>We aren't going to make children work in mines, because (as I'm sure you know), adult workers and children are not the same thing.

once upon a time, this was not obvious. this modern moral axiom is a result of of hard-won labor organizing over the 19th century. all kinds of exploitative practices were justified with the exact same "the workers are being given an opportunity so they shouldn't complain" argument. it's not an analogy.

taking advantage of people because they don't have any other options is the definition of exploitation.