It's not a cashless society alone I am afraid of, but a centralized cashless society operated and regulated by the government. Having the money on a blockchain saved to a digital wallet that only I know the passcode to is a great decentralized option. The problem there becomes one of adopting a common currency ,
The last thing we want is this upside down state running things as they also believe that those born men can give birth to children, that we have been ravaged by a deadly disease the last three years, and that fighting for the Ukraine is a great idea. These are neighborhood of make believe type of ideas.
Did your student give you a reason why she continues to mask? I think in Japan, as well as here in the states, we underestimate the power of conformity.
I wrote a reply but it is not here. Here is take two.
After dealing with the long term power outages after the big earth quake and tsunami we had here around ten years ago, I trust nothing that requires electricity to function. Additionally, the whole purpose behind cashless is so that government can monitor and control every single transaction. It will not exists unless it is monitored.
My student said it was due to her not having applied make up, which had been the number one reason for women to wear masks before the panic. However, I have seen her without make up many times, especially over Zoom these last three years.
If there is a single word that can describe Japanese society, it is “conformity”.
There is a strong inclination within us to do what others are doing. I did sit outside a Krogers after the mask mandates were in place and waited to see anyone walking in or out of Krogers unmasked. Finally after about five minutes of waiting I said to myself "f it" and went in unmasked..I was waved through by a security officer wearing a mask. I was not stopped, asked where my mask was, or ridiculed.
What would I have done when accosted? I probably would have done what I did at a cafeteria. I asked the employee if he wanted me to leave. I was perfectly willing to leave if asked to do so. They didn't tell me to leave, but appeared to be puzzled why I wouldn't wear a mask..so I gave a ton of reasons, and they acted like they had never heard them before.
I think, depending on circumstances, cashless does not mean ultimate evil. If it is encrypted on both ends, then I think it's good. It actually promotes more privacy than less privacy. I know some of the trading platforms do provide reporting to the government, the point is to know where those places are.
Also, cryptocurrency is not safe. If you lose your passcode, you are screwed. The centralized money is safer, but when other people can secure your funds, and keep track of them for you, it is one step from them also taking them from you. I was bothered for instance, when I would travel, and then get my funds temporarily frozen by my bank until I could prove my identity.
There must be parallel economies and one size does not fit all or for all eventualities. I think when the system goes down and power goes out, there will arise other modalities of trade either through bartering, or some other currency. I should search around and see what someone is already thinking about in terms of an alternative to the digital currency.
Every chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Crypto has two weak links, one at either end. Transferring money in can be reported and when you take it out it is reported. That is how they get crypto users. Unless/until I can instantly pay for anything as we once could with cash, crypto’s utility will be limited. If funds going in or out are able to reported upon, it can not offer the privacy that it is prompted for.
Then we have the specter of ID theft. If you can not access crypto until you prove you identity and some one has stolen yours, you may not be able to ever again access your crypto account. Whoever stole your ID may not be able to either, but neither can you. I have had my ID stole and know something about this. Some one renewed my drivers license with my name but their photo and address. I only learned of this when I went to renew my DL prior to moving. I had been driving around out of State with an invalid DL. That could have been a world of hurt if I got stopped for my habitual speeding. You do you prove you are you when your IDs have all been invalidated?
Whatever parallel economies spring up will be short lived as they control access to everything through the same system used for restrooms at a shopping center in Tokyo match it to ESG and the IoT. Those who can not afford the required idiot phone will either have one issued or just be S.O.L.
However, “cashless” does not necessarily mean ultimate evil, neither did same sex marriage necessarily mean that grown men dressed as women would be twerking in thongs for children at school, but that is what happened. We have shown our inability to control that what must be restrained over and over again. This will be no different.
It's not a cashless society alone I am afraid of, but a centralized cashless society operated and regulated by the government. Having the money on a blockchain saved to a digital wallet that only I know the passcode to is a great decentralized option. The problem there becomes one of adopting a common currency ,
The last thing we want is this upside down state running things as they also believe that those born men can give birth to children, that we have been ravaged by a deadly disease the last three years, and that fighting for the Ukraine is a great idea. These are neighborhood of make believe type of ideas.
Did your student give you a reason why she continues to mask? I think in Japan, as well as here in the states, we underestimate the power of conformity.
I wrote a reply but it is not here. Here is take two.
After dealing with the long term power outages after the big earth quake and tsunami we had here around ten years ago, I trust nothing that requires electricity to function. Additionally, the whole purpose behind cashless is so that government can monitor and control every single transaction. It will not exists unless it is monitored.
My student said it was due to her not having applied make up, which had been the number one reason for women to wear masks before the panic. However, I have seen her without make up many times, especially over Zoom these last three years.
If there is a single word that can describe Japanese society, it is “conformity”.
There is a strong inclination within us to do what others are doing. I did sit outside a Krogers after the mask mandates were in place and waited to see anyone walking in or out of Krogers unmasked. Finally after about five minutes of waiting I said to myself "f it" and went in unmasked..I was waved through by a security officer wearing a mask. I was not stopped, asked where my mask was, or ridiculed.
What would I have done when accosted? I probably would have done what I did at a cafeteria. I asked the employee if he wanted me to leave. I was perfectly willing to leave if asked to do so. They didn't tell me to leave, but appeared to be puzzled why I wouldn't wear a mask..so I gave a ton of reasons, and they acted like they had never heard them before.
I think, depending on circumstances, cashless does not mean ultimate evil. If it is encrypted on both ends, then I think it's good. It actually promotes more privacy than less privacy. I know some of the trading platforms do provide reporting to the government, the point is to know where those places are.
Also, cryptocurrency is not safe. If you lose your passcode, you are screwed. The centralized money is safer, but when other people can secure your funds, and keep track of them for you, it is one step from them also taking them from you. I was bothered for instance, when I would travel, and then get my funds temporarily frozen by my bank until I could prove my identity.
There must be parallel economies and one size does not fit all or for all eventualities. I think when the system goes down and power goes out, there will arise other modalities of trade either through bartering, or some other currency. I should search around and see what someone is already thinking about in terms of an alternative to the digital currency.
Every chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Crypto has two weak links, one at either end. Transferring money in can be reported and when you take it out it is reported. That is how they get crypto users. Unless/until I can instantly pay for anything as we once could with cash, crypto’s utility will be limited. If funds going in or out are able to reported upon, it can not offer the privacy that it is prompted for.
Then we have the specter of ID theft. If you can not access crypto until you prove you identity and some one has stolen yours, you may not be able to ever again access your crypto account. Whoever stole your ID may not be able to either, but neither can you. I have had my ID stole and know something about this. Some one renewed my drivers license with my name but their photo and address. I only learned of this when I went to renew my DL prior to moving. I had been driving around out of State with an invalid DL. That could have been a world of hurt if I got stopped for my habitual speeding. You do you prove you are you when your IDs have all been invalidated?
Whatever parallel economies spring up will be short lived as they control access to everything through the same system used for restrooms at a shopping center in Tokyo match it to ESG and the IoT. Those who can not afford the required idiot phone will either have one issued or just be S.O.L.
However, “cashless” does not necessarily mean ultimate evil, neither did same sex marriage necessarily mean that grown men dressed as women would be twerking in thongs for children at school, but that is what happened. We have shown our inability to control that what must be restrained over and over again. This will be no different.
Thanks Kitsune. A vision of the future already arrived in Japan.
As you rightly observe their addiction to conformity make them ideal candidates to be conformed.