People want freeloaders punished, study finds

[Warpy]

WASHINGTON - People's ideas of a happy, cooperative society in which no one gets punished fall apart as soon as a few freeloaders show up, researchers reported on Thursday.

Although most volunteers in a study first chose to join a group that did not use punishment, most eventually left for a group that fined transgressors, the team at the University of Erfurt in Germany and the London School of Economics in Britain found.

Former freeloaders were some of the most enthusiastic converts to the punishment mode, the researchers found.

When the game ended after 30 rounds, the people in the punishment group had donated an average of 18 tokens per round, while the live-and-let-live group had almost no members, and those who remained donated three tokens to the public good on average per round.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12188869/

The next time you're arguing with a libertarian about the invisible hand of the marketplace and voluntary charity leading to Utopia, steer him toward this little article.

[tanyev]

1. Yeah, my ex-husband sure hated freeloaders, too.

He would make all kinds of remarks when they talked to someone on the news who he figured was a whining freeloader. Funny thing was, he wasn't employed at the time and I was working two jobs and his mother sent us money every month. The icing on the cake was when he sent a campaign donation to Oliver North from the money I was working so hard to earn.

Nope, don't miss him at all.

[rinsd]

2. By the same token show it to socialists.

Further proof the Aristotle was right, moderation in all things is the key.

[Warpy]

4. The socialist group, where everyone was forced to give and keep

the tokens flowing, thrived. The libertarian group was down to "almost no members" and each round generated few tokens for the group well being.

That doesn't sound like an indictment of socialism.

However, anyone who advocates any totally pure system is nuts. Obviously the libertarian diehards need to be accomodated and a mixture of heavily regulated capitalism plus socialism is probably the best system.

After all, I am a pinko, not a red.

[Sammy Pepys]

5. YEah, but the socialist group was prospering by force, essentially.

I don't want people contributing to society because they're attempting to avoid punishment.

[Warpy]

6. "FORCE???" A penalty was paid by both the accuser and by

the target. The penalty was agreed upon by all. The former freeloaders were the most ardent supporters of the socialist group.

I don't think you can call a mutually agreed upon contract "force."

The libertarians proved their group was unworkable. The socialists thrived.

That's the bottom line.

[Sammy Pepys]

7. "One group of players punished members who did not share freely,"

Then it's not really "sharing freely", is it?

Taxes are one thing, but there's no virtue in compelled charity.

[bemildred]

3. So, high taxation doesn't destroy the economy?

And low taxation does?
And cooperation is better than competition?
Woo! These guys are in big trouble.