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Just because you call something a parasite doesn't make it bad for you. It might be bad, or good, or some of both, or depend on other factors at different times
by Brian_K_White 23d ago
Just because you call something a parasite doesn't make it bad for you. It might be bad, or good, or some of both, or depend on other factors at different times.
If you count cells and genes instead of mass, every human hosts more non-human life than human. Call them parasites and delete them and die.
- malfist 23d agoCalling a symbiot a parasite does not make it a parasite.
- krageon 23d agoGiven that you know these terms you must be aware we have invented different words for organisms that have mixed effects (positive and negative) on the host organism. Parasite, commensalist and symbiote. If you don't want folks who know these words to argue with you you should not use the wrong ones.
- malfist 22d agoFeel free to find an example of scientific literature referring to hookworms as either commensalist or symbiot in humans.
- Brian_K_White 22d agoFeel free to explain how the labels change the facts. Examples of beneficial effects have already been cited from "scientific literature". The argument was only to point out that just because labels are black & white doesn't mean life is black & white, and treating a label as reality is stupid. No one went so far as to say "everyone should go get hookworm". That would also be a stupid thing to say, and more to the point: a stupid thing to think anyone was saying.