Are capitalists more like predators or parasites for society?

-are they killing the host or just weakening it a little?cannibalsCapitalists are predators who want slave labor and received it until the workers started fighting back and formed unions worldwide. The entire world in the early 1900's fought to unionize which got people out of poverty and yet the industry continued to flourish. The early history of the Peabody Coal company and the garment factories in 1900 New York tells the facts about a Capitalist society. Those less sophisticated individuals that ignore history will be forced to repeat it.
In the 1620s, William Bradford, the leader of the Plymouth/Massachusetts Bay colony had a problem. All of the colony's food was being produced on a single communal farming field, and all of the colonists were expected to contribute to the work. They nearly starved. Then he had a brainstorm. He divided the group farming field into individual plots, and told each family that if nothing was produced on their individual plot, then they themselves would starve, and no one else would be obligated to feed them.

Guess what? Soon there was a super abundance of food. Some had more food than others, but no one even came close to starving.

Capitalism is the only system that produces widespread prosperity. Just look at the modern day Korean peninsula. The North and South have essentially identical people, culture, weather, resources, etc. etc., yet the capitalist South is a thriving 1st world economy with gleamingly clean modern hospitals, schools, and super highways, while the communist North is steeped in abject poverty. As Yogi Berra once said, "That's like deja vue all over again." It is the Massachusetts Bay Colony all over again.

Capitalists predators or parasites? No, no, they are the engine of prosperity for everyone.

@Alyssa: I have read the actual diary of William Bradford and what I have said above is what he actually said. The Massachusetts pilgrims were NOT a bunch of wealthy bums, unaccustomed to hard labor, although I cannot dispute the circumstances of the Virginia colony. Nevertheless, it is a fact that the wealthy bums of both colonies became hardworking productive people under capitalism when before they nearly starved under socialism. That is a fact that cannot be disputed. It is unfortunate that even when the truth stares you in the face, you don't believe it. You must really love socialism.
Depending on the industry, they can be either.



Corporate welfare where companies obtain contracts with the federal government to provide makework projects could be cut immediately. Paying companies to advertise in world markets when they should be paying their own ad budget. Farmers taking money to not grow crops.



Come on! There are far better things to spend tax dollars on than subsidies to companies that don't need them, then give them tax breaks.



The business tax code needs to be tossed out the door and a new one written. One that cuts the companies off at the pass!



I've nothing against socially responsible success. That benefits everyone. But that's rare in the U.S.
Parasites. They need us to feed them.



@thomas f: Read and learn: http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2010/鈥?/a>



Edit: Regardless of what actually happened in Plymouth, there can't be socialism without there first being capitalism. The Pilgrims went from something that wasn't socialism, to something that wasn't capitalism, and this whole story proves nothing.
According to a Sen. Jeff Sessions staffer on the budget committee, the Reid debt ceiling proposal hikes the debt ceiling $3 for every $1 it cuts, and would be the largest such increase in the country's history.
of the two...they are more like predators.



but a country's economy functions much better filled with predators than filled with parasites.
isnt yahoo answers a result of capitalism? isnt everything in the world that is worth buying like cars,computers or airlines a result of capitalism?
Both, though if I must chose one then I would say parasite because "capitalist never work! They exploit hard workers to do it for them" and it takes hard work to be a predator
They provide goods and services to people who CHOOSE to consume.



feel free to grow your own food, slaughter your cows, churn your own butter, make your own soap, drill for your own oil,. etc etc etc
Predators that prey on everything in their path.
Parasites: They need workers to gain wealth.
both! good question!
Nothing in the Cupboard tonight?
Yes.





buckeye
Capitalists are not a single entity but a group consciousness of like minded individuals. Sometimes they work together for their common goal of greed, power, and wealth at all cost, but in general each and every individual Capitalist is out only for me, myself, and I. They will sell their own children if it meant that they could make an extra billion. They are out for profit above all, not to provide the best goods possible but to make the most profit possible with as little opposition as possible.



In reality they are like Parasitic Predators.
capitalists are the foundation to a prosperous growing enriched society.
predators ... killing the host
Neither. They're more like providers.
Still got nothing huh?