What is social capital?
Q: What is social capital?
A: Social capital is the willingness of people to help each other, often in place of money.
Q: How does society benefit from having plenty of social capital?
A: When there is plenty of social capital, society works best and there are fewer social problems.
Q: What happens when there is no social capital?
A: When there is no social capital, war and revolution can result. People who have no money may be forced to do things they don't want to do or force others to do things they don't want to. Organized crime, forced labor and slavery can grow as a result.
Q: How can someone earn social capital?
A: Someone can earn social capital by making friends with those who have it and helping them out when needed.
Q: Who are seen as trying to get a free ride?
A: Those who are seen as trying to get a free ride without actually helping will get much less help from others.
Q: What kind of person is called a 'social parasite'?
A: A person who tries to earn social capital by making friends with those who have it but without actually helping them out is referred to as a 'social parasite'.
Q: What happens when too many people act like 'social parasites', especially politicians?
A:When too many people act like 'social parasites', especially politicians, people begin to mistrust their government and look for direct revenge instead of working with political parties for change.
