That may have been the original intent a thousand years ago, but now with its sophistication, it's become a highly-available crutch to the poor and middle class

That may have been the original intent a thousand years ago, but now with its sophistication, it's become a highly-available crutch to the poor and middle class, putting downward pressure on wages and allowing banks and creditors to get a piece of every dollar someone spends. Not to mention, if you don't "play the game" and you abstain from using credit, you're still subject to the cost of credit, as merchants have to charge more for their products to cover the cost of credit processing (which is exorbitantly high).