Stossel argues why what we think we know may be wrong

link

Of course, a lot of people here might actually think that a good idea but we're not talking about hookers working for themselves and setting their own hours and wages...

Stossel's going to have to argue harder here to get me on this one, but...

discus...

Avalanche of bullshit self-righteousness in 3....2.....1...

I'm not sure if you'll get self-righteousness. Those who care about the children will care about consequences to the children. Child prostitution is definitely worse than child labor.

There are some bad tradeoffs in the world, that's for sure. Nobody wants to see kids have to work in hellholes until they consider that there are worse things. Ideally, neither would happen but sometimes you settle for the one until you can make even that go away.

Who would Jesus blackmail?

I'm not getting the logic of that one. If someone would have blackmailed Madoff, he'd probably have just paid them off. How would that have gotten him caught earlier?

It seems to me that straight up whistle-blowing would make people behave...not blackmail.

Stossel has always been an arrogant twat.

No, he's just right, and he challenges the status quot.

Like a lot of people that are so often right...

Well isn't the solution to the child labor thing obvious? Just outlaw child prostitution too! Win!

I thought I was wrong once....turns out I was mistaken.

Another know-it-all who wants to "open my eyes" and tell me everything I know is wrong.

Pass.

Everything you know is wrong, just not in the way Stossel sees it.

I put his comments up for discussion - where is he wrong? I noted one point where I felt, at the least, he didn't do a good job explaining his position. And there are arguments against outrageous profiteering in the face of disasters. They're hard to express in terms of profit and loss statements but we're counting on you!

While I can't say that I'm pro-child labor, I will say that I've never understood the fierce opposition to the notion. While working in a hellhole is one thing, allowing a kid to work is a totally separate issue, When our economy was primarily argiculturally based, many kids were instrumental in working on farms. Hell, that's the primary reason why summer vacation exist today! Sort of hypocritical.

Instead of basing our opposition on the notion of kids earning wages, we should focus on work conditions in general, education, etc.

Isn't that why some states require children have work permits? When I was in high school, one of the administrator's from my school would show up at my work to make sure things were how they were supposed to be as far as my hours and working conditions.

I have no issue with children working short shifts at certain jobs, with proper conditions and supervision. But child slavery in poor countries? Yeah, that's not good.

We are absurdly focused on children playing in the west. Play is healthy, but I believe that what you teach children to do when they are young is what they will do when they are older.

And we need people who will work hard.

What is the solution? The US shouldn't be dictating to other countries should it?

Certainly not!! Furthermore, how do we define what the line between slavery and gainful employment is? Should we impose a minimum wage?

That's not to say that we shouldn't use our economic and political influence to get favorable outcomes. I think we should be more aware as consumers and keep in mind what our workforce was like when we had similar GDP numbers as countries that do this sort of thing.

By whatever is most conducive to snide ideological pissing contests.

In promising eternal life to those who believe in Him, well...

...pretty much everyone.



(Relax, Async, it's a joke!)

I think the argument is...

If you face potential blackmail over things you do that you'd rather others not know about (which implies deception, dishonesty, etc. on your part because you're CONCEALING THE TRUTH), maybe you'd be less inclined to do them.

Whistle-blowing gives incentive to the person who has information about another's misdeeds (and therefore deemed a positive motivator because it brings those misdeed to light). Blackmail gives disincentive to the person who COMMITS misdeeds, by opening up to the possibility of being financially extorted by someone who finds out about it.

Isn't PREVENTION better than CURE?

I'd like to read more, but so far I'm having a hard time figuring out why blackmail is illegal. And that's something I never questioned before.

Remember what Carlin said about prostitution: "Fucking is legal. Selling is legal. Why isn't selling fucking legal?" Well, in regards black mail: "Knowing is legal. Telling is legal. Not telling is legal (presuming there's not a crime involved). Selling exclusive rights to information is legal. Why is any combination of those actions illegal?"

Intriguing concept...

That doesn't make any sense. That's saying that the expence to a blackmailee should he have to pay a blackmailer is more of a dissensentive to wrong doing than having the misdeeds exposed. But this is obviously not true or the blackmailee wouldn't pay the blackmailer in the first place.

So, as humanity continues to evolve to the point where we can converse with people on the other side of the planet instantaneously, our options for children are dangerous factory work or prostitution?

The point is that the potential for blackmail (and the blackmailer NOT having to fear prosecution) may be a disincentive for someone to commit a misdeed IN THE FIRST PLACE. The law currently protects the "blackmailee," by calling the blackmailer's action a crime.

Of course, the blackmailer's demand must be reasonable. You might very well cough up, say, $500 to keep your wife from knowing that the receptionist gave you a hummer during the company Christmas party, but would be less inclined to pay up if the demand were $50,000.

The blackmailer must always price his information accordingly.

But if the potential blackmail is a disensentive to do misdeeds in the first place, then why isn't the potential for misdeeds to be exposed a disensentive to do misdeeds in the first place?

Your options are what your options are. It's no use pretending otherwise.

We don't have child labor in this country because we can easily afford not to have it. We once DID have it, and it was necessary for people's survival. Just like it is in other places now.

If a person has three options (A, B, and C) and you, through force of law, abolish option A, they will have to choose B or C. That's it. That's all there is.

Yes, it would be better if every child went to school and didn't work in a factory. But that option isn't on offer in many countries; they just aren't wealthy enough to have that as an option.

So we, here in the richest country in the world, say "fuck the children?"

That statement is why I don't like leftists.

They fucking stretch and twist everything and make everything into a worst case scenario or accuse other people of being "haters".

Jenee you blockhead, in no way is Paladin saying "fuck the children".