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> A lot of these restrictions were arbitrary BS. You say that, now, in a world of modern labour laws that have largely prevented large scale exploitation. In

> A lot of these restrictions were arbitrary BS. You say that, now, in a world of modern labour laws that have largely prevented large scale exploitation. In fact, today, the labourers most likely to be exploited are those that fall through the regulatory cracks because, for example, they are illegally in the US. So it's very easy for you to tell this heartwarming story about your teen years, and claim these regulations are "arbitrary BS" now because, in general, the labour market is safe, fair, and equitable, specifically because those rules exist. Your position is very much akin to anti-vaxxers saying "why do I need vaccines, diseases aren't a problem!" because they've never lived in a world where communicable diseases regularly killed people. Edit: And as an aside, the fact that you didn't have health insurance as a teenager, and you conclude that's because you weren't allowed to work enough, as opposed to attributing the issue to a broken system that requires teen labour to ensure one has access to medical coverage, is truly insane to me...

legitster 3y ago
Well, even in your analogy, there would be no point in giving vaccines if the diseases had been eradicated. I haven't had to take a polio vaccine, have you? I agree with you that we get to live in a society where we are prosperous enough to enjoy safer working environments - I guess I see labor laws as the cart being pulled by the horse here. The fact that working environments are so much better regulated and safe means I think we don't need to pearl clutch so much anymore about younger people wanting to engage with them. But I don't want to leave this point - the rules were arbitrary. Why is 18 a magical year where you are allowed to train on a forklift? And there is an entire category of work almost none of these laws apply to in the US - agricultural work. I was allowed to drive a tractor on a farm at age 12, but was not allowed to use turn on a deep fryer at 17. These are not very equitable rules - these are rules of convenience. In an era when we are (supposedly) supposed to be pushing kids back into trades and apprentices, why so much hullabaloo about them not doing enough college prep?
- BaseballPhysics 3y ago
  > Well, even in your analogy, there would be no point in giving vaccines if the diseases had been eradicated. I haven't had to take a polio vaccine, have you? You picked an ironic example given that the polio vaccine is still administered in many parts of the world since, up until about 10 years ago, it was still very much a part of people's lives in some places. > But I don't want to leave this point - the rules were arbitrary All laws appear "arbitrary" if you don't know why they were written in the first place. I invite you to learn about Chesterton's Fence. > I agree with you that we get to live in a society where we are prosperous enough to enjoy safer working environment You've got your causation backwards, there. > The fact that working environments are so much better regulated and safe means I think we don't need to pearl clutch so much anymore about younger people wanting to engage with them. The entire damn point is there's people tearing down those rules. > Why is 18 a magical year where you are allowed to train on a forklift? And there is an entire category of work almost none of these laws apply to in the US - agricultural work. I was allowed to drive a tractor on a farm at age 12, but was not allowed to use turn on a deep fryer at 17. These are not very equitable rules - these are rules of convenience. Sure, because there was a very strong political lobby that worked to ensure labour protections didn't apply to children working on family farms because they wanted cheap labour. Sound familiar?

legitster 3y ago

Well, even in your analogy, there would be no point in giving vaccines if the diseases had been eradicated. I haven't had to take a polio vaccine, have you? I agree with you that we get to live in a society where we are prosperous enough to enjoy safer working environments - I guess I see labor laws as the cart being pulled by the horse here. The fact that working environments are so much better regulated and safe means I think we don't need to pearl clutch so much anymore about younger people wanting to engage with them. But I don't want to leave this point - the rules were arbitrary. Why is 18 a magical year where you are allowed to train on a forklift? And there is an entire category of work almost none of these laws apply to in the US - agricultural work. I was allowed to drive a tractor on a farm at age 12, but was not allowed to use turn on a deep fryer at 17. These are not very equitable rules - these are rules of convenience. In an era when we are (supposedly) supposed to be pushing kids back into trades and apprentices, why so much hullabaloo about them not doing enough college prep?

BaseballPhysics 3y ago
> Well, even in your analogy, there would be no point in giving vaccines if the diseases had been eradicated. I haven't had to take a polio vaccine, have you? You picked an ironic example given that the polio vaccine is still administered in many parts of the world since, up until about 10 years ago, it was still very much a part of people's lives in some places. > But I don't want to leave this point - the rules were arbitrary All laws appear "arbitrary" if you don't know why they were written in the first place. I invite you to learn about Chesterton's Fence. > I agree with you that we get to live in a society where we are prosperous enough to enjoy safer working environment You've got your causation backwards, there. > The fact that working environments are so much better regulated and safe means I think we don't need to pearl clutch so much anymore about younger people wanting to engage with them. The entire damn point is there's people tearing down those rules. > Why is 18 a magical year where you are allowed to train on a forklift? And there is an entire category of work almost none of these laws apply to in the US - agricultural work. I was allowed to drive a tractor on a farm at age 12, but was not allowed to use turn on a deep fryer at 17. These are not very equitable rules - these are rules of convenience. Sure, because there was a very strong political lobby that worked to ensure labour protections didn't apply to children working on family farms because they wanted cheap labour. Sound familiar?