Some random thoughts on kamaljis seminal blog, Child labour (posted 24^th June 2008) and the flood of diverse opinions it elicited http://kamalji.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/06/child-labour.htm

The kid thinks, hey why not, and mum says, hey why not, so off he goes, each morning at crack of dawn on his bicycle pedaling six blocks delivering newspapers and collecting a fee from the press ed’s office for the chores.  

Now the boy has a shining new speedometer he bought with his own income.

His parents are beaming.

So the little moppet in pigtails and her two siblings stand in the sun, selling ade and do-nuts and pastries and pies to passers by. And she buys the Barbie doll she so badly wanted, with her own money. Mum’s real proud.

Hold it buddy, this isn’t India ya’ know. This is the US of A. Here it is called keeping idle children occupied, here we make them do chores to earn their own pocket money, here it is educating the kids on dignity of labor – everyone works, all able bodied… ...no free lunches here mate. 

How come, I wonder, when children do the same stuff in Asia we called it child labor…here in the land of free enterprise it is chipping in for the ‘home piggy bank’.

Here in the US, it is service, but when its yonder Asia it is slavery to Americans, servitude…….

Strange……really strange…this logic, this rationale...…this Brave New World