Doomsday currency

[Integral]

Bullets > bottled water > booze > shiny hunks of rock

 

[Leonel]

A gold coin isn't useful in anything when it comes to personal survival or at least making life a little more comfortable. Alcohol and cigarettes can make a post-apocalyptic wasteland a little more bearable. Bullets, guns, perhaps even knives would be very valuable as they could save your life.

 

[Abegweit]

Ummm... Wrong. Horribly horribly wrong. Hint: look at my title. Anarchism is all about free trade and voluntary contract. Anarchism is all about you doing your thing and me doing mine. Then we trade the results of our work for mutual benefit. Money simplifies that exchange. In fact, it is its whole purpose.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

You actually think that's what would manifest? As I recently said in another thread:
Anarchists are crazy

 

[dominatr]

Ummm... Wrong. Horribly horribly wrong. Hint: look at my title. Anarchism is all about free trade and voluntary contract. Anarchism is all about you doing your thing and me doing mine. Then we trade the results of our work for mutual benefit. Money simplifies that exchange. In fact, it is its whole purpose.

well, you're right and wrong. People will cooperate but it is wrong to assume everyone will be peaceful when trying to survive. Not everyone is nice when they are hungry. There will always be that guy who doesn't care much about the well being about others as long as he is well off himself.

 

[LucyDuke]

Not everyone is nice when they are hungry.

It's the people that aren't nice when they aren't hungry that are the problem.

Re: OP: Booze, duh.

 

[Zelig]

Vial of smallpox.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

Is this real life? Booze, obviously, because its the end of the world and I need a drink.

 

[amadeus]

What's doomsday? What event could possibly be so bad that there would be no hope of recovery? In the short term, I'd take the liquor because it would command a high price in initial bartering. In the long term, gold, though I think one coin is pretty cheap.

 

[emzie]

What's doomsday? What event could possibly be so bad that there would be no hope of recovery? In the short term, I'd take the liquor because it would command a high price in initial bartering. In the long term, gold, though I think one coin is pretty cheap.

In Ohio, for the price of a one ounce gold coin, you could buy 207 1.75 litre bottles of vodka.

Of course, the coin is easier to store.

 

[squadbroken]

Uses for 80 bottles of liquor:
- food energy/recreation
- disinfectant
- barter good
- empty bottles can be used to store other liquids
- makeshift weapons

Uses for a gold coin:
- ???

 

[Gen.Mannerheim]

He who controls clean water, enough food to share, and bullets to protect them will rule in the post-doomsday world. He could get all the gold and whiskey he wanted.

 

[Monsterzuma]

gold is obviously good in a scenario in which it gets re-monetized. this is probably something in between of BAU and TEOTWAWKI, and not quite as bad* as OMFWTFULTIMATEBBQFUBAR.

* substitute with good depending on your personal fetishes

 

[Leonel]

Ummm... Wrong. Horribly horribly wrong. Hint: look at my title. Anarchism is all about free trade and voluntary contract. Anarchism is all about you doing your thing and me doing mine. Then we trade the results of our work for mutual benefit. Money simplifies that exchange. In fact, it is its whole purpose.

A nice idea. Although I think I see a flaw in the theory. What would stop a charismatic leader rising up, forming an army under the promise of living higher on the hog and enslaving anyone who doesn't swear allegiance if they're lucky to qualify?

 

[Abegweit]

A nice idea. Although I think I see a flaw in the theory. What would stop a charismatic leader rising up, forming an army under the promise of living higher on the hog and enslaving anyone who doesn't swear allegiance if they're lucky to qualify?

You mean Obama?

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

The 70 bottles of booze would be easier to split up the payment than 1 gold coin. But I can't drink alcohol so I dont know.

 

[Leonel]

You mean Obama?

Don't deflect the subject. It's an honest hypothetical and I would like to know what would stop dictator from imposing his will on an anarchist society.

 

[Abegweit]

It's an honest hypothetical and I would like to know what would stop dictator from imposing his will on an anarchist society.

He already has imposed his will on the statist society. So tell me, why on earth would you think that a society without coercion would be worse than this?

 

[Leonel]

He already has imposed his will on the statist society. So tell me, why on earth would you think that a society without coercion would be worse than this?

I'm not asking whether one is better or not, I'm asking what would stop a dictator from imposing his will on an anarchist society! I don't think I'm asking for very much. What would stop someone from imposing their will in an anarchist society? Would there be like a law saying you can't have people work for you? Would it be taught to you as a sort of religion or a deeply held code?

 

[Ajidica]

I would prefer useful stuff like booze, spices, bullets, seeds, water, antibiotics, and instruction manuals (such as how to repairs engines or all sorts of other things post-apocalyptic societies would need to know how to fix) over gold.
I mean seriously, outside of some rather advanced electronics, gold is really only good for decorations, which is hardly the first thing on your mind when trying to survive.