As I have previously written, this site is very controversial. I am not here to change your mind, but instead get you to think for yourself, even if you have made up your mind. It never hurts to see things from a different angle and then use critical thinking to achieve a better result in one’s life. But you choose.
Onward we go…
Topic: Observations of our world today.
What will this world be like for our grandkids, great-grandkids, and future generations beyond? Will there be fake plants, fake animals, fake food, and more? Will this be an industrial planet run by AI? Will life as we know it exist at all?
Right now, we are on the brink of losing all that is natural. People are killing the planet with chemtrails; known to be a term that people claim is a conspiracy theory. But if you call it by its new name, the so-called professionals use, Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (S.A.I), then, hey, now it is OK.
Why are we allowing certain people and governments to do their worst to our food, air, and even all the life on this planet by using GMO’s, dangerous pesticides, SAI, fake lab-grown meat/food, vaccines, and more?
Slashing rainforests so delegates can have a road on their way to a summit to ”save the planet,” where they think they are more important than really doing anything to save the Earth. Somehow, I think they think the Earth will fix itself. It might, when we stop hurting and destroying it.
Then we have the space program to see if life can be sustained on Mars or even the moon, instead of focusing on the fact that we have such a variety and diverse amount of life on Earth. What makes certain people think that we can inhabit another planet if this one is destroyed by humans? Bugging out to another planet once this one is destroyed by humans will only cause them to do the same thing there.
Consider all the life forms that came before humans…dinosaurs and the like. For millions of years, they walked this Earth, never doing any damage to it like what humans have done in their short existence.
Then humans create a god, thinking that this god thought making humans in its image was a great thing to do. But, yet, what became of the dinosaurs? Some think a comet/asteroid fell from the sky and wiped out all the dinosaurs. But what then? Suddenly, a god appears and creates humans? Any superior being would not make such a destructive species like a human.
Humans have yet to evolve past a barbaric juvenile form of life. They are cruel, heartless killers who seem to think this is proper behavior given to them by their beliefs. Some may be kind, others, in today’s lifestyle, think they can willfully murder their pre-born baby without a care. Some take the lives of defenseless animals in hunting, calling the murder of these defenseless creatures a sport.
There are some good and many bad people nowadays. I do not make that statement lightly, but it is an observational fact. Watch the news out of a big city, and one can see the brutality and destruction of what humans are doing to one another.
There is good, there is bad, and there are proper morals as well. But who decides what proper morals are these days? I suppose whatever you believe in would be what is considered proper.
Today, the definition of proper morals appears to have shifted. Modern society regards actions such as abortion, teaching sexual topics to young children in the classroom, and publicly criticizing those with opposing viewpoints as acceptable. (Florida officials pressure schools to roll back sex ed lessons on contraception and consent, 2024)
The values I learned in my youth focused on basic manners—like saying “please,” “thank you,” and “excuse me”—and a proper education in subjects like math, English, science, history, music, art, and gymnastics. Not anything related to sex, CRT, DEI, or LGBT.
Now, it seems that discussions of adults’ sexual identities are being introduced to children in ways as extreme and confusing. With so many so-called, ‘’new norms’’ replacing traditional teachings, I question how these changes will impact the future, especially given the current state of social debate and cognitive dissonance.
Nature gives us so much, and what do we do? We find ways to destroy it. We are given life, water, air, plants, food, pets, wildlife, and more. And yet, these things are not cherished but rather abused, taken for granted as if we have some right to destroy what gifts we have been given without thought or feeling.
Then I think of how our bodies work all on their own. Do we think of our organs daily? Of course not, as they function on their own. We do control our breathing and our movements, however. But we do not control our organs like the liver, heart, kidneys, and such. We just take for granted they will function no matter the onslaught we do to them, like eating improperly, injecting toxins, drinking alcohol, doing drugs, and more. We do to ourselves what we do to our planet. Where is the appreciation?
Do any of us really understand the meaning of appreciation? And do we know how to apply it?
Appreciation- noun: A recognition of worth, thankfulness.
How do we apply it, you may wonder. Well, we can apply it by showing respect for our planet by not chopping down rainforests, sinking islands for their sand, polluting our air with the spraying of toxic chemicals, and by not creating GMOs, or lab-grown meat, etc.
And to appreciate and respect our body by eating clean, limiting alcohol consumption, staying away from lethal street drugs, not injecting ourselves with toxic ingredients, and more.
But I do digress into preaching. Not by intent. Just an observation of what we go through in our daily lives of struggles.
So many things are thrown into our laps these days that are not of our making, but rather the issues of politicians and those of others who go along with specific ideologies.
We can do better by thinking for ourselves, questioning it all, and basically not going along with anything until we understand all the angles involved.
Critical thinking is important, as is common sense, and we must practice this with all the struggles of today. It is vitally important for the future of generations to come.
Welcome! You are about to embark on a journey that will free your mind from the toxicity of a one-sided environment.
We will give you thought-provoking opinions, viewpoints, comments, insights, and perspectives from various walks of life and ages.
Our aim is not only to show different viewpoints but also to spark curiosity. We strive to inspire deeper discussions that can enrich your understanding of the topics at hand in hopes that it will encourage critical thinking
Thank you for joining the journey and freeing your mind.
Slavery through the ages. Final Chapter.
As we wrap things up, this chapter may seem a bit convoluted. I am somewhat rusty in my writing. It has been many years since I have written or published anything. A writer’s block had hit me for years, especially after the passing of my husband. So bear with me.
Also, it is a very long chapter. Hang in there.
So, let’s continue.
I last left off discussing the critical thinking of the Native Americans/Indigenous people. They were enslaved in the past. They still face forms of enslavement today.
I will continue here about the white children. Some say this is propaganda–I assure you it is not. These children were enslaved in child labor. Many of whom, if not all, were never paid. They were ”compensated” with food. They were children of the poor and working class during the industrial age.
For centuries, children were used for labor. They learned to milk cows, churn butter, and farm animals. This particular type of labor was accepted by society. It was not seen as exploitative or abusive. Instead, it was viewed as a necessary practice that ensured the family’s survival. Even the smallest children helped with tasks like winding yarn, carding wool, and gleaning. They also fed chickens and assisted with other chores to help their mothers.
“What distinguishes child labor in the Industrial Revolution from the pre-industrial work was the situation of the work. Work in the Pre-Industrial society involved work in family units usually in the home. Work in the Industrial society took the children out of their homes and into mines, factories, and unfamiliar towns. The hours and conditions were no longer determined by family or friends but by complete strangers”. Quote taken from the Museum of Childhood.
This is the definition I found concerning child labor.
“Definition of Child labor “Child labor” generally refers to the practice of employing children. These children work to produce a good or service that can be sold for money in the marketplace. This definition applies regardless of whether they are paid for their work. Child labor was a widespread means of providing mass labor at little expense to employers during the Industrial Revolution”. (A partial quote was taken from the Museum of Childhood).
While that seems to downplay the brutality the children endured, we shall continue forth on their miserable life treatment.
When the Industrial Revolution first came to Britain and the U.S, there was a high demand for labor. The jobs available required long hours and offered little pay. In most situations, every able family member was needed to work including those as young as 3.
During this time children were drastically affected. Children were called to work in factories and mills in order for the family to keep afloat. This demanded long hours, longer than what they would work on the farm.
Children were often forced to work hard, long hours in dangerous or difficult conditions. The reason they were sought after was because they were easily trained and paid minimally, or non-existent pay. They were also useful as laborers because they were small. Their size allowed them to move to places where adults couldn’t fit, like factories or mines. And they were easier to manage and control. Most importantly, children could be paid less than adults.
The “Parish apprentice children” were some of the first children to be brought into the factory setting. These children had been taken in by the government and placed in orphanages. Rich factory owners approached these leaders and proposed the idea of taking in children. This idea included feeding, housing, and providing for those children in exchange for the children’s work in their factories. These children were paid no wage for the work they did. Their compensation was for basic needs and it was considered enough. In many cases, it was just barely enough to survive on. These children were subject to unhealthy working conditions, long hours, and harsh punishment. It has been estimated, as much one-third of the workers in the country mills during 1784 were these children. The employers gained cheap labor and the children received a basic education. * These are excerpts taken from the Museum of Childhood.
The invention of the steam engine led to the relocation of mills to larger towns. This shift created new employment opportunities for workers. These opportunities included positions for children from the lower class. These families were struggling to make ends meet and could benefit from any additional income. Factory owners began employing these children for extremely low wages, in some cases as little as a penny a day. This group of workers was referred to as “free labor children.”
Children were considered ideal employees in the workforce as they were young and easily taught new tasks. Often, they were obedient and respectful of authority. Factory owners needed a large number of workers at a very low cost. They considered children to be of minimal maintenance. This made child labor appealing. Unfortunately, children were not treated well. They were overworked and underpaid for a long time. Efforts to improve their conditions were long in coming. This harsh treatment led to fewer rewards. It also caused increased instances of sickness, injury, and death due to poorly regulated child labor. Children were paid only 10% to 20% of an adult man’s wage, making them an inexpensive labor source.
Families, trapped by poverty, were forced to send their children to work in poor conditions for equally poor pay.
Some of the jobs and ages (if available) of children workers are as follows:
Children worked in various roles. They were domestic servants, apprentices, and assistants. Some children worked in agriculture. Others worked in coal mines. Most children who worked in coal mines and iron mines died before they reached the age of 25. Others worked as match girls (4-16), in nail factories, and as breaker boys. Many were farmers or worked on construction sites, in shipyards, and as chimney sweeps.
Child chimney sweeps often had to crawl through holes only 18 inches wide. Master sweeps commonly lit fires under them to make them climb faster. Many boys and girls fell to their deaths. These children were young and small. Generally around the age of 3 or 4. Working in chimneys was both dangerous and unhealthy. Often, chimney sweeps had to work without clothes because the flues were so narrow that clothing could become caught. The risks associated with this job included cancer, suffocation, burns, stunted growth, and deformed joints. Most of the time, workers were not paid or even provided with food. They were also not permitted to wash the soot from their bodies or clothes.
In coal mines small boys and girls lead ponies up the tunnels. Some tunnels were too small for ponies. Children pulled the carts filled with coal over long distances. They moved through very small tunnels. Girls were often used for this work. The chain around their waist caused damage to their pelvic bones, distorting them and making them smaller. This often proved fatal in later life when many of them died in childbirth.
Children in glassworks were regularly burned by the intense heat. The heat blinded them as well. Meanwhile, the poisonous clay dust in potteries caused them to vomit. It also made them faint.
Children who worked in the mills faced these atrocities: Eye inflammation, lung disease, deafness, tuberculosis, mule-spinners’ cancer, and body deformities.
During the labor shortage factory owners had to find other ways of obtaining workers. One solution was to buy children from orphanages and workhouses. This selling of children involved the children signing contracts that virtually made them the property of the factory owner. Large textile mill owners bought many children from orphanages and workhouses. This happened in all the large towns and cities. By the late 1790s, about a third of the workers in the cotton industry were these poor children.
Wages and work hours:
Children as young as six worked hard hours for little or no pay. Workdays would often be 10 to 14 hours with minimal breaks during the shift.
The conditions that children worked under during the Industrial Revolution were morbid. They had long and inflexible work hours. According to many studies, these hours ranged from 14 hours a day or 70 hours per week.
As early as 1798, cotton mill owners in New England employed young children. They were aged 7-12. The children worked around 12 hours a day. These children also picked cotton out in the fields. Some claim that the official age for children to begin working was 6, but church records reveal that children actually started at ages 4 or 5.
Many children worked 16-hour days under atrocious conditions. Children sometimes worked up to 19 hours a day, with a one-hour total break. The treatment of children in factories was often cruel and unusual, and the children’s safety was generally neglected. Factory owners justified their lack of wages by claiming they provided orphans with food, shelter, and clothing. However, these offerings were of very poor quality. For those children who did receive payment, the amounts were minimal.
Children working in factories had very little time to eat, usually only about half an hour for breakfast and lunch. Therefore, their meals needed to be quick to consume and nutritious. Unfortunately, the diet of child factory workers provided very little nourishment. It offered barely enough energy to sustain them through their long hours of work. At that time, there were no supermarkets, refrigerators, or freezers. People had to shop daily from various stores such as butchers, greengrocers, and grocers. Often, food was delivered to homes by traveling milkmen, grocers, or pedlars.
It was common for children who worked in factories to work 12-14 hours with minimal breaks. Oftentimes, children were so tired they would fall asleep while toiling. The master in charge held a long metal pole. He would hit them or verbally abuse them if they fell asleep. This often resulted in broken limbs, shoulders, backs, and pelvises. Sometimes they were hit in the head cracking it open or killing them.
Additionally, “the children worked in environments that were unhealthy and dangerous to their physical well-being. Many lost limbs, were killed in gas explosions, crushed in or under the machinery, and burned. Some were even decapitated*”. *Quote from the Museum of Childhood.
Not until the Factory Act of 1833 did conditions begin to improve. Children were often paid only a small fraction of what adults earned. In some cases, factory owners did not pay them at all. Many of these children were orphans subjected to labor that resembled slavery. Most children were malnourished. They were susceptible to disease. Their life expectancy fell to just 29 years in the 1830s.
During the Industrial Revolution, diseases caused many deaths in cities. A chronic lack of hygiene, limited knowledge of sanitation, and a misunderstanding of the causes and treatments of diseases led to the devastating spread of illnesses such as cholera, typhoid, and typhus. As urban populations grew, the situation became increasingly dire.
From the inception of the first cotton mills, efforts were made to eliminate child labor. Various factors contributed to the change in child labor practices. Some notable public figures strongly advocated the use of child labor. Others pushed for its abolishment. At the very least, many sought improvement of conditions.
As a result, there came, The Factory Act. It began in 1802. Though it was to limit the hours children of certain ages could work. However, these changes to did not seem to help much.
Following is a list of these changes in 1802 taken from the Museum of Childhood.
The working day was to start at 5:30 a.m. and cease at 8:30 p.m.
A person aged 13-18 are only permitted to work a maximum of 12 hours per day
A child aged 9-13 may not be employed beyond any period of nine hours
Children under 9 were not allowed to work at all (children as young as 3 had been put to work previously)
From 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. (that is, during the night) the employment of persons was altogether prohibited
Children were to attend school for no less that 2 hours during the day
The government appointed paid factory inspectors to enforce the law. They ensured that people were following child work guidelines. The inspectors made sure acts were carried out and complied with.
Since 1802, The Factory Act has undergone many changes. These changes led to the child labor laws we have today. This began with the legislation in 1916 and continued through the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.
Child labor laws are continually being reformed. Currently, children aged 14 to 16 can work in specific occupations, but only during restricted hours. In contrast, those aged 16 to 17 may work unlimited hours, provided they are in non-hazardous jobs.
Time for critical thinking:
Now if all of this is propaganda, why then are there facts from many sources? Is child slavery still ongoing today? Are children still made to work to help the family? If you have children, would you want them to work because you need them to or because they want to? Touchy subject here indeed. But think over the history of child slaves. Were they more or less forced into slavery than any other slaves throughout history? Much to think about. Up to you.
On a personal note. I was made to go to work at 12 years old after my parents divorced. I had to hunt for our food, work as a maid, deliver papers on a paper route, and more. Did this cause me any ill harm physically or mentally? Not at all. I rather enjoyed doing this.
Now let me give a couple of my resources:
The Museum of Childhood
The Orphans Trains ( a movie/documentary).
Certain friends from when they were put into an orphanage and the abuse they endured.
And so many more through the years.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND FOR BEING A CRITICAL THINKER!
FREE RANGE THINKER 