• Maeve@kbin.earth
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        21 hours ago

        Yes, or backed by actual PMs or other high-value assets. Which actually makes me wonder if those aren’t fiat, too, considering artificial scarcity (De Beers and diamonds, for example).

          • Maeve@kbin.earth
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            7 hours ago

            The way water supplies are currently (mis)handled, you’re not wrong. Beer was developed as a sort of sanitation method, iirc.

        • BlueMonday1984@awful.systems
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          12
          ·
          20 hours ago

          Which actually makes me wonder if those aren’t fiat, too, considering artificial scarcity (De Beers and diamonds, for example).

          I can see an argument for considering them fiat. The value of “high-value assets” (e.g. gold) comes from the assumption they’ll retain their value even if things get drastic, not from being immediately useful (e.g. alcohol) or necessary to survive (e.g. water).

          PMs

          Zero clue what the acronym means in this context.

            • BlueMonday1984@awful.systems
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              3
              ·
              7 hours ago

              Ah, right. Yeah, I can see your point. If it isn’t necessary to survive (e.g. food, water), or it doesn’t have an immediate use case (e.g. ammunition), its probably some form of fiat.

              • Soyweiser@awful.systems
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                6 hours ago

                Not really related but perhaps entertaining titbit, in the metro 2033 video game series they use high quality ammo as currency. Cant recall if this also happened in the book.