Can I earn $1 a day?
By Robin Lamb
@troyburns (1405)
New Zealand
November 29, 2015 3:22am CST
I know what you're thinking. That the folks who run this place can't afford to pay us as much as we'd like, and that what we're currently getting is fair. Hell, considering the quality of some of the stuff I produce, it's lucky I'm getting that much.
But I would like to think I could earn more than a dollar a day, maybe not tomorrow but one day soon. Maybe if I work more hours? Is 14 enough?
I don't want you to think this is special pleading though. I mean, it's not like I'm the only one hoping to get a reasonable payment for the work I do. In fact - and I don't know if you're aware of this - there are more than 250,000 of us kids hoping to earn more than a few cents a day. Millions if you include the grown-ups.
I guess it's too much to hope for. But sometimes hope is all you have. So I'll go on making those shirts and those dresses, those footballs and toys, the little things which add to your life, and I'll have hope in my heart as I'm dying each day.
22 people like this
25 responses
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
29 Nov 15
@troyburns I agree about the value being placed on a dollar here - people are getting really excited when they reach the redemption amount, but it's only peanuts really, especially when you realise how many hours are spent here.
For me it's not the actual cash that matters, it's the satisfaction of knowing that enough people have interacted with me to enable me to get there.
As you say about the payments - let's hope that they've got the balance right here.
Sorry I missed the point about the child labour at first.
5 people like this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
29 Nov 15
@jaboUK - Experiences elsewhere is one of the things this post is about. Overpayment can be as big a problem as underpayment - the trick is to find the right balance for everyone. I've found it very interesting to note the value we place on a dollar if it's honestly earned.
5 people like this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
29 Nov 15
@JudyEv - No, it wasn't about myLot at all but I didn't make my point well enough. Funny, it sounded much more clear in my head :)
2 people like this
@JudyEv (325818)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Nov 15
@troyburns I'm always doing this. I know exactly what I'm talking about but half the time no-one else does. Funny how people can be so dense! 
2 people like this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
29 Nov 15
Surprisingly, China is not in the top ten for child labor exploitation. The top ten worst countries are in the Middle East and AFrica, though many countries do not bother to enforce the child labor laws they have. In some statistics, they count child labor as including children up to the age of 17. My 16-year-old son was busy on Thanksgiving, filling out an application to work at a local restaurant. But, he will work part time and go to school.
4 people like this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
29 Nov 15
@Rollo1 - There are lots of ways to read the figures, so it's sometimes hard to pin down the worst exploiters. The problem is so widespread, but East Asia may still be the biggest culprit.
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
29 Nov 15
I think it is possible.
You will have to type like hell, and respond to a lot of discussion.
Even if you do not get to a dollar, 90 cents is still a very nice daily earning.
No harm trying. You can start now, and work very hard for a week or so.
2 people like this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
29 Nov 15
@scheng1 - Thanks for the encouragement, but this post has nothing to do with typing.
1 person likes this
@Auntylou (4264)
• Oxford, England
29 Nov 15
@troyburns Not one of your clearest posts!
1 person likes this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
29 Nov 15
@Auntylou - I'm getting that impression! That's it, no more posting after midnight.
@Bluedoll (16774)
• Canada
29 Nov 15
I'm confused sorry. You start out with myLot earning then in the third paragraph move to children (shouldn't children not be working but going to school) and I'm not sure who the 250 thousand are. The reference to making products I couldn't connect to the rest of the post. Help, sorry for the confusion.
2 people like this
@Bluedoll (16774)
• Canada
29 Nov 15
@troyburns It was the here that - thru me thanks for the clarification. The other comments did not help determine what here actually is, so wanted to ask.
A long time ago when on a bordertown tour in Mexico was surprised to see young boys out earning a living for their families shinning the shoes of the tourists. It was an accepted industry by all the people in the market place as a way of life. Most likely this is not the case in the sweatshops and considered an admirable profession. Many of the shiners were happy little boys learning English and social skills. Of course it all seemed very strange to me coming from a culture where education is a requirement.
3 people like this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
29 Nov 15
@Bluedoll - No problem. It's clear you read it all the way through, which seems to be a rarity so far. (I meant the start to be misleading -shhhhh) Interesting story you tell. I think it reveals the difference between culturally valid work and production line routine.
3 people like this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
29 Nov 15
@Bluedoll - I never said this had anything to do with myLot, but it's interesting that you thought so. 250,000 is the conservatively estimated number of children working in Asian and South American sweatshops who are earning a few cents each day while making the things we buy in our stores. Hope that helps.
3 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
29 Nov 15
Whoa, that went real negative at the end. What happened there, Robin? 
3 people like this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
29 Nov 15
@ElizabethWallace - My title has caused a lot of confusion so I've changed it. Does that change the way you read this?
4 people like this
@zebra2222 (5269)
• United States
29 Nov 15
Fortunately, I do not have to rely on my earnings from myLot. I'm only earning 10 to 20 cents per day.
2 people like this
@UmiNoor (4483)
• Malaysia
30 Nov 15
I have a feeling you might be talking about the sweatshops when I read the last paragraph about making shirts and dresses. Well, employers always want the cheapest labor but then the price of the products can be so staggeringly high. Just take the iphones as an example. Made in China but when sold in my country, the price is beyond the salary of even a graduate and because of the prestige of owning the iphone, this graduate would get into debt just to own an iphone.
2 people like this
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
30 Nov 15
I have hit a dollar a day here though not on days when I have had less time for being online - it can certainly be done
2 people like this
@wiLLmaH (8801)
• Singapore, Singapore
30 Nov 15
@troyburns a money to spare on some little pleasures.
1 person likes this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
30 Nov 15
That's good going. It all adds up to a nice bit of pocket money.
2 people like this
@vickyrose (2235)
• Cooma, Australia
30 Nov 15
it's a great diversion from the doldrums of life, the interaction is priceless so a dollar or even a portion of that is a bonus
2 people like this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
29 Nov 15
@Lucky15 - It seems unfair that some people need to work 14 hours a day just to make basic living expenses, don't you think?
1 person likes this
@jharris185 (1)
• Richardson, Texas
29 Nov 15
i dont think they will ever pay a dollar a day though the highest might be 50 cents a day if we are every lucky.
2 people like this
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
30 Nov 15
interesting twist that moves this from being about Mylot to being about sweat-shop employment conditions - the irony is they might earn more from this than their actual hard labour while for most of us the income from Mylot is quite a minor pleasant extra once a month.
1 person likes this
@WorDazza (15833)
• Manchester, England
30 Nov 15
Had a very interesting situation at a football club recently. The City Council threatened all sorts of action against the club if they continued their shirt sponsorship deal with a notorious payday lender. The same people seemed to have no problems with the team turning out in shirts manufactured by a company with a record of using labour such as you describe.
Seems like only the good old honest British 'poor' are worth taking action over.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
29 Nov 15
I won't give up my day job to play on the internet either. It might not be more fun but the day job is one you can count on.... money in the bank
2 people like this
