Capitalism vs. Child Labor. Alex Epstein visits Occupy Orange County

The Occupiers claim to be against child labor...but can you be against child labor if you're not in favor of capitalism?

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Alex Epstein
• capitalism
• industrial progress
• Center for Industrial progress
• child labor
• Apple
• Steve Jobs

[anti0918]

They keep bringing up how corporations are "exploiting" child labor in foreign countries, without asking themselves what the alternative would be for those children and their families. Banning child labor doesn't magically pull families out of poverty - it only makes their living conditions worse, and forces those children to starve, work to death on the family farm, or resort to gang violence to survive.

[ChristopherWEarl]

Oh, well. It was worth a try.

[cooljool1]

@gammazuma the answer is more capitalism and more freedom.

[gammazuma]

Banning child labor doesn't magically pull families out of poverty, but that doesn't mean child labor is acceptable. It means that we should help those people get out of their poor economic situation. Americans have the most money in the world, but instead of using that money to help the people of the world have a sustainable lifestyle, we give that money to the super rich. That's what needs to change.

[grantsinmypants2]

Ironically, I believe him... we cant get what we have... a shaven head pseudo-intellectual Marxist bullshitter... without oppressing other people... Which is exactly why I suppose LF capitalism.

[bantyhenrants]

I got what you were saying about child labor in China. I think the only thing you left out was that if it wasn't for our government regulations Steve Jobs would have never had to move his factories to China in the first place.

[selfyeshua]

Capitalism scapegoat.Blame it all on it while the real perpetrator is free.its a Chinese law and violation of human rights that allows children to work.Maybe if China would not enable it then foreign companies wouldnt employ children. The OWC propose that we do the moral thing at all cost.we will take the work from the Chinese,even if it means that the children would starve to death.The same kind of morality led to the genocide of 2 million Vietnamese under the patronage of the flower generation

[MrDarknessandDeath]

The occupiers wear clothes, have phones, all made by children.  This is just white guilt.

[w99brain]

these guys look pretty anti-adult labor too

[wisted]

No one forces a child to work at Nike. These people (and children) choose to work at Nike, and they earn more than they would at locally owned businesses. Child labor is an opportunity. The alternative is lower pay, continued destitution, and possibly prostitution.

[MrDarknessandDeath]

"freedom is slavery" is the message of the protesters.

[TheWorlandsc]

China's labor force has increased their wage amount in the last few years, the New York Times even pointed this out. I think that this fact conclusively proves the main occupier's theory, that if workers striked they would just move jobs elsewhere, wrong. You could have also said something about moving cost to point out the absurdity in that statement. Those kind of statements are completely baseless and should be pointed out as such