Child labor in factories producing Samsung devices

[swanysto]

I'm fine with child labor. Just like I have no problem filling my tank up from Oil we got from the middle east, where they stone women for getting raped or make a school full of girls go back into a burning building cause they didn't have their burkas on. My job is not to morally police the world. If the USA makes a better phone, I will probably buy it, until then, I will enjoy my phone at the expense of children across the world, whether it is Apple, Samsung, or HTC.

 

[SunnyD]

On the extreme other end, in Alberta $30/hour gets me spoiled oil-field 20 year olds that need 2 coffee breaks a day and drop their tools at 5pm on the dot. At least with GPS on most phones they can find their butts with both hands.
/rant

The difference is Suncor et al are still going to post ginormous profits at the end of the day while these kids make bank, instead of posting ginormous profits at the expense of these kids. Huge difference. (Till you realize how many people the massive environmental changes are going to affect in the long term)

 

[Oyeve]

I am really not finding what the problem is here. Are the under 16yr old forced to work there? Are they wallowing in their own wastes doing so? When I was 14 I was working in my grandmothers store 6 days a week, cleaning and stocking and mopping. When I was 16 I was working in a deli in NYC 6 days a week, 10-12 hours a day scrubbing the greasy floors, doing dishes in cold water. I chose to do this, I wasnt forced to. People today want $50+ an hour to do minimal work. Other countries kids work. Why is this so shocking and bad?

 

[Zaap]

I am really not finding what the problem is here. Are the under 16yr old forced to work there? Are they wallowing in their own wastes doing so? When I was 14 I was working in my grandmothers store 6 days a week, cleaning and stocking and mopping. When I was 16 I was working in a deli in NYC 6 days a week, 10-12 hours a day scrubbing the greasy floors, doing dishes in cold water. I chose to do this, I wasnt forced to. People today want $50+ an hour to do minimal work. Other countries kids work. Why is this so shocking and bad?

It's evil for kids to have jobs. Beter they sit on their asses getting heart disease by age 10 using products that other kids assembled somewhere across the world. Besides, all the jobs young people used to do to earn some cash? That's what people are wringing their hands wanting more illegal aliens for.

And for everyone burning all the electronics you own to assuage your guilt about third world work conditions: pictures or it didn't happen.

 

[corkyg]

Consider the alternatives - unemployed and begging on the streets. No, that can't be right. Doesn't the government take care of everyone including the children? Besides, how else can China make enough money to lend us trillions?

 

[jiffylube1024]

Well... you need small hands to put these tiny parts together!

 

[alkemyst]

American's don't even care about their neighbors usually and every ghetto dweller feels entitled to an iPhone.

They would probably voted for child labor here if they could.

 

[pm]

I spent a while debating whether or not to lock this thread, or to move it to Politics and News.

While there's an element of "well you didn't lock the iPhone ones, so if you lock this one, it's not fair", the iPhone ones were being discussed in the news everywhere and were definitely being debated in popular culture at the time. Alternatively, this thread doesn't seem to be surprising to very many and the last page of posts are all about politics and not about technical discussion.

I'm going to lock on the basis that the discussion has moved off-topic.

As always, people who disagree with me are more than welcome to Private Message me (or TheStu or both) and point out the flaws in my reasoning and this decision may reconsidered if you make a good enough case.

Moderator PM