Children in poor countries are often trained to perform acrobatics or dance colorfully to make content for viral videos

Children in poor countries are often trained to perform acrobatics or dance colorfully to make content for viral videos.

                   https://x.com/i/status/2022638024472006912

This phenomenon is a complex intersection of the digital creator economy, global poverty, and child welfare. While these videos often appear joyful or impressive on a social media feed, the "behind-the-scenes" reality raises significant ethical questions.

The Business Model of "Viral Content"

In many cases, these performances are organized by third-party agencies or "content farms." These groups scout talented children in rural or impoverished areas, provide them with choreography and music, and manage the social media accounts.

• Revenue Streams: Income is generated through ad revenue (YouTube/TikTok), direct fan donations, and "digital gifts" during livestreams.
• The Power Imbalance: A massive disparity often exists between the millions of dollars these channels can generate and the actual living conditions of the children and their families.

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Key Ethical Concerns

While some argue this provides a path out of poverty, critics and human rights advocates point to several risks:

• Education vs. Labor: Many of these children spend 8–10 hours a day practicing and filming, often at the expense of formal schooling.
• Physical Strain: Performing high-intensity acrobatics or repetitive dances for hours can lead to long-term physical injuries, especially without professional athletic oversight.
• Exploitation: There is rarely transparency regarding how much of the profit reaches the children. In some documented cases, children are coerced or treated as "props" rather than performers.
• Lack of Consent: Children may not understand the permanence of their digital footprint or how their image is being used to generate wealth for others.

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The Global Response

Social media platforms have been criticized for their slow response to "poverty porn" or content that potentially violates child labor laws. However, some changes are occurring:

1. Platform Regulation: TikTok and YouTube have tightened rules around "Minor Safety," sometimes demonetizing or banning accounts where children are the sole source of profit without a clear guardian presence.
2. Public Awareness: Viewers are becoming more skeptical. There is a growing movement to "investigate before you donate" to ensure funds aren't just lining the pockets of a production company.
3. Local Legislation: Countries like China and parts of Southeast Asia have begun cracking down on "Livestreaming Farms" that involve minors.

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How to Engage Ethically

If you enjoy the talent but want to ensure the creators are protected, look for:

• Verified Organizations: Support content from registered NGOs that use performance arts as a form of therapy or education (e.g., circus schools that provide housing and schooling).
• Transparency: Look for accounts that openly discuss their financial structure and show children in school environments, not just performing.

Gaza Notes

Since October 7, 2023, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has surpassed 1,050. 

According to recent data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA):

• Total Fatalities: At least 1,054 Palestinians have been killed between October 7, 2023, and early February 2026.
• Child Casualties: This figure includes at least 230 children.
• Settler Violence: A significant portion of these deaths—approximately 33 in late 2025 alone—involved Israeli settlers, sometimes acting alongside military forces.
• Detention Deaths: At least 28 of the total fatalities from the West Bank occurred while individuals were in Israeli detention. 

The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has expressed "serious concerns" over the spike in violence, noting that the lethality of recent military operations in the northern West Bank (such as in Jenin and Tulkarm) has reached levels not seen since the Second Intifada. 

Since the October 7, 2023 attacks, the United States has continued to supply Israel with thousands of heavy munitions, including 2,000-pound MK-84 bombs, BLU-109 bunker-buster bombs, and GBU-39 small diameter bombs, despite documented concerns regarding their impact on civilian populations. Reports indicate that over 15,000 of these bombs have been transferred to Israel. 

Impact and Capabilities of the Weapons

• MK-84 (2,000-pound bomb): These are large "dumb" bombs often equipped with Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits, designed to create large blast radii and destroy high-rise buildings.
• BLU-109 (Bunker Buster): Designed to penetrate hardened concrete structures before detonating, these bombs have been used in densely populated areas, leading to significant destruction.
• GBU-39 (Small Diameter Bomb): While more precise, these have also been used in attacks that resulted in high civilian casualties, such as the strike on the al-Tabin school.
• Human Impact: Investigations have indicated that these weapons, particularly when used in crowded, enclosed spaces, have caused "vaporization" of bodies and severe thermal injuries, leaving only small fragments of remains. The use of these 2,000-pound bombs in residential areas has been linked to the destruction of entire families. 

US Knowledge and Policy

• Administration Awareness: The Biden administration acknowledged the potential for "significant civilian devastation" caused by these weapons in densely populated areas, leading to a temporary pause of a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs in May 2024, particularly concerning a potential Rafah offensive.
• Continued Shipments: Despite these concerns, thousands of these bombs were delivered in the months following Oct 7.
• Resumption of Shipments: In early 2025, the Trump administration moved to lift the pause on these heavy bombs, allowing for the delivery of 1,800 MK-84 bombs to Israel.
• Reports of Misuse: A New York Times investigation found that US-supplied 2,000-pound bombs were used in some of the deadliest strikes in Gaza, and reports indicate they have been used in areas previously designated as safe zones. 

While some in the U.S. government argued for, and temporarily implemented, restrictions, the overarching policy has been to continue providing these weapons to Israel. 

Representation in Iran

Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly is the counterpart of parliaments in parliamentary systems and the US Congress in the American system. 

 There are no Baháʼí representatives in Iran's Islamic Consultative Assembly (the Majlis). 

Under the current Iranian legal and political system:

• Reserved Seats: The Iranian Constitution only recognizes Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians as protected religious minorities. These groups are allocated a total of five reserved seats in the 290-member parliament:
  • Two seats for Armenian Christians
  • One seat for Assyrian and Chaldean Christians
  • One seat for Jews
  • One seat for Zoroastrians
• Non-Recognition: The Baháʼí Faith is not recognized by the Iranian government, which often characterizes the community as a "political movement" or "espionage cell" rather than a religion. Consequently, Baháʼís are excluded from the reserved seat system.
• Election Barriers: All candidates for parliament must be approved by the Guardian Council, which requires candidates to demonstrate commitment to Islam or one of the recognized minority faiths. This effectively bars Baháʼís from running for any office.

In the 290-seat Islamic Consultative Assembly, there are exactly five representatives from the recognized religious minorities. 

The breakdown of these seats is as follows:

• Christians: 3 representatives
  • 2 seats for Armenian Christians (one for the North and one for the South).
  • 1 seat for Assyrian and Chaldean Christians.
• Jews: 1 representative.
• Zoroastrians: 1 representative. 

For the current (12th) Parliament, some of these specific representatives include: 

• Behshid Barkhodar (Zoroastrian) — notably the first female representative for religious minorities in the assembly.
• Homayoun Sameh (Jewish).
• Ara Shaverdian (Northern Armenian Christian).
• Geghard Mansourian (Southern Armenian Christian).
• Shaarli Anouyeh Tekyeh (Assyrian and Chaldean Christian).

About John Kiriakou

 

John Kiriakou is a former CIA officer, author, and journalist best known as the first U.S. government official to publicly confirm the CIA’s use of waterboarding. 

Key Background & CIA Career

• Role: He served as an intelligence analyst and operations officer (1990–2004), notably as Chief of Counterterrorist Operations in Pakistan after 9/11.
• Major Achievement: He led the 2002 raid that captured Abu Zubaydah, then believed to be a top al-Qaeda leader.
• Whistleblowing: In a 2007 ABC News interview, he confirmed that waterboarding was official U.S. policy approved by the White House, though he later admitted he had been misled about how many times it was used on Zubaydah. 

Prosecution and Imprisonment 

• Charges: In 2012, he was charged under the Espionage Act—the sixth such whistleblower under the Obama administration.
• Conviction: He pleaded guilty to violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act for disclosing a covert officer's name to a reporter.
• Sentence: He served 23 months in federal prison (2013–2015). He remains the only individual to serve prison time related to the CIA’s torture program, despite being the one who exposed it rather than performing it. 

Life After Prison & Controversies

• Advocacy: Since his release, he has been a vocal advocate for prison reform and an critic of the "National Security State."
• Media Work: He has hosted programs on Sputnik News (a Russian state-funded outlet), which he stated was the only place willing to hire him as a felon.
• Pardon Quest: He reportedly discussed a $2 million pardon deal with associates of Rudy Giuliani in 2020, which he declined.
• Authorship: He has written several books, including 
  The Reluctant Spy
   (2010) and 
  Doing Time Like a Spy
   (2017). 

Awards and Recognition

He has received numerous honors for his actions, including the Joe A. Callaway Award for Civic Courage, the PEN Center USA First Amendment Award, and the Sam Adams Award for Integrity in Intelligence

https://youtu.be/2z4i2yynAs4?si=lCfqCSuB8N3a_Goc