Williston, ND Active Issues

Extending the video game analogies, consider the Fallout series. In Fallout, the world has been devastated by a nuclear war that left the United States a post apocalyptic wasteland. In all three Fallout games, however, the currency of choice is bottle caps from Nuka-cola (that universe’s equivalent of Coca-cola…the games have a rather dark and delightful humor.) So bottle caps are currency, which kind of underscores how silly it is to believe that the paper money we have now has any real and lasting value. On the other hand, we have a system that works and will continue to work for the foreseeable future. It’s not sustainable forever, but nothing is in the end.

As for the example of individuals refusing to trade a gold coin for a cup of coffee, I’d say that were the experiment repeated in a more controlled setting the results would likely be significantly different. It comes down to trust, not a lack of understanding or appreciation of gold’s value. Why should I, as a random individual, believe that this coin being offered to me for a cup of coffee is legitimate? I have no proof that this guy isn’t some wacko trying to score a free cup of coffee from me with some token he picked up at the local arcade, so I’m not going to give his argument much credence. Even if the setting was such that the person being offered the deal knew without a doubt that the gold being offered is legitimate, I suspect there would still be several people who reject the offer out of suspension. Why would this person be offering me such a good deal? What’s the catch? The experiment is more about psychology then of fiscal awareness.

In the short run, gold, silver, gemstones and the like would be worth nothing, but the history of civilization proves that there will always be an economic base. It just wouldn’t reappear until after a period of anarchy.

It’s like the Sid Meyer’s Civilization games. When you opt to change your government, you have to go through one turn in a period of anarchy. While you are in anarchy, everything is crazy expensive. After the anarchy is over and the new government is established, prices return to normal, albeit with some possible changes given the nature of the new government. Yes, it’s an exceedingly basic analogy, but it is also true.

You know, if a guy came up to me on the street with a gold colored coin with Mickey Mouse stamped on it, I’d say no as well, not because I don’t appreciate the value of gold, but because I’d have no proof that the coin in question was actually made of gold. So what does this video actually prove other than people don’t like to pay for shiny objects of questionable value.