AZ & coinsplus, you're making comments about things (technology) which has nothing to do with people's behaviour (cash use) or going into debt using CC, Debit cards, or Paypal for instant gratification. As the pandemic has proven, human behaviour is much more a product of the culture & circumstances rather than the gizmos we surround ourselves with.
I've never been to Japan but my wife has & she told me that the Japanese always clean up their garbage in the stadiums after a ballgame. Can you imagine that happening in Toronto after a Blue Jays game? I've been to a few Jay games & I know I can't (we're all in a rush to get home). There's a real sense of duty (& being responsible) in Japan (not here).
We Canadians want/expect fast service much more than a lot of other nations.(I have many friends who will never use cash b/c they want to fly through the debit check outs at the grocery stores). I rarely saw this on my travels to East Asia (where people wait patiently in a queue).
In Japan, there's an unwritten social contract & a loyalty to the company you work for. We see a little bit of loyalty to the companies here but nothing like what is witnessed in Japan. Plus it's a very insular culture (fear of outsiders is very real there). I'm sure there's probably an ingrained value that you only spend what you have. Here, we love to use our credit. These are observations my wife made while spending time with friends near Tokyo (not mine) & I have noticed many of these same values in Thailand & the Philippines.
Now let's focus on the
Better than Cash Alliance which is one of the driving forces to eliminate the current 30-40% of cash transactions here in Canada & elsewhere around the globe. Check out their website below:
https://www.betterthancash.org/. This lobby (propaganda) group is funded by Bill Gates, Visa & others who stand to profit from less cash use. They're very successful as i've seen countless posters link high denominations with criminal activities on social media ($1000 notes called "pinkies" b/c the mafia use them, etc, etc).
A couple years ago, when I looked at the
BTCA site, it was about how clean (sanitary) digital payments were which helped reduce the spread of COVID (yeah right
. Before that, I recall the images of combating crime & having secure payments (oh brother!
). Now there's only a focus on empowering women & helping nations climb out of poverty! How their tune has changed (& keeps fluid)! I don't even recognize their song anymore! It will likely be different again in a couple of years.
Check out wiki's entry on the
BTCA:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Than_Cash_AllianceI don't see any wealthy nations like Japan, Germany or Switzerland as members. I see Philippines listed which is ironic b/c good luck finding a business that will take a credit card! But I guess that's what the alliance wishes to change.
