I’d like to pick the brains of those in the know, if I may, upon this subject.
I just had a young representative from “America’s Teens” (according to the placard she held) and “workingteens.com” (according to the website she cited when asked) at my door this evening; she was selling candy to support her cause, which I caught amid her patter as “keeping teens off the streets, etc.”, with the et cetera inserted by myself due to memory lapse.
I thought about buying some candy in general, without thinking, but the eight dollars per 6-pack of Reese’s Sticks, Almond Joy, et al. was a bit more than the dollar-a-bar I had anticipated. Nonetheless, I asked her for a card—which she did not have, save the placard she carried—then a website, which was as I’ve cited above.
When I punched in the website, I read a little bit of the text; it clearly advocates the option of child labor. Now, I was taught in school—as most of us were, I think—that great lengths were taken to prohibit this, given the (what seem to be) extreme situations as documented by Lewis W. Hine. The option of giving youth gainful things to do does sound appealing, offhand. but what all are the possibilities, both good and bad, that are opened up upon allowing what would be such a dramatic action as relaxing child labor laws? I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized I narrowly avoided supporting a cause I knew very little about.
I’m amazingly ignorant as to what is legal and not, these days, as far as child labor—obviously door-to-door canvassing is legal (I think, hence my presence here) under some provision. Might I have some help in understanding, please?