[coldblues]

Every time I see posts like these related to fiat, my heart sinks. Despite pro privacy sentiments across the site, there is a concerning amount of people who have not only fallen to the trap of convenience, but even consider cash use suspicious or criminal (the morality of tax evasion is a whole different subject, the places where it's most popular often coincides with a corrupt, inefficient government). Soon, cash use will be made impractical due to digital currencies and growing government control, but cryptocurrency will take its place, it has already to a limited extent.

[boerseth]

These past couple of years I've gotten into plenty of trouble on multiple occasions, as a result of what I would describe as a cascade of misfortune initiated by a single unfortunate event (for which I will take some responsibility, but nevertheless...).

These "cascades of misfortune" I've run into happen largely because of how we've placed certain institutions at the center of our lives and our society, or perhaps more precisely because of the "convenient" solutions of theirs that we've all been coralled into adopting.

I'm thinking of social media networks, smartphone companies and their app stores, banks and their electronic payments, etc. Everyone's opted in, and we don't realise how much we've given up as a result, with all these "convenient" alternatives, now made mandatory to replace the old and inconvenient solution.

We don't realize, that is, until you're standing at the bank teller in a city away from home, passport in hand but otherwise robbed of phone and wallet, hoping to withdraw some cash to keep you alive while you sort this mess out - only to learn that the bank is no longer able to do that for you. You can't just get your own money. You could withdraw at the ATM, but with a card of course, and that for a fee with a pretty low upper limit. But banks don't serve that purpose anymore. They're now software institutions that we are forced to have a relationship with and operate through in order to make monetary transactions.

Suddenly society has shut down. You can't log into anything without your phone and 2FA, so you're stuck without access to your favorite online services until you get a new SIM card and a fresh device. But even then, there's no riding public transit, because you don't have access to the apps they all operate through. Not that you'd be able to pay in those apps anyway, after cancelling your payment cards. And besides, you don't have anywhere you'd like to go anyway, because, aside from having basically no money to spend on food or events, there's no way to learn what's happening in this city without access to Facebook and all the company pages and events published there.

I forget now all the myriad ways that life grinds to a halt, but I do vividly remember feeling like nothing was possible. And that only because I lost one or two things which should be entirely optional in life! You shouldn't be required as a human, nor even as a member of society, to have a Facebook account, or a smartphone, or even a bank account (that last one is perhaps my most extreme take, but I stand by it).

[rglynn]

Out of interest, how does one get out of that scenario?

[greenavocado]

> Cryptocurrency will take its place.

It won't. Look at China. Cash is impossible to use and crypto is banned.

[rjdj377dhabsn]

How do people pay for drugs, bribes, prostitutes, etc.?

Do they just accept the risk the government can see every payment?

[dudeWithAMood]

How are you going to make offline crypto payments?

[cyberax]

> but cryptocurrency will take its place, it has already to a limited extent.

No. No, it won't. Although labeling regular electronic payments as "cryptocurrency" might become more popular.