We can envision those poor children, chained to their work-stations, suddenly freed by the humanitarians Kathie Lee Gifford and her son Cody. They skip through the streets of their Third World country, hand in hand, basking in the sunshine. They go home, gather up their school supplies that have gone unused, and skip off to school. After all, isn't that what children in the U.S. do? Yet there is a problem with this picture. Do you know what happens to children who have been "freed" from their jobs with Nike? They often turn to prostitution, they go hungry, and their families go hungry,
It doesn't hearten the soul to think about the fact these children may actually benefit from these jobs because after all, it is not a pretty picture. We'd rather think about kids playing soccer and video games than sewing soccer balls for a living.
It is tragic that these children live in a country where they have to work, because they need the money in order to eat. When have we ever heard Kathie Lee (or all the others whimpering Students for a Democratic Society wannabes on today's college campuses), talk about what to actually do with these kids? They tell us not to shop at Wal-Mart, or buy products made by Nike. They preach to us with a proud, smug look on their faces, dust off their hands to indicate a job well done and go on their way. They don't bother to tell us what happens to children who are no longer bringing home a paycheck. They don't mention that these kids often help feed their families on their salaries.
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