How about having a controversial debate about how much companies, corporations and business owners should pay employees in any job in order to make it so that everyone is capable of paying to keep themselves alive, fulfilled and happy.
I was cutting grass at 12 years old on the weekends during school year and then summer time washed cars and cut grass. Only did it until I was 14, where I got a part-time job as a bagger and cart pusher at a grocery store. Don’t see a problem with it.
Edit: I’m from the U.S. though.
The children yearn for the mines
Builds character and healths issues
Too young for the concept of doing work in exchange for something? No, I don’t think so. There’s no minimum age to learn how to do something, for the most part, if the interest is there.
However, those lower-wage jobs tend to be where a lot of the worker rights abuse tends to happen, and I absolutely think it’s way too young for them to realize if/when it’s happening, or to be in a position to properly defend themselves if they do. Sure, parental guidance and all, but let’s say my experience working with all kinds of parents in day camps, as a ski instructor and in elementary schools, didn’t make me very optimistic about a lot of them really being in a position to protect their children at work.
I’ve also honestly yet to really see it happening where it has 0 impact on their schooling, but that’s rather anecdotal…
Plus it is going to most affect families too poor to speak up and children of abusive parents who would force them to work
“Are 13 year olds too young to exploit monetarily?”“Are 13 year olds too young to take on the glorious privilege of earning their own money?”
Hey look, it’s propaganda in action, right there on the CBC.
left: Are they allowed to vote then?
Right: hell no!!!
“Are 13 year olds too young to exploit monetarily?”Is 13 too young to work? A Saskatchewan proposal has reignited debate around kids and labour
Was it hard to quote the actual headline or is it a matter of making the narrative you are attempting to push stronger?
Reading the article helps as well.
Remember, it’s only bad when “The Media” does it.
I was working summer jobs doing farm labour since before I was a teenager (and I’m not that old), so I’m gonna say that it’s fine that 13 year olds are working.
I was working summer jobs doing farm labour since before I was a teenager (and I’m not that old), so I’m gonna say that it’s fine that 13 year olds are working.
So, based on your summertime work, it’s okay for kids to work year-round?
Kids already worked in the mines when they were 5 or 6. We should regress to these great time so that the GDP can continue to grow, and shitty employers can continue to pay poverty wages.
I mean, Minecraft is one of the most popular games in the world… Maybe the kids are trying to tell us something
Yeah, they like to play games, not work at Tim Hortons.
I also had to do farm labour (picking fruit) before I was legally allowed to work at 14. I was taken advantage of (financially) that whole summer - underpaid, and occasionally worked an entire day and got stiffed outright. I’ve never stopped working since then (I’m in my early 50s), aside from a few months of unemployment between jobs that was more stressful than working. I’ll likely have to work until I die.
Fuck that shit.
My kids are 18 and 20 and as long as they’re in school, it can stay that way. Once you start, you don’t stop. I’ll let them enjoy it as long as they can.
few months of unemployment between jobs that was more stressful than working
So right.
I worked at a farm around 12-13 saved enough to quit and buy my first computer, it was awesome. Then 13-14 working at a convienence store. I don’t see an issue working, you learn the actual value of time and money without ma and pa paying for everything. By very early 20s, I owned my own house, cars, motorcycles etc. Kids going from only school life to full time career have a terrible time adjusting to whar that life change is
You say no issues while ignoring the exploitation angle, which is historical fact. But even if it weren’t, are we so pathetic that our society somehow needs these kids to work instead of being kids? Really? We can’t do any better?
What exploitation angle? I was paid the same minimum wage an adult would get. And as a kid that spent tons of time outdoors with friends, exploring nature, kayaking etc, it really didn’t cut into that, as you were done your shift and still had 5-6 hours of daylight to enjoy the summer. If I wasn’t working I would have wasted that time warching rerun cartoons, you can only swim so much in the pool so much before your skin prunes. lol
Right. Please research child labor exploitation and you will understand. It’s clearly documented. Just because you were lucky doesn’t mean others were, or will be.
Oh, I know it happens in places, as forced labour, or poor families needing children to work. But I see it as a bonus if your are just a willing participant and paid the equivalent wages. And other countries people have gone into their tradeschool by 16. NA has a delayed entry into real life
If you want to suggest that 16 is a great age to allow people to start work, I don’t think you’re going to find much resistance. That’s true in the United States, and much of the world, as you remarked. But 13 is nowhere close to 16, so that’s where you’re seeing resistance here.
Another point that I thought it was obvious, but perhaps it isn’t, is how easy it is for older coworkers and bosses to manipulate children. Kids don’t have the experience, and they don’t have the experience or composure necessary to reliably walk away from bad work environments. So then, is there some totally necessary societal function that we desperately need young teenagers to feel? If there’s not, why don’t we take the risk off of them.
And finally we have to come back to the elephant in the room. In reality, people who propose allowing children to work are doing so because they don’t want to pay adults more.
And again I think it’s obvious, but maybe it’s not so obvious to others, that if the goal is to give kids a variety of experiences then there are plenty of great ways to do so. Sports, music, school, volunteering, extracurriculars, you name it. Structured environments with proper supervision, managed by people who care about the safety of those kids, and aren’t going to try to make a buck by mistreating them.
Look guys Canada is doing America again
Why would these little turds NOT make daddy some mother fucking money tho?
C’mon! Those are rookie numbers! Look at these kids living their best life and getting the best experiences; not a screen in sight!
Should vulnerable members of our society be exploited?
The vulnerable are already being exploited. Now they’re thinking about the children.
At this rate society isn’t worth preserving.
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“We clearly haven’t made the working class desperate enough yet. Let’s have immigrants and students fight over jobs to make everything even nastier!”
I’m sure this won’t in any way result in a huge cohort of angry underemployed young people. No siree.
I’m also starting to think that businesspeople aren’t the Galtian ubermenchen that they think they are, given that they by and large can’t plan more than six months in advance.
Billionaires don’t work. Why should children?
Let kids focus on their studies. We need a better educated populated, not one where people are trained to work mindless jobs where corporations pay you the least amount possible.
We need a better educated populated
Conservative politics don’t poll well with educated people. An educated population is the very last thing Shmoe needs
Work is a practical teacher of the value of money, how to work together with people, and how to deal with an actual meaningful authority structure.
School has no way to teach the first, does not realistically teach the second, and makes any lessons with respect to the third meaningless between “no kid left behind”, the countless second chance opportunities given for breaking rules, and the fact that there’s no effective punishments offered for breaking rules.
I think many issues with young people (including my age and a little older) is that a lot of them don’t work until after highschool and have massive struggles with the transition of both having to work and being treated as an adult at the same time.
Maybe the issue is the fucking terrible toxic work culture and not the fact that young people are starting to work later in life?
Between all the progressive ideals that have been forced down our throats over the past few decades and it becoming socially unacceptable to do things like smoke and drink at work, I’d say we work in some of least toxic work cultures to date.
Um … you want permanent punishments for 13 year olds? That is sick, my friend. Do jobs teach teamwork better than ice hockey or D&D? That is a claim you could make, but maybe we don’t believe you. Remember, life is long, and expecting kids to learn adult lessons is at odds with psychology and reality.
High schools get jobs and learn that the assistant manager is always an asshole. Useful to know. But there’s no rush to figure it out, is there?
Schooling is mandatory until 18. Any other activity has to not interfere with that. Beyond that, do what ye will.
I agree with your point about teenagers work interfering with their schooling, but that’s not quite correct about the mandatory age.
It’s only mandatory to 18 in New Brunswick and 17 in Manitoba.
In the rest of Canada the age is 15 to 16. (16 in Saskatchewan.
I went with this page:
Canada’s provincial and territorial governments are responsible for education. They follow government standards to ensure high quality public education across the country. School is mandatory for children from about the age of six years old to 18 years old. Our study environments are safe and welcoming.
In MB, it’s either until you graduate or you turn 18.
Keep that US bullshit out of this country!
Keep that US bullshit out of this country!
You may need to understand the American influence that caused the backlash among the WestJet mechanics with their strike, this week.
I’m fully aware of the backlash. It’s DISGUSTING. Scabs should be run out of town and forced to live destitute.
This seems too nuanced for a simple Google search. Can you please explain. Any links would be appreciated.
I started working full time during the summer the year I turned 13. I was working for my family’s company and my safety was already the most important thing.
In the current environment of the exploration of workers I feel that it is unacceptable for children to work for any company other than a family company or a small company that will not exploit them and that will protect them.
Agreed in pricipal because family businesses are frequently how knowledge is passed from generation to generation, but family and small businesses can also exploit and not protect children and still need oversight on safety.
a small company that will not exploit them and that will protect them.
Cute that you believe this
It’s got to be stressful to be so cynical. I’m sorry.
At least I know who I am deal with and able to fight the good fight
It is a lot harder being fucked while living a delusion IMHO
You seem really dedicated to being miserable. That really sucks for you.
are you going to keep up the bootlicking, boy?
So much anger. It must really easy you up inside. I’m sorry that you’re like this. It’s got to be very stressful.
just doing my job spotting the bootlicker.
it is a public service :)
Remember that this was YOUR family’s company. Family businesses writ large definitely don’t have a good reputation as far as their non-relative workers are concerned. At least with a megacorporation you can expect some guardrails that will limit their abuses.
Like the mega corporations that have children cleaning equipment at night in abattoirs?
megacorporation you can expect some guardrails that will limit their abuses
i would not expect that tbh but yeah megacorps are serious about managing their liability, they will generally avoid crime unless they can get away with it.
most small biz owners are too stupid to understand liability so they just do as they please which is generally either a crime or breach of various civil laws and regulations.
Small companies vary widely in their morals. The best ones might indeed protect and teach, rather than exploit, a young worker. The worst ones . . . are worse than any large company, and you can’t always tell from outside which type you’ve got. And family companies can be just as bad as any other small company, alas.
I am sure some employees of mega corps also happy with their treatment too
The point being is that it is an exception to the general savagery of “legal persons”
