Brazilian Bikini Waxes Make Crab Lice Endangered Species :: Bloomberg

Human progress continues unabated!  It would seem that we are now close to eradicating pubic lice – a parasite that has plagued humanity for centuries.  It’s really an amazing achievement – surely it could not have been brought about by random individuals engaging in voluntary trade with only their own self-interests in mind, could it?  Something this impressive has to have been due to large government research grants, and social welfare programs, right?

Well, no.  Not at all.  The eradication of crabs is not due to some advanced medical procedure, but rather, to the growing trend worldwide of removing pubic hair, the habitat for the lice.  I’m no expert in social welfare programs, but as far as I know, no government anywhere has ever paid for people’s bikini waxes.  There are no hair removal stamps you can collect to subsidize this procedure, despite the fact that it could now be considered medically beneficial.  No, the bikini wax is one of the rare items you can purchase in today’s society that is almost completely unregulated.  The FDA does not have to approve waxing techniques.  You don’t need a prescription.  Customers pay in cash or cash equivalents, no complicated insurance forms are necessary.

And yet somehow, despite no government assistance whatsoever, the industry has grown from virtually nothing to thriving to an extent that it has single-handedly wiped out a harmful (and socially embarrassing) parasite.  Truly an impressive achievement for the free market, and more proof that humanity can accomplish great things if only the meddling statists would just get out of the way.