GeekinthePink

I saw a television commercial that sparked exactly what I wanted to blog about. Have you guys ever seen the new Visa Checkcard commercials? They advertise how much faster using a checkcard is then using cash. In fact, the two people shown using the “outdated” monetary system—those green bills floating around with dead Presidents, in case anyone has forgotten—are always shown fumbling in their purses or pockets to pay. Obviously, the moral of the story is to always use your card and your service will be faster, happier, and more enjoyable (the cashiers are smiling with the card users, and frowning with the old-schoolers).
Now I think this is a great example of our postmodern society—the commercial is deconstructing the primary way we used to pay, and telling us it works, but it is not the best or fastest. On one hand, I can clearly see I would rather swipe a card than fumble with money, but on the other, we have to consider the drawbacks of this postmodern idea—account overdraw. If I have five dollars in my purse and I want to purchase a drink and a bag of chips priced at $5.50 (I know, expensive food, but hey in this imaginary scene I am in Winter Park), I know that I cannot. But, if I have a card and I have five dollars in my account, I may not realize I don’t have that extra fifty-cent. Consequence? That bag of chips and drink will cost about forty dollars (at least with my bank fees). And unless these chips were boiled directly with holy water blessed by the Pope, I do not think any chips or drink should cost that much. All I’m saying is that with the faster way of doing things, we sometimes do not consider the cost of them: people overdrawing accounts, misjudging how many times they’ve swiped, because let’s face it, it’s hard to remember when you are just swiping, and also if you lose them, someone has access to all of your money, instead of just the cash you have on you. As outdated as our society makes paying with cash—it is absolutely foolproof. It cannot fail. Machines cannot go down. Your money cannot be declined. Maybe slower is not necessarily worse?
I’m starting a campaign to bring back the paper dollar. Is anybody with me?
Sarah