Introduction:
Hanging loose and idle: bubbling with zip and energy. The brat is eleven with nothing to do.
So how about doing something useful eh?
Well, like what mum?
Maybe earn some pocket money?
Doin’ what?
I’d deliver newspapers, doing morning rounds if I were you, maybe pick up a few bucks along the way…
Ughs
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.
She is nine and mopes, twiddling thumbs.
Ma, she says as she stares at the TV, switching channel to channel aimlessly, I’m so fed up…
Well, if I was you, I’d chip in with some work and maybe some extra dough for housekeeping. After all, your dad works eighteen hours non stop, and me, just look at me, feeding, clothing and schooling six kids
Come on ma, what can I do?
You can if you want to you know, chip in your mite…just get your two sisters along and make some lemonade – set up a counter on the yard and vend the cool stuff to people who drop by or drive along. Maybe you could fix some cookies too for your school fete?
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.
I scream, stop this nonsense right now. This is child labor, exploitation of the innocent…this against all canons of civil and labor law…child abuse, that’s what this really is…
The children and their parents turn towards me and stare, open mouthed.
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
Close
Ixedoc,
Yeah, this issue is so complicated. The difference is dat in India, children r employed in hazardous tasks. For dat matter, even having under-age child servants is not a good idea......The unscrupulous traders trying to get away with such practices need to be issued severe warnings.
There have been several blogs from 'incensed' bloggers recently on this matter. I wonder how many of them have actually gotten off their chairs and done something. Usually the 'do-ers' keep low profile, right.
Even a simple example such as those ads on Suls front page, which solicit monetary help for terminally ill children or institutions......how many contribute to that?
IMO, the few blogs I really found worthwhile on this issue are LakshmiMukundan's 'Blood Embroidery' and Supriya's several blogs.
Kalyanee
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dear Kalyanee,
thanks for the cmment and fedback. I agree, the issue is complicated and emotions often cloud our judgments. However, it is good when blog space is used to raise issues and healthy debate - and exchange ideas and views
regads, ixedoc
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dear Kalyanee,
thanks for the cmment and fedback. I agree, the issue is complicated and emotions often cloud our judgments. However, it is good when blog space is used to raise issues and healthy debate - and exchange ideas and views
regads, ixedoc
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