working at the gas station when he turned 8. Through this my father made a modest living but learned skills. At one entire summer my grandfather was not around, making my father run the store, paying the employees buying the fuel and paying the bills. Prior to graduating at the age of 17 the conglomerate asked my father if he wanted his own store. Though the location of the store prevented the deal it did instill a skill level that later moved onto other jobs. I had to wait until I was 17 in which I left to the military for 4 years to get my skills. However notice the difference in age and how far I was set behind. Now imagine a 18 year old today, with no trade or skill set level looking for a job. Imagine if there was no minimum wage and child labor was allowed. Now let me ask you would you rather be out of high school with no experience, or out of highschool with 10 years worth of experience?
Top Opinion
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The Bantam Seditioner 2011/12/07 22:37:08
Forced child labor is, of course, abhorrent. What happened during the Industrial Revolution was sick and although I disagree with child labor laws, we are better that it was stopped.
So, I agree with your general sentiment, but the child labour under the IR was not necessarily a bad thing and the government did not do anything to stop it.
But when those who vote by emotion hear us talk about repealing or weakening child labor laws, they imagine that we wish for the average American family to return to this situation, and they believe that this is the natural condition of the free market. It is equally important to take note of this, otherwise we will never win our detractors over.
I just can't understand why so many people insist on looking at the 19th century from a 21st century perspective and shudder in disgust at what "the free market did". Instead, they should be looking at the giant leaps in standard of living every segment of society made compared to the centuries which preceded it, and discover what made this possible!
But it is so hard to get people to think past slogans and received popular "wisdom" (eg "capitalism and communism are both awful and don't take human nature into account, we need a middle-of-the-road compromise, capitalism leads to monopoly, economics only takes material things into account, etc etc etc), simply because we who have actually looked at what "capitalism" -- or the spontaneous order and self-organizing system of voluntary cooperation -- is and what it does are evidently in the extreme minority..
Maybe my own "child labor story" is an exception to the rule and some really have been unexploited...but I suspect that, for every young worker whose lot in life was improved by these laws, there were just as many, like me, who would much rather have been allowed to make a living than spend 8 hours a day learning nothing at all.
ref. Talapia fish culture