Written and Research
by
John Cox, M.A. C/M
Throughout history, the existence of people who profit from the misfortunes or vulnerabilities of others is a near-universal sociological constant. Someone who uses other people’s troubles, defenseless beings i.e. humans or animals alike, exploitation of ignorant people, entire groups of conditioned-people via propaganda / advertising, weakness, disinformation campaigns, etc., as an opportunity to make money. Indeed “bottom-feeders” create chaos by reducing clarity, preventing growth (except for their growth, and stirring things up causing others to compete for resources.
Anthropologists and historians suggest that as social hierarchies and wealth emerge, opportunistic individuals inevitably find ways to exploit structural weaknesses for personal gain.
In the past, just as today (tremendous amounts of examples do exist), the “patterns throughout history”, and within reality, still exist. Public Lands here in America, for example, the Wild Horses, wildlife, waterways and rivers, to name just a few, and administered through exploitation by use of previous cultural heritage exploitation methodology in communication. The dynamics of Wilderness has changed, to exploit rather than enrich our Society and Cultural Development positively.
A look at the ubiquity of exploiters across different eras:
- Classical & Feudal Eras: Elites, warlords, and nobility often extracted disproportionate wealth by monopolizing land and leveraging taxes against impoverished agrarian classes.
- Colonial & Expansionist Periods: Profiteers frequently built fortunes on forced labor, the displacement of Indigenous populations, and uneven, extractive resource trade.
- Slavery & Human Trafficking: Yes, a blight in our World History, and almost every country has developed this, in one way or another throughout history, within many types of exploitation – even today.
- Modern Markets: Contemporary equivalents persist through predatory lending, insider trading, and corporate practices that prioritize short-term profit over fair labor practices or environmental sustainability.
- Global Plunder: Throughout history, imperial powers have enriched themselves by extracting minerals, labor, wildlife sacrificed, lands sacrificed, for the few, from territories meant for the general public, wilderness, and preservation of Natural Resources, and for social elitists to enforce the legitimacy of it all, even though morally and ethically questionable.
You and I can also discuss Global Supply Chains and transportation, as well as Market Opportunism, but rather, in this discussion, I have covered and exposed the Exploitative as well as “Bottom Feeder Mentality”, and the extreme lengths they will go to, for favorable monetary outcomes. Taking advantage of people, animals, and circumstances abusively, which indeed, has been a cultural travesty, and remains troubling within many societies.
The Greedy Win – The Honest Lose, which is a contradiction to almost every ethical and moral, as well as religious standard, we humans like to assume we live our life in harmony with . . .
The alternative term I use here, also applicable, “Bottom Feeder” within this context an idiom, describes people who are scavengers, or prey upon the base, unwholesome, or unfortunate aspects of society. Profiteering from Slaughter of Wildlife (i.e. Wild Horses, Bear, Wolves, Cougar, et al.) or the Overpopulating / Overkill ratios of Livestock, legal or illegal, within an unnecessary capacity, or overabundance, lack moral or ethical characteristics. While the specific mechanisms and legalities have evolved over time, human nature and economic incentives have continually created environments where these dynamics thrive.
These historical developmental aspects remain troubling, and one has got to be concerned about how Evolution can assist us, into something far better than exploitation of humans, and the destruction of our Natural World & Resources, we all live upon and within. The necessity is to make it a better place for all, not just a few.
Left “as is” becomes troubling. We seem to be evolving, as a “culture” into a deeply intertwined development of coercion, violence, and the unchecked-exploitation of power.
While societies continuously develop laws, labor standards, and other regulatory frameworks to mitigate these problems, the desire and drive by the wealthy, to exploit any and all circumstances of our life, remains pertinent, and a recurring element from the negative-side of Darkness, or what we call the human-condition and experience.” – John Cox, M.A. C/M
Preservation of America's Wildlife 