Nail Salon Exploitation Hoax

Wow.

The New York Times has pretty much just starting phoning it in.

People want to believe that these "exposes" are a way to help the poor.

But in fact these stories are just attempts by poorly educated humanities majors from expensive colleges, working in a deservedly dying industry, to lash out at the rich.

Even reading the original "story" on its merits, the chief outrage seems to be more about the wealth of the customers than the bad conditions of the workers.  Just having a job is "exploitative," in the view of the New York Times folks who have never had one. And that makes sense, in a way:  If you were a Social Work-Lit double major at Brown, the idea of actually creating value in a real job is pretty disgusting.

When Comdiments Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Have Condiments

So, schools are trying to "nudge" students toward eating more healthy foods.

But when the nudge doesn't work, they use a bludgeon.  School authorities are not really interested in nudging after all.  They want compliance.

Still, those rebellious little squeakers want lunches that they can actually eat.  Some of them have the audacity to bring to school (wait for it).... CONDIMENTS!  Salt, pepper, even sugar.

The obvious next step in a prison environment (and a public school cafeteria is pretty close to a prison environment) is exchange.  So the younglings are trading, and even selling, their salt and pepper, in an effort to make that mush somewhat edible.

Excerpt:

During a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, chaired by Rep. Todd Rokita (R., Ind.), a school administrator told Congress of the “unintended consequences” of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.

“Perhaps the most colorful example in my district is that students have been caught bringing–and even selling–salt, pepper, and sugar in school to add taste to perceived bland and tasteless cafeteria food,” said John S. Payne, the president of Blackford County School Board of Trustees in Hartford City, Indiana.

“This ‘contraband’ economy is just one example of many that reinforce the call for flexibility [with the rules],” he said.

Flexibility?   The new Mandarins in charge of school meals don't need no stinkin' "flexibility."  We need for you to do as you are told!  How can ya ha' any cupcakes, if ya won' eat yer meat?

The silver lining?  These new Mandarins are producing a generation of little subversives.  First they smuggle in salt, and next thing you know they may have their own ideas about government!