Predators and Scavengers (Article Sample)

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Article Review: ‘Predators and scavengers’ by Richard Swift
In his article, Swift argues that the predator eclipsed the scavenger and became the dominant way of life in the universe. Swift urges us to compare our predecessors, the Homo erectus, who majorly depended on a scavenger life and existed for 1.8 million years, with the current Homo sapiens who have only stayed in the world for 70,000 years. We will find out that the current environmental condition that has resulted from the activities of the Homo sapiens is worrying and will not continue to sustain life and allow man to break this record if the situation persists. Amidst all these, Swift draws our attention to what Sale says about the situation, that there is a possibility of the scavenger life coming into existent, and this is what can save the situation. He supports the writer’s ideas by forming sound and logical arguments backed by relevant and convincing examples of the current way of life that lays ground for a ‘scavenger revival’.
In his analysis, Swift sees a broader picture of what the scavenger life entails. The microcredit business is a clear example since what happens in this kind of environment clearly portrays scavenger way of life. Swift argues that in this kind of business, what happens is that individuals just identify ‘anything’ and reshapes or modify it to something that can sell. Does this show you how these individuals scavenge? Picking ‘just anything’ is what happens in a scavenging life where scavengers just pick on anything, be it metal, stones, bottles, household wastes and finds creative ways of recycling them into valuable items that can earn them money. He further gives an example of what happens in most cities of North America, where scavengers pick through refuse for anything that can be turned to money. These individuals ‘boast’ that a good night’s pick can yield about $50CITATION Ric101 \p par.13 \l 1033 (Swift par.13). It shows how this group has found a way of survival, and this kind of life is likely to persist.
Similarly, Swift argues that the world’s largest population has become ‘surplus to requirement’_ a phenomenon that forces this section of the population to engage in scavenging for their survival. He illustrates this by the kind of scenario seen in major cities across the world. He asserts that though it is a degrading venture, individuals engage in it because they have no otherwise. What happens is that these individuals turn to the dumps and just pick anything that can be of benefit. He gives an example of the Manila’s Payatas that acts as a source of income to nearly 150,000 peopleCITATION Ric101 \p par.12 \l 1033 (Swift par.12). This kind of endeavor does not earn much and is dangerous, yet these individuals turn to it. How disheartening? Since this is what happens around the world, do you see a possibility of scavenger revival? I think these few examples clearly illustrate what this hopeless population does, scavenging for their daily bread. According to world statistics, the ratio of the poor class to the wealthy class increase every year CITATION Sta141 \l 1033...