I'm worried that in the future we will be forced to use smartphones just like in China
In China, you can't exist without a smartphone, because for all existential things you have to do (paying bills, buying tickets etc.) , you are forced to use the almighty wechat app. Smartphones are a tool to manipulate and to spy on the population. It is a tool utilized by the ruling class, to control the masses. I hate the future and I hate "progress".
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The thing that is bothering me right now is seeing “cashless” establishments. Frankly, it’s kind of discriminatory, and I do not know how you can justify denying people goods and services if they are carrying the currency of the country they live in. That does not sit right with me.
San Francisco made it illegal for public facing businesses to be cashless. They deem it discriminatory towards people who aren't able to get credit cards.
Is it even legal to be cashless? What happened to “this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private"?
The key word is debts. When you want to buy something in a store, you owe money if you want it, but you have not incurred a debt. You can just not buy it. You and the seller start at an even place, trade goods/services for money, and end even. If you have a debt, you're starting the transaction at a negative place and are trying to get back to even.
If one were to consume the product before getting to the register, is it then considered a debt? Asking for a friend that is going to get some beer.
No, that's technically stealing. It would be a debt if they agreed in advance to give you an interest-free loan of the beer while in the store.
Thats the norm in Sweden, most places these days no longer accept cash.
If it's a private business then that's their choice. It's your choice to not give them your $. I don't see how that's discrimination? If they have something that you really want, then you'll choose a cashless option.
Homeless people usually only have cash. The kinds of places that are cashless usually don't have goods at prices a homeless person would be purchasing something at but you can see how it's a concerning trend. And I'm sure privacy minded individuals would prefer to use cash when possible
Alright, everything you said makes sense. That might even be how it is supposed to work. But I don't like it regardless that legal tender won't be accepted by a merchant. It feels like a corporation having a chokehold on what you buy and from where, and instant knowledge of people's spending habits.