Free Leftovers in the Kitchen...

Free leftovers in the kitchen...
Timbits in the kitchen...
Birthday treats in the kitchen...
Coffee break beginning now in the kitchen...

The flurry of activity that these sorts of emails at my workplace cause, as droves of people rush to the kitchen to get their 'free eats', is nothing short of overwhelming sometimes.

Sad how an email along the lines of:

"Petition to urge our government to take action against the $10 Billion US a year crime of human trafficking (up to 4 million people worldwide per year) available in the kitchen for you to sign."

...doesn't invoke quite the same reaction.

Earlier this week, I attended an information session about human trafficking, where I learned some really horrifying things, such as:

• human trafficking (the buying and selling of human beings) is the 3rd largest industry in the world (after weapons and drugs)
• global revenue from this industry is approximately $10 billion US per year
• up to 4 million people per year are victims of this crime
• most victims (often poor, uneducated, and desperate) are promised jobs and a better life to go with these traffickers, only to be forced into slave labour, prostitution (and other forms of sexual exploitation) etc.
• human trafficking (in and out) happens in CANDADA, with about 1500-2200 people per year being trafficked into the United States
• approximately 25-30% of these trafficked people are children
• etc. etc. etc.

Perhaps not everyone shares my feeling of horror at the realization that 'slavery' in its many forms is worse than ever in the world today. Or maybe it is simply easier for some people to stick their heads in the sand and pretend that it doesn't happen and doesn't affect their lives. Perhaps I don't have the right to be angered by the fact that so few people are willing to do such a simple thing as sign their name to a piece of paper that says they don't accept this crime and that they would like steps to be taken to stop it. But I can't help but wonder what reservations anyone would have about doing it. Surely, the average Canadian citizen can not be supportive and accepting of this kind of treatment of human beings. And if they are not, why would they choose not to sign a petition against it? Maybe they feel it will not make a difference, that the problem is too huge to be controlled and that their signature will not make a difference. Who knows? But what if it could make a difference? For the little effort it takes, isn't it worth attempting to do something rather than nothing?

To say that my request for people to sign this petition had less than desirable results would be pretty much the understatement of the year. I guess maybe the email should have read...

FREE TIMBITS WITH EACH SIGNATURE...

What's with Teenagers Nowadays?

My teenage son (almost sixteen) just got his first job. He has worked two whole shifts and is already complaining about how much he hates having a job and how it takes up too much of his time. By the time he takes the bus to school, attends school, takes the bus to work, works, and then takes the bus home, there is no time left for him. He is also complaining about how he needs to hang out with his friends etc. Funny how a few weeks ago he needed a job and needed money. Now this job (that only pays $7.50 an hour) is somehow unworthy of his time.

I spoke to another friend of mine whose son (roughly the same age) has been working for about two months now and has had similar complaints. The job takes up his 'me' time. The weekends are for him - to relax, play video games and sleep. He shouldn't have to work and he shouldn't have to use his own money to buy clothes or anything like that. He is already planning to quit the job (though his mother has told me that won't happen) to take the summer off.

It blows me away when I compare what it was like when I was that age. From the age of 15 on, I have pretty much always worked. My mother didn't have to push me to get a job. I wanted to have one. I wanted my own money and I wasn't afraid to have some responsibility. I often took a bus to work right from school and worked until 10:00 at night. I managed to keep up my homework and get good grades. I still managed to have time with my boyfriend and my friends, in spite of having a job. I bought most of my own clothes and things and I saved my money to pay for most of my college education. When I finished college (back in about 1988) and got married at the age of 20, my first full time job paid less than what my son now earns as minimum wage. Now I realize this is going back a few years, but come on. $7.50 as a student for a part time job is nothing to sneer at. What the heck does he expect?

It scares me when I think about how kids expect to have everything given to them these days. They don't think they should have to work for anything they have and they should be paid lots of $$$ from the get go. There's no such thing as working up to a decent pay or working hard to earn it. After all, just by being born, it is apparently their God-given right to be paid top dollar for minimal effort.

What the hell have we done to our kids???