Parasites and society

 

Arthur Sido has an article (excellent, as usual) about what he calls "Kleptoparasitism" in society.  Here's a brief excerpt.

When the "Great Society" and "War on Poverty" took shape, a new permanent parasite class formed: people, usually single mothers, who rely in part or in whole on government payments. As the decades have gone by this has become multi-generational with grandmas, moms and then their daughters living in public housing, paying for food with food stamps and receiving cash assistance.

Along came the roaring 1980s and the advent of a new category: the managerial-professional parasite class ... corporations began filling up with deadweight staffers, employees who did nothing to increase profitability or efficiency. This is epitomized by the explosion in "human resources" staffed by mostly women who have no idea how their employers make money and really don't care (see: The Parasite Class). When I left my last corporate job it was clear that a substantial percent of my co-workers were in this parasite class, not customer facing jobs but behind the scenes roles from human resources to "project managers". No one seemed to know what these people did or why we needed them but everyone was sure we did.

My point being that an increasing percentage of the adult population in the West contributes nothing of value and is instead a parasite that survives (and often thrives) on the productive members of society. 

But kleptoparasitism is a somewhat different beast in that this form of parasitism comes with either the implied threat of violence or overt violence to compel the host to support them. While a beggar on the street appeals to your sense of humanity, the kleptoparasite demands your wealth.

. . .

The "civil rights" parasites have begun to wantonly morph into kleptoparasites. Instead of stealing cameras and demanding food in return, they have been stealing from society with the threat of violence. The familiar refrain of "No Justice, No Peace" is a form of kleptoparasitism. Give us want we demand and keep giving it to us and maybe we won't burn down your city. They don't simply ask or cajole, they threaten. Give us what we want and we will give you your hat back and/or won't riot and block highways.

. . .

But what happens when the number of [kleptoparasites] gets too large in proportion to their potential victims or the victims get fed up with having their camera stolen over and over? Suddenly "No Justice, No Peace" stops working and the tourists say "**** it, burn the city down. I don't care anymore". The ecosystem is going to be in turmoil.

. . .

Soon the parasites will outnumber the host and then things are going to get ugly. What is a nation full of millions of middle aged White women who have worked in HR all of their lives combined with racial minorities who don't know how to support themselves going to do when the well runs dry? No one is really sure but it isn't going to be pleasant.

There's more at the link.  Go read the whole thing, and his first article on the subject (linked above).

He's right, of course.  I don't know what proportion of our society can be described as "parasites", but I reckon it's pretty large.  Indeed, the parasites probably already "outnumber the host".  After all, we know that as far back as 2012, "55% of Americans have received government benefits from at least one of the six best-known federal entitlement programs".  Inquisitr reported in 2013:

In early 1960 the United States government spent the equivalent of $24 billion in today’s dollars on entitlement programs, the Bureau of Economic Analysis notes. By 2010, expenses for the same types of aid had grown nearly 100 times larger. Even though the federal spending analysis took into account both population growth and the rate of inflation, social services spending has increased by a whopping 727 percent. The average rate of public aid increases at approximately 4 percent per year.

The WJC analysis also reports that in 2010 alone, a total of $2.2 trillion was spent on assistance programs.

Again, more at the link.

(I don't wish to suggest that all welfare or entitlement recipients are parasites, klepto or otherwise.  Many are not.  I've been one myself, after my crippling workplace injury in 2004, when I received workers compensation funds to pay for my (expensive) medical treatment and to replace my income - and I was devoutly grateful for them, believe me!  That sort of thing isn't abuse of the system, IMHO.  We need to distinguish between such recipients, and the real parasites who are just mooching off the system for all they can get.  For a start, the legitimate recipients are unlikely to loot!  They know better.)

Such parasites are the main reason why deficit spending by our government (whether Democrats or Republicans are in power - it makes no difference) is so high.  The people of this country want handouts of Government money, one way or another, and many of them will vote on that basis, supporting the party that promises the biggest handouts.  The fact that it's currently bankrupting America is neither here nor there, as far as they're concerned.

The big question right now is, with the economy tottering into recession (if not an outright depression), and America running out of people who'll buy its treasury bonds to prop up such government expenditure, where will the money for entitlements come from?  The answer is, it probably won't come from anywhere.  Sooner or later, the money will run out and the parasites will find themselves destitute.  What will they do at that point?

We've seen harbingers of what they'll do in previous events.  Remember the SNAP/WIC breakdown of 2013, resulting in the trashing of two Louisiana supermarkets?  Recipients of those benefits stole like there was no tomorrow, as soon as they thought they could get away with it.  If they find they're no longer getting benefits, what makes you think they won't steal again just as brazenly, because they believe they're "entitled" to take what they want?  If you want another blatant example, remember "Christmas in July" in New York City back in 1977?

We're going to see that, and much worse, if/when our benefit system becomes overloaded and breaks down.  If it goes on more than a day or two, I won't be surprised to see private homes invaded en masse and the residents' possessions stolen and trashed.  At that point, the choices are stark.  Either continue to pay benefits to those who are parasites on the system, or cut them off and apply strict discipline to those who riot and/or rob as a result.

If we go on paying, of course, there'll never be an end to it.  As Rudyard Kipling so wisely put it:

And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
   But we've proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
   You never get rid of the Dane.

"Kleptoparasites".  "Danes".  Whatever you call them, we have a problem to solve.

Peter