Dawn: Most societies in Animalia have flirted with child labor now and again, though granted that was usually relegated to times of significant strife in a nation, and Zootopia was no real exception. However, due the diversity of species and the subsequent sizes of those species, you tended to see more exploitation in that regard.
Vernon: I mean, why would y'all could hire one average-sized mammal to do a job, er' three smaller mammals to do the same job fer the price o' that one average mammal, right?
Dawn: Exactly, smaller mammals required less food and resources, and so they could get by on a great deal less than a larger mammal. That said, it often meant that these smaller mammals were pushed harder due in order to keep up with their larger counterparts, which would often lead to many more injuries and death. The rodent classes in Roarope were hit especially hard by that sort of exploitation, as many of those nations saw them as entirely disposable to their sheer numbers. And, I'd be lying if I said Zootopia didn't have its own sordid history with that sort of thing...
Vernon: It's sad...but I suppose every civilization has its growin' pains.
Dawn: It's true, Every country has skeletons in its closet, or rather built into its foundation. And while it's important not to forget such horrible incidents occurring in our past, one shouldn't dwell so deeply on them that we forget just how far we've all come, and the good that has also been done. And in that right Zootopia was ahead of the curve in terms of doing away with that sort of exploitation, as well as streamlining our economic systems with things like the minimum wage and worker's rights, with places like North Mammalia quickly following suit around the turn of the century.
Vernon: But Roarope held out right?
Dawn: Somewhat. Due to the plague and the war naturally the...whole view on the 'value of smaller mammal's lives' was still...rather skewed. I mean, there are still nations in Roarope that won't allow any rodent, or related species beyond their borders. However, with rodents blocked out, exploitation was next to non-existent in those places. The other nations which still held its share of detractors of allowing rodents to remain in their countries struggled with mammalian rights issues and worker's rights for smaller mammals for decades after, even in nations like Great Kitten or Prance.
Vernon: As fer that...newspaper thang, I think y'all were right about it bein' in Zoo york. I don't thin we had anythin' like that here...at least as far as I can remember. Er...*Chuckles* History wasn't my favorite subject unless it had to do with the Volkings...
Dawn: Well, we had an incident in 1902 that was in the same vein. The incident also became one of the foundational talking points that led to drafting Zootopian workers' rights. "The pressing of 1902'", which involved a printing press staffed by overworked rats, mice and rabbits. If I recall, the inciting incident was one of the rat workers getting caught in the printing press, and subsequently crushed to death when the owner refused any calls to stop the presses and interrupt production. When his crushed remains came out the other side of the press, *shudders* embedded into the front page of one of the papers, and the owner ordered them to set it aside and get back to work, that was the breaking point. Many of them began striking on the spot, and those that remained only did so long enough to snap a photo of the fallen worker and begin printing an exact duplicate on every front page under the foreman's nose in order to get the attention of the Zootopian public.
Vernon: Grisley...
Dawn: Grisley, but effective. The owner of the paper was jailed shortly after, but the strike continued with other smaller mammals walking from their own companies with similar stories of abuse. At that point, the strike became too big to paw wave, and the support of larger mammals helped bring in a wave of sweeping reforms in the way the industry was operated, which of course, as I said, would act as a stepping stone to universal workers' rights and the formation of various unions.
Vernon: Y'know Darlin', iffin' there's ever a lull in yer writin', I'd think y'ad make a right fine teacher too. Yer so smart.
Dawn: Aww...That's sweet of you to say Puppy. But...I don't think there'd be many parents out thier who'd be willing to let thier lambs be a pupil of Dawn Bellwether.
Vernon: Hunter-Bellwether.
Dawn: *Giggles* Right.
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