One of the contentions that international exchange students always make when they first arrive in Alexander Hall is towards the lack of their perception of American’s culture. Maybe they don’t see our American culture because our true culture doesn’t arise in our populous until we’re out of our education. Our true culture is our economic culture and it only arises when we start working.
I think we should start getting our culture up and running at a younger age. This doesn’t mean getting rid of all child labor laws would be okay. After all, we don’t want to go back to nine-year-olds working the spool machines at textile plants. Instead, we need to create a safe environment that would introduce our children to a working environment so that our business culture can foster a younger age.
My idea is based off “the lemonade stand.” Lemonade stands are successful for children because of two main factors. First, the kids are cute, and it’s hard to turn down a product from a small child. Second, lemonade stands usually take advantage of location, location, location! By taking advantage of those same two factors, we can create an institution that is successful and employs community kids.
Although we have zoning laws that prevent business from cropping up right next to our suburban homes, we should allow child-founded businesses to exist in the communities. Is it unreasonable to imagine a suburb with a little ice-cream stand ran by a soccer mom and kids looking for some business experience? Of course, we may need to wave some of the minimum wage laws to make some of the businesses successful, but the goal of establishing the business culture at a younger age would be established.
In a day and age when we hear constant complaints of America’s youth spending too much time indoors playing videogames, it be better to begin teaching them the value of working together with employees to accomplish a goal. Even if a child only worked for one hour a day during the school week, that one hour of being out of the house would be a taste of an alternative to being in the house. Maybe on the way to work at the ice-cream shop, the kids would see the basketball hoop at the park. Maybe they’ll walk by the local library. Maybe just seeing what is in the community will make the youth of America will see that they can become a part of the community.
Like a regular job, no one has to apply for a job if they don’t want one. I think North Carolina should just let it be an option for little suburb communities that have motivated moms that can spend the time to organize a little business venture for their kids. The first step would need changes in the zoning laws to allow businesses with this specific purpose to come about. The second step would be for activists groups to organize these community building children stores.
The American culture is defined by businesses, hard work, and cooperation. The best way for us to increase our culture and improve the overall effect is to start the process earlier. Education can teach children only so much. But education doesn’t show Americans what having a job entirely entails like actually having a job.
