Yes, we're talking about birdshot fired from a pistol. And a parachute is simply a few square yards of nylon and string; no way you could use that to survive a fall from a great height. Bricks are just carefully assembled mud, and anybody that thinks you can build a warm, dry and secure shelter out of mud is clearly misguided. Penicillin is just bread mold and aspirin is bark from a willow tree, no way either of them could be used to cure disease or relieve pain, right?
The trick lies in engineering the package so that it performs a desired task, and let me tell you, Glasers are carefully engineered. They fly as a single unit with all of a bullet's aerodynamic and precision advantages, not a spread of shot. The size of the shot they contain is carefully balanced between penetration and energy transfer, and cannot be compared to birdshot fired in a pattern from a shotgun. The comparison is totally irrelevant and misleading. When a Glaser impacts it is engineered to disintegrate as rapidly as possible, transferring maximum energy in minimum distance ONCE IT HAS REACHED THE TARGET.
They are utterly devastating on exposed or lightly covered animals including humans as long as they're not wearing heavy winter clothing. I once used one in a revolver to finish off a wounded deer, and the effect was stunning (as was the damage to the entire thoracic cavity). Shot broadside through the ribcage, the heart looked like it was sausage and the lungs were shredded. The animal dropped in place without anther movement, DRT.
They are not useful against armored personnel; they have a poor track record against people bundled in heavy, heavy clothing. They will not shoot through even minor cover, which is both their greatest strength as well as their biggest weakness. They are very specialized, and are not optimum under all circumstances. They are also the absolute best ammunition for the exact circumstances described in the opening post.