Quote:
Originally Posted by SegNerd
I'm not taking any position on socialism here, but it kind of bothers me when someone says "I like/dislike something" when the truth is they do not understand the thing. The fact is that there is at least one major flaw in your understanding that makes your scenario not socialism.
In capitalism, you can say each brick is worth five cents - but in socialism, you don't get to choose the price of the brick. You have to figure out the exact value of their labor and pay them 100% of it. You don't get to make any profit off of the deal.
By making your workers follow socialist principles but skimming profits for yourself, honestly I think you were acting more like a Communist dictator than a real socialist.
There is also the question of whether you were violating child labor and minimum wage laws... no matter what system you were "playing" with, in the US you have to follow US law.
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I don't see this as socialism or capitalism, but just an example of an unclear, loosely-followed contract. I'm glad it worked out well. In this case, the faults may have worked to your advantage by forcing the kids to consider the issues a bit more deeply.
But after doing a spot of research about SegNerd's point regarding child labor laws, to my surprise, it's trickier than I expected.
I think it's unfortunate, as I don't believe this really falls within the purpose of child labor laws. I suspect they're drawn this way because of the potential for abuse -- but it's still open to abuse.
If this had been an agricultural job, or part of a family business (and not hazardous), or a movie/film job, you'd have been OK.
Generally speaking, children below 14 aren't allowed to work, and below the age of 16, there are significant restrictions, both with regard to safety and hours, fewer restrictions for those over 16.
Aside from safety, the goal is to protect a child's opportunity to get an education before entering the workforce. Somehow, work isn't being considered as an educational opportunity itself.
But anyway, in the end, it appears to hinge on that tricky line between employment vs contract. From your description, it sounds like they had sufficient independence as to how and when the job was done, etc, to be independent contractors. But adults are miscategorized on this all the time, so it's something to be careful about.
Speaking as a parent of a 12-year-old, regardless of your politics, I'd have been perfectly happy to participate in your little lesson.
I don't think either of you have accurately described socialism -- nor capitalism, for that matter. How is capital even involved here? But incorrect labeling wouldn't detract much from the sort of lesson that would be learned here.