> Is HN being invaded by trolls? I see more comments like the above than I used to.

No HN has always been extremely classist like that, it's the startup world where "we're just an app" and humans that aren't engineers or entrepreneurs are seen as yet another disposable resource to be exploited in order to fake it till you IPO...

This is not the worst dehumanizing comment I've seen on this website, unfortunately.

It's probably true though? Refusing to use child labor is not going to help those kids.

> It's probably true though? Refusing to use child labor is not going to help those kids.

the "at least the slaves aren't starving" argument. Maybe if westerners paid them a bit more, which they can afford, their parents would send these kids to school instead.

The alternative that most people go for is generally to pay people in higher wage economies - worsening the lack of opportunity in low wage economies.

"low wage" is meaningless. Parents need to be able make a living wage so that they don't have to send their young kids to the factory instead of school.

Have you accounted to imoact on theur future earnings from missing on education, from work-related accidents and injuries, trapping them in an eternal cycle if poverty?

I live in a poor country like this -- it's odd to me that there is a huge stigma against giving even a few dollars directly to beggar children, but if it's a factory paying them the same amount for a day's work then it's ok for you as the consumer to indirectly pay that wage through your purchase.

The question realistically is: Would you send your kids to work in a factory?

If the choice is to otherwise let them starve, yes.