#119: Fully Automated Corporate Capitalism - why 'cashless' is a trap (ft. Brett Scott)

It's Not Just In Your Head

Who benefits from a cashless society and who gets left behind? We talk with economic anthropologist and former financial broker Brett Scott about his excellent book 'Cloudmoney - Cash, Cards, Crypto and the War for our Wallets'.

"Cloudmoney tells a revelatory story about the fusion of big finance and tech, which requires physical cash to be replaced by digital money or 'cloudmoney'. Diving beneath the surface of the global financial system, Brett Scott uncovers a long-established lobbying infrastructure waging a covert war on cash, as banking and tech companies promote a cashless society under the banner of progress."

We discuss how physical cash is currently holding capitalism back, why 'financial inclusion' is actually enclosure, how money systems and capitalism are one and the same, how the dollar is NOT a single currency, financial mass surveillance and controlling people on welfare, the entrepreneurial drive to automate human interactions, the possible delusion of fully automated luxury communism, the lie of tech increasing leisure time, crypto as a speculative carnival & the need for a heroic narrative, and how corporate capitalism isolates & strips away meaning from peoples lives.

References:

Cloudmoney - Cash, Cards, Crypto and the War for our Wallets: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62897686-cloudmoney

The Heretic's Guide to Global Finance: A Guide to Creative Financial Activism: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17368973-the-heretic-s-guide-to-global-finance

First They Came for the Poor: Surveillance of Welfare Recipients as an Uncontested Practice: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283845413_First_They_Came_for_the_Poor_Surveillance_of_Welfare_Recipients_as_an_Uncontested_Practice

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Harriet’s other shows:

WBAI Interpersonal Update (Wednesdays): https://wbai.org/program.php?program=431

Capitalism Hits Home: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPJpiw1WYdTNYvke-gNRdml1Z2lwz0iEH

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ATTENTION! This is a Boring Dystopia/Obligatory 'don't sue us' message: This podcast provides numerous different perspectives and criticisms of the mental health space, however, it should not be considered medical advice. Please consult your medical professional with regards to any health decisions or management.