Unquestionably, the craziest, most totally bonkers Facebook group I have ever seen is Keep Cash Worldwide. It’s run by a self-proclaimed activist called Mark Skinner whose aim is to “keep cash as a valid option for spending in high-street businesses and shops.” To that end, the group whinges endlessly about businesses that no longer accept cash and whose only pleasure is Schadenfreude when card only and contactless systems fail. Last weekend, when Sainsburys and Tesco had issues, Keep Cash supporters must have been close to orgasm as they celebrated something that was frankly no big deal.
You’d think that such a group was harmless and maybe it is. But when one of its straplines is that only cash can give you ‘digital privacy’, you do wonder if there might be an element of a conspiracy theory going on. A hint at the non-existent ‘deep state’ being at work.
I do wonder how these Keep Cash people manage in real life, though. Presumably, in the interests of consistency, they pay all their utility bills in cash in order to predict their ‘digital privacy’ and never order anything on line, such as from Amazon. And certainly no grocery deliveries, either. Well, each to their own and good luck to people who prefer that way of life. Me? I’d hate it.
I never carry cash with me. Indeed, when I went to Canada and then the Netherlands last autumn, I took no cash, either. My mobile phone does all that stuff wonderfully well and efficiently. I remember in the not very dim and distant past when you had to get traveller’s cheques and overseas currencies when you went abroad. I don’t miss that one little bit.
Little can be found about Mr Skinner who runs Keep Cash but I found it very interesting to learn how he raises money to run the site. You couldn’t really make this stuff up but he uses Patreon and Buy Me A Coffee, which are … er … on-line companies. No concerns about ‘digital privacy’ there then!
My feeling is that Mr Skinner is either nothing but a grifter or, more likely, another right-wing conspiracy theorist who sees something sinister in almost anything and where he can’t, he just makes stuff up.
For as long as people want cash, there will always be cash. It’s as simple as that. If people, like pretty well everyone these days, prefer to make contactless payments people will use that, even more so as the older generation, some of whom prefer the old ways, die off.
If you support cash, then go the whole hog and pay Mr Skinner by way of cash instead. Surely, it’s what he really wants?
