Thread: Child Labor

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  1. #1
    Banned Orlong's Avatar
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    Child Labor

    In the US at least, it is illegal to get a job before youre 16 without working papers signed by your parents, and even then you cant get a job before 15 (14 in some states), so why is it legal for kids a young as infancy to work as an actor in movies, TV shows, and advertising? It makes no sense to me and I dont think they should be allowed to. By letting them work at such young ages it interferes with their school work as well as the childhood and social interactions.

  2. #2
    In before "When I was your age I worked in the coal mine for 12 hours every day".

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Orlong View Post
    In the US at least, it is illegal to get a job before youre 16 without working papers signed by your parents, and even then you cant get a job before 15 (14 in some states), so why is it legal for kids a young as infancy to work as an actor in movies, TV shows, and advertising? It makes no sense to me and I dont think they should be allowed to. By letting them work at such young ages it interferes with their school work as well as the childhood and social interactions.
    Infants go to school?

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Molestron View Post
    In before "When I was your age I worked in the coal mine for 12 hours every day".
    He- oh...

    Just fucking around

    I did the paper round at 14, and when i was 16/17 i got a job as a picker for the .com department of Tesco... Now i'm just dredging around debating on whether to spank it to asa akara or mitt romney.

    Personally, i think the age of 14 should be enough to do paper rounds even younger perhaps; and 15/16 for real part time jobs, flipping burgers or stacking shelves.

  5. #5
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    That is actually a damn good question. Could it be because the parents get paided they can somehow get around it?

  6. #6
    Maybe they bend the definition of work in that case?
    A few bribes, and a lot of money can easily do such a thing.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lemposs View Post
    That is actually a damn good question. Could it be because the parents get paided they can somehow get around it?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coogan_Law

    I'm not sure of it affecting other jobs however...

  8. #8
    I think it's because people just don't care. Laws against child labor were set up to protect children from being forced to work in coal mines and textile factories for 12 hours a day, because that is detrimental to their health and their education. The fact of the matter is that child actors learn a lot, often get better educations than they otherwise would have and in general they find it a very good experience and it isn't detrimental to their health (though there are exceptions to this like, say, Lindsay Lohan).
    I don't think this matters nearly as much as you think it does.

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    The Lightbringer Christan's Avatar
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    well social skills mainly...but OP i see your point.

    main thing is parents choice...

    a parent could have their child working at their owned business as young as they feel proper...technically...
    i'm guessing it's something like that for movies...parents push their child into it, the child is working for the parent who in turn is getting paid by their kids acting jobs?!??

    no idea...but yeah...i do agree it's wrong.
    Still I cry, tears like pouring rain, Innocent is my lurid pain.

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    Banned Orlong's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Manakin View Post
    He- oh...

    Just fucking around

    I did the paper round at 14, and when i was 16/17 i got a job as a picker for the .com department of Tesco... Now i'm just dredging around debating on whether to spank it to asa akara or mitt romney.

    Personally, i think the age of 14 should be enough to do paper rounds even younger perhaps; and 15/16 for real part time jobs, flipping burgers or stacking shelves.
    Oh, I agree. Having a job at 14 or 15 is ok and it helps teach responsibility. I have a problem when its someone who is 6 or 8 slaving away on a movie set for 12 hours a dy

  11. #11
    It's really rather obvious... Children are easily exploitable, and at those ages, they should be in schools.

    Parents of lower income families could use their children as additional income, reducing them to technical wage slaves, all the while ignoring the child's need for progression and education.

    Look; we've been there. Look at the Industrial Revolution. Look at countries where child labour is legal and normal. It's not pretty.

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    Banned Orlong's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by zoefschildpad View Post
    I think it's because people just don't care. Laws against child labor were set up to protect children from being forced to work in coal mines and textile factories for 12 hours a day, because that is detrimental to their health and their education. The fact of the matter is that child actors learn a lot, often get better educations than they otherwise would have and in general they find it a very good experience and it isn't detrimental to their health (though there are exceptions to this like, say, Lindsay Lohan).
    I disagree. There are far too many Lindsay Lohans out there to say that its a rare exception.

    Lindsay
    Miley
    Danny Bonnaduce
    Mikey from the Life commercials
    Macauley Caulkin
    Drew Barrymore
    Corey Haim
    Todd Bridges
    Edward Furlong
    Amanda Bynes
    Corey Feldman
    Britney Spears
    Gary Coleman
    Mackenzie Phillips
    Dana Plato
    Andrew Koenig
    Tracy Gold
    Tatum Oneal
    Leif Garrett
    Judy Garland
    Dustin Diamond
    Linda Blair

    And the list can go on and on and on

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Stir View Post
    It's really rather obvious... Children are easily exploitable, and at those ages, they should be in schools.

    Parents of lower income families could use their children as additional income, reducing them to technical wage slaves, all the while ignoring the child's need for progression and education.

    Look; we've been there. Look at the Industrial Revolution. Look at countries where child labour is legal and normal. It's not pretty.
    I can understand why poor parents might allow it, but my question is why does the government allow it? Why is it legal?

  13. #13
    The Lightbringer Payday's Avatar
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    Most other exploitative industries don't have the legal protection offered by contracts (signed by consenting guardians) and NDA's etc.

    Quote Originally Posted by Orlong View Post
    I disagree. There are far too many Lindsay Lohans out there to say that its a rare exception.
    And that list is dwarfed by the number of child actors that have gone on to live "normal" lives, whether they remain in the spotlight or not.
    Last edited by Payday; 2013-10-28 at 12:02 PM.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Orlong View Post
    Oh, I agree. Having a job at 14 or 15 is ok and it helps teach responsibility. I have a problem when its someone who is 6 or 8 slaving away on a movie set for 12 hours a dy
    Indeed, if i remember there's legislation in place to prevent the exploitation of young people and to safeguard their finances.

    How strict it is, i know very little of - and how much it's flaunted, is another.

    When i watched American kid shows, i loved it - it was real kids that were or looked my age, in reality it was at their expense of growth that entertained me really (Morbid i guess, but that's perspective)

    I'd get back from school at 3, turn on the shows - finish at 4/5 and do homework and eat, then go back to watch them.

    They'd be spending the majority of the time filming, instead of learning like me.

    Now i understand your position, and i agree that it's quite sad this takes place - money and pushing parents however, are quite a strong force.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Orlong View Post
    I can understand why poor parents might allow it, but my question is why does the government allow it? Why is it legal?
    Ah, you mean in the entertainment industry?
    I don't know why it's legal. I don't even know that it IS legal, to be honest... It might be 'illegal, but allowed.' Like weed. Or maybe they get away with it by not so much receiving 'pay' as they do 'taxable gifts.'

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Orlong View Post
    I can understand why poor parents might allow it, but my question is why does the government allow it? Why is it legal?
    Government should not act as babysitter for our society, making sure we don't do things that some "higher authority" (aka other human beings, not gods living on Earth) thinks we might 'hurt ourselves' by doing.

    Also, while you may sit back and judge Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Drew Barrymore (?) and others for the way they live their lives as portrayed by paparazzi, how about for a moment you consider how much money they've earned by the time they turned 18, and how they've managed to become rich for the rest of their lives? Britney may have had her 'stint' of hard times, but at this point she's an adult mother with children, living her live however the fuck she wants to, as we should all be entitled to.

    Yes, it may spoil them, but there are plenty of obnoxious poor people too. Becoming rich at a young age doesn't doom you to drug addiction and general scumbaggery for the rest of your life.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Daerio View Post
    Government should not act as babysitter for our society, making sure we don't do things that some "higher authority" (aka other human beings, not gods living on Earth) thinks we might 'hurt ourselves' by doing.
    That is exactly what a government should do. If you don't like it: Move to Haïti, and see for yourself.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Stir View Post
    That is exactly what a government should do. If you don't like it: Move to Haïti, and see for yourself.
    Government should establish rules so that we can peacefully co-exist. Hence, no murder, rape, theft, etc. Government should not be involved in things that individuals engage in that do not affect others. (like masturbation, or religious belief, for example)

    If you don't like it: Move to North Korea, and see for yourself.

  19. #19
    Deleted
    Because mankind cannot exist without parenting by government...

  20. #20
    Atleast actors get paid. Most sport "hobbies" are really just work that you are not getting paid for yet.(For those who want eventual careers) Anyway, primary and high-school are not that difficult even if you had a 8 hour/day job. Child labor is a nuanced thing. I think things should judged on the basis that the income of a child should not be needed to support a nuclear family above poverty lines if atleast one of the parents has a full-time job, but "anything" the kid(Of reasonable age) wants to do for himself should be allowed.

    My point is. If you have a society where children dont need to work, let them work if they wish. But you should not have a society where children are needed for labor.
    Last edited by Arlon; 2013-10-28 at 12:39 PM.

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