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by int3rnaut 5254 days ago
I really like your story man, and I'm glad you're succeeding but I just wanted to voice my opinion on one of the things you said-- "Back at home I immediately found out the cards were worthless. I had paid the kid $100 for the cards, and eventually pestered him". Even if the kid knew, I think it's wrong for an adult to come back and reneg on a deal with a child. There's a big power imbalance there. You seem like a great guy, I just kind of found that a bit unethical.
3 comments

I disagree. Letting the kid get away with this teaches that there won't be any consequences to questionable actions.
Exactly. The kid was a junior in high school. I'm 30 years old. It wasn't like I was picking on some little kid. The sooner someone gets called out for stuff like this the better.
If a kid acts unethically, its your duty as an adult to correct a wrong, and if needed, discuss the kid's actions with his parents.
You know what, I agree but there's a right and wrong way to approach the problem, especially with kids. I mean that's why parents should be involved in the first place in situations like this.
The kid was old enough to engage in meaningful financial transactions. There's always _some_ power imbalance in any kind of meaningful transaction - that doesn't mean that the person on the weaker side has the prerogative to act unfairly.