User:Woozle/positions/2013/government/prostitution metaphor

Government is like a pimp, and citizens are like whores. We have to do a lot of work, and the pimp generally doesn't, but we still have to pay the pimp whether or not he does a good job.

We might say to ourselves that this is stupid -- we don't need a pimp; we do all the work, what does the pimp do? He beats us when we don't perform up to spec, while claiming he's protecting us! We should just get rid of him!

Problem is, you kick out one pimp, another one will surely move in -- possibly much worse, since the one you had before was soft enough that you could get the better of him -- unless you somehow organize to hire your own security.

Oh, and brothel houses are a bit like democracy, since (a) the girls have (as I understand it) more freedom to leave than with a pimp (voting for another leader), and (b) the house mother is typically a former prostitute herself (sometimes not former), rather than being a special "leader" class that doesn't have to participate directly in the commerce-generating activity.

So historically we had pimps (kings and royalty), then we set up a brothel house so we'd have some control, but the pimps moved in and took over and we're heading back to square one (corporate royalty). We need something better than either scenario.

(originally posted on G+ 2012-04-06)