4 ms·
Because the government and businesses have slowly but surely been eroding the role of cash in our lives. Most people use checks or credit cards for big purchas
by csense 11y ago
Because the government and businesses have slowly but surely been eroding the role of cash in our lives.
Most people use checks or credit cards for big purchases. Most people are paid by check, and the exceptions are usually near minimum wage.
Nobody does big transactions in cash anymore -- even if you want to pay tens or hundreds of thousands in cash for a car, a house, or college tuition, if you show up with a briefcase full of cash, then your counterparty will tell you to put it in a bank and come back with a check because they're not set up to handle cash on their end.
Government policies are designed to encourage inflation, yet the government stopped printing $500 and larger bills in 1945 and has never continued them.
Most of the people who were old enough to remember the Great Depression and hoarded cash throughout their lives because of their experiences are old enough to be dead or in an old folks' home, and their hoards of cash have already been deposited in the banking system by their families. Living through the Depression hasn't been a "mainstream" experience for many decades, and the actions of those who did have been dismissed as "silly, irrational things that old people do."
Basically it's become so abnormal to have large amounts of cash that a lot of people agree with the government -- "if you're using a lot of cash, that's so abnormal, you must be involved in something illegal." It's so abnormal it activates our tribal instincts which cause us to de-humanize -- "That's not something that I would do, or anyone I know would do" -- it's much easier to accept the demonization of people who use cash.
Of course, this is just how the government and big business wants things to work -- all those bank deposits and credit cards are much easier to track. Think about all the junk mail you get based on your credit rating -- the marketing departments in those companies love the amount of information you're giving away about your finances.
- 1971genocide 11y agoI agree with your conclusion - but your premise of conspiracy is wrong. Using virtual Money is obviously much better than paper money. The difference is should it be centralized or de-centralized and anonymous ? The paradoxical economic problem with decentralized money is that the govt has no control over it. Which means during bad time its going to be very difficult for the govt to enact changes. We learnt it the hard way During the great depression when money was pegged to gold and the govt was unable to use inflation to restart the economy. Its a deep economical problem for which there is no known theoretical solution. Is it possible to have a decentralized monetary system that can also be controlled by a representive govt ?
- DamnYuppie 11y agoUnfortunately it is much easier for governments to confiscate it when it is digital and centralized.
- kaybe 11y agoAnd much easier to collect data on people's money-spending habits.
- jMyles 11y ago> The paradoxical economic problem with decentralized money is that the govt has no control over it. This is a not a paradox nor even a contradiction; indeed to advocates of many decentralized currency solutions, this is the killer feature. > Which means during bad time its going to be very difficult for the govt to enact changes. We learnt it the hard way During the great depression when money was pegged to gold and the govt was unable to use inflation to restart the economy. Of course you realize that this narrative does not enjoy consensus.
- jimrandomh 11y agoThe grandparent poster never used the word conspiracy, nor alleged one.
- selimthegrim 11y agoI mean I think you're also ignoring security. Here in New Orleans, many cash only businesses are more liable to be robbed.
- nickpsecurity 11y agoThat's true. Whereas people using checks or plastic are more likely to get robbed by banks themselves, crooks remotely for larger amounts, or have assets frozen/seized by government. Storing cash in hidden, well-protected locations while keeping smaller amounts on hand protects against the most risks. Far as cash-only business risk, there's protections for that, too, that are pretty effective. The range from drop boxes to time-lock safes to our 2nd amendment security solution. One gets to choose his or her risk level with minimal, external influence with cash. And then there's the darned civil forfeiture laws...