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talkpoliticsSo yes, this is going to be personal. But then again, everything is personal when you are a person.
The other night I was hanging out with my gf and two of her friends--who happen to be a gay couple. Very nice people.** As we were leaving I saw The Portable Marx on their bookshelf and asked to borrow it; they lent it to me with a "if that doesn't come back, I really won't mind" so I now have a new book to work through; and I will be posting snippits here and there of it, since I fear that Marx is much misunderstood. (I'm lookin at you Steve&co)
But Marx isn't what I want to talk about today. Today there's another issue to bring up. As we left, we went downstairs and I went into a store to buy some cigarettes. Here in NYC they are quite pricey. So I got a pack and some other small item, came to $11.50. So I give him a 10 and two singles, my gf and I walk outside and are discussing the quickest way to get back to her place. Some 20 seconds later a middle aged white guy comes out of the store, asks if I just bought cigs from there, and when I say I did, he grabs my arm and starts pulling me back inside.
I never saw this man before in my life, but wanted to know what was up, so I went inside without fighting him. (tho his grabbing of my arm was a definite warning sign of: WTF is up with this guy) I go inside and what am I told?
I just used counterfeit money!
I had no idea. I never check my bills to see that they are real; I get change from a store, make sure the bills have the right amount on em, put em in my wallet and keep going. This pattern of mine has now changed.
See, the store owner just wanted real money; he asked if I had a card or something to pay for the cigs with. I did, but just wanted to get out of there, since the fellow who grabbed my arm and pulled me inside was standing there sorta bitching at me for it. "People get their ass kicked around here for that sort of thing man. What you trying to do? You know I could have you arrested right now" meanwhile, the guy beyond the counter was in no way hostile, but I wanted to get out of there, so I gave him the cigs back and took the fake 10 and started leaving the store. The guy said: "we're gonna talk outside" and he walks out infront of me.
He starts bitching at me some more, and I just keep telling him: "I didn't know it was fake. I had no idea. What do you want from me? I didn't know, he has his cigs back, give it a break." meanwhile he isn't stopping, and I can kinda smell booze on his breath.
At this point, my gf (who is infinitely smarter than I) takes my hand and starts walking away from the store and the drunk-bitching guy. In order to break our hand-holding walk, he pushes her, not hard enough to knock her down but enough to make her take a step back.
At this point I flip my attitude from: "sorry I just gave that guy fake money without knowing it" to "WHAT THE FUCK, DONT DO THAT" fortunately for me, a large latino guy who was crossing the street towards the store, saw what was going on, saw the man push my gf, comes up behind the man, grabs him by the shoulders and says something like: "What the hell are you doing? Don't EVER disrespect a woman like that." at this point again my gf takes my hand we start walking away. Both of us very much so shaken up.
So, as I said, this is personal. But it connects to the troublesome question of fake money.
It's only after the fact that I noticed how the fake 10 differed from a real 10. It's a pretty good fake; only things missing are the watermark and the security bar. It also feels a little different to the touch, but other than that, it's spot on.
So two questions:
While I am glad there was the chivalrous stranger present, do you think anybody would have stepped in to help a gay couple dealing with the same thing? (I doubt it)
What makes money, to you, real? (to me, it is as simple as others accepting it. Had the fake 10 been accepted, I never woulda known, and it woulda been perfectly real money to me)
And lastly: I find it odd that when one group of people prints stuff on paper, that paper has great weight. When another group prints almost the exact same stuff on paper, that paper is deemed fake/worthless. And it can almost get you or a loved one into a fight that you prolly don't want. So y'all be careful out there.
~Namaste
[and just to preview the future stuff on Marx:
"Like Christianity both Marxism and Marxism-Leninism speak in the name of their founder more often than they speak with his voice. Their sacred texts are not confined to the writings of Marx.
....Engels--the true founder of 'Marxism'--was elevated, partly by himself, to the status of co-prophet and intellectual alter ego of Marx.....Marx himself once proclaimed that he was no 'Marxist'" -Eugene Kamenka (introduction, xliv-xlv)]
**they happen to also be teachers. anyone got a problem with that? if so, why?
The other night I was hanging out with my gf and two of her friends--who happen to be a gay couple. Very nice people.** As we were leaving I saw The Portable Marx on their bookshelf and asked to borrow it; they lent it to me with a "if that doesn't come back, I really won't mind" so I now have a new book to work through; and I will be posting snippits here and there of it, since I fear that Marx is much misunderstood. (I'm lookin at you Steve&co)
But Marx isn't what I want to talk about today. Today there's another issue to bring up. As we left, we went downstairs and I went into a store to buy some cigarettes. Here in NYC they are quite pricey. So I got a pack and some other small item, came to $11.50. So I give him a 10 and two singles, my gf and I walk outside and are discussing the quickest way to get back to her place. Some 20 seconds later a middle aged white guy comes out of the store, asks if I just bought cigs from there, and when I say I did, he grabs my arm and starts pulling me back inside.
I never saw this man before in my life, but wanted to know what was up, so I went inside without fighting him. (tho his grabbing of my arm was a definite warning sign of: WTF is up with this guy) I go inside and what am I told?
I just used counterfeit money!
I had no idea. I never check my bills to see that they are real; I get change from a store, make sure the bills have the right amount on em, put em in my wallet and keep going. This pattern of mine has now changed.
See, the store owner just wanted real money; he asked if I had a card or something to pay for the cigs with. I did, but just wanted to get out of there, since the fellow who grabbed my arm and pulled me inside was standing there sorta bitching at me for it. "People get their ass kicked around here for that sort of thing man. What you trying to do? You know I could have you arrested right now" meanwhile, the guy beyond the counter was in no way hostile, but I wanted to get out of there, so I gave him the cigs back and took the fake 10 and started leaving the store. The guy said: "we're gonna talk outside" and he walks out infront of me.
He starts bitching at me some more, and I just keep telling him: "I didn't know it was fake. I had no idea. What do you want from me? I didn't know, he has his cigs back, give it a break." meanwhile he isn't stopping, and I can kinda smell booze on his breath.
At this point, my gf (who is infinitely smarter than I) takes my hand and starts walking away from the store and the drunk-bitching guy. In order to break our hand-holding walk, he pushes her, not hard enough to knock her down but enough to make her take a step back.
At this point I flip my attitude from: "sorry I just gave that guy fake money without knowing it" to "WHAT THE FUCK, DONT DO THAT" fortunately for me, a large latino guy who was crossing the street towards the store, saw what was going on, saw the man push my gf, comes up behind the man, grabs him by the shoulders and says something like: "What the hell are you doing? Don't EVER disrespect a woman like that." at this point again my gf takes my hand we start walking away. Both of us very much so shaken up.
So, as I said, this is personal. But it connects to the troublesome question of fake money.
It's only after the fact that I noticed how the fake 10 differed from a real 10. It's a pretty good fake; only things missing are the watermark and the security bar. It also feels a little different to the touch, but other than that, it's spot on.
So two questions:
While I am glad there was the chivalrous stranger present, do you think anybody would have stepped in to help a gay couple dealing with the same thing? (I doubt it)
What makes money, to you, real? (to me, it is as simple as others accepting it. Had the fake 10 been accepted, I never woulda known, and it woulda been perfectly real money to me)
And lastly: I find it odd that when one group of people prints stuff on paper, that paper has great weight. When another group prints almost the exact same stuff on paper, that paper is deemed fake/worthless. And it can almost get you or a loved one into a fight that you prolly don't want. So y'all be careful out there.
~Namaste
[and just to preview the future stuff on Marx:
"Like Christianity both Marxism and Marxism-Leninism speak in the name of their founder more often than they speak with his voice. Their sacred texts are not confined to the writings of Marx.
....Engels--the true founder of 'Marxism'--was elevated, partly by himself, to the status of co-prophet and intellectual alter ego of Marx.....Marx himself once proclaimed that he was no 'Marxist'" -Eugene Kamenka (introduction, xliv-xlv)]
**they happen to also be teachers. anyone got a problem with that? if so, why?
(no subject)
Date: 17/4/10 19:33 (UTC)http://money.howstuffworks.com/currency7.htm
http://www.kwaves.com/fiat.htm