Monica Gnutek  

English IV 

January 21, 2019 

Ms.O’Kieffe & Ms.Robinson 

Smooching up to the Mooch 

It can be said that the way words can mean more than a few syllables put 

together is fascinating in and of itself. Some words in particular may roll off our 

tongues in an unfashionable manner. People do not often think twice of how much 

power words have in our everyday lives. Words can have an impact to a certain 

group of individuals. Yet, how far can one go to use ambiguous euphemistic 

language, that appears to mean one thing to the general population but has a more 

specific resonance for a targeted subgroup.  

You may have heard from time to time, your parents might have even called 

you it—a​ moocher​. Thinking to oneself, being in complete shock, having might this 

be your first time hearing this term? It is not so commonly used in everyday 

exchanges, but when the moocher is brought up, it takes great impact on a 

particular batch of people. People who tend to aimlessly wander without thought of 

what to do next. Leaning more towards young lethargic individuals such as 

teenagers to young adults.  

 

The tendency for people to use the racially coded word “ Moocher” in 

regards to people of color reflect the prejudicial application of the term and the 

consensus attitude towards specific demographics. But it is a dog whistle term, it is a 

deliberate subtle attempt to subconsciously sway people’s thoughts and beliefs 

towards a targeted category of people. “There are different ways to phrase it, but 

the heart of the tea party idea is the belief that American social welfare programs 

have destroyed our economy and social compact. By providing money and services 

to vast numbers of Americans, Washington has corrupted the core values of 

self-reliance, independence and liberty that are the foundation of the American 

experience.”(Huffington Post) Due to the term moocher being applied mainly to a 

certain race(s), it rose in popularity with increased welfare reform. It can be said that 

people think negatively towards government funds being allocated to a certain color. 

Therefore it is inherent that moocher is intended to apply to a specific group.  

The more conservative tend to use the word m

​ oocher​ to describe somebody 

who lives off others like a parasite. Ever since the 20th century, ​moocher s​ till retains 

the same definition and is still used by the same people. M

​ oocher​ is a word that has 

been used quite frequently in contemporary history by political icons and ordinary 

citizens alike. “The editorial by Jan Fleischhauer titled ‘the moochers of Rome’ is 

seething with contempt… those who finance their dolce far niente lifestyle with the 

money of others.”(Breitbart) Der Spiegel, a German weekly news magazine, 

published an article, sparking up a war of nerves between Germany and Italy with 

an insolent and jeering article accusing the Italians of being ungrateful “moochers” 

who are pulling Europe into a crisis reminiscent of Greece’s. The application of the 

word m
​ oocher​, by those who are politically engaged, towards a particular individual 

or group illustrates a government's attitude on the socioeconomic status of the 

aforementioned individual or group. 

Teachers might have told you “ watch your potty mouth, keep it clean” when 

talking to an acquaintance in class. Not only do teenagers and young adults use such 

foul language, but political leaders have a tendency to include profanity and other 

distasteful language in their speech and rhetoric. “ Every senior Trump official stands 

to gain financially by his proposed tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires – an 

underlying conflict of interest that would let them ‘mooch’ off the poor and 

middle-class families who would be hurt as a result...Trump himself is the 

Moocher-in-Chief, monetizing his presidency to the limits of the law and beyond. He 

even skimmed from a fundraiser by holding it at a Trump Hotel so the family 

business could profit from it.” (Huffington Post). ​Moocher​, in a political context, can 

apply to politicians that take advantage of their constituents, and is not necessarily 

limited towards an ordinary person.  

Moocher h
​ as a negative connotation which bolsters the condescending effect it 

has when included in rhetoric. The usage of m

​ oocher​ serves to patronize someone 
or something by arousing feelings of shame, dishonor, and deficiency within that 

particular individual or group. ​Moocher ​is largely a derogatory term and used when 

somebody believes one is not contributing as much as they should and taking 

advantage of available resources. On the topic of the amount of states utilizing 

income redistribution programs, an author from Breitbart writes, “One obvious 

(albeit crude) way of addressing this problem is to subtract each state’s poverty rate 

to get a measure of how many non-poor people are signed up for 

income-redistribution programs. Let’s call this the Moocher Index...Four of the top 

five states on the Moocher Index are from the Northeast, as are six of the top nine. 

Mississippi also scores poorly, coming in second, but many other southern states do 

well” (Breitbart). The author believes that there is a correlation between people 

living in Northern states and people who are living above the poverty line and using 

income redistribution programs. The author goes on to call these people ​moochers​, 

firmly believing that the people signing up for the program are acting selfishly in 

their own self-interest and taking advantage of the system. M

​ oocher​ continues to be 

a subtle yet powerful word used by many, including the author of the Breitbart 

article, to demean others of their integrity. 

 
 

Works Cited 
  

Brodsky, Richard. “Moochers, Makers, Boehner, Rand and Obama: Getting to a Real 

Debate With the Tea Party.” ​The Huffington Post​, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 

Jan. 2014, 

www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-brodsky/moochers-makers-boehner-r_b_4

077188.html. 

Eskow, Richard (RJ). “The Mooch, The Donald, And The Goldmanization Of 

Government.” ​The Huffington Post​, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 28 July 2017, 

www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-mooch-the-donald-and-the-goldmanizatio

n-of-government_us_597b3d2ae4b06b305561cfbc. 

“MOOCH | Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary.” ​Cambridge Dictionary​, 

dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/mooch. 

Mitchell, Dan. “Vermont and Northeastern States Dominate the Moocher Index.” 

Breitbart​, Breitbart News Network, 17 June 2010, 

www.breitbart.com/politics/2010/06/17/vermont-and-northeastern-states-do

minate-the-moocher-index/. 

Williams, Thomas D. “Germany's Der Spiegel Calls Italians Ungrateful 'Moochers'.” 

Breitbart​, Breitbart News Network, 7 June 2018, 

www.breitbart.com/europe/2018/06/07/germanys-der-spiegel-calls-italians-

ungrateful-moochers/.