What if our society didn't revolve around money, but, instead a different type of commodity, for instance, clothing? We all wear clothes so why don't we trade something that we can actually use instead of trading paper money that only has face value? It's hard to imagine a different bartering system considering we are so consumed with our current one, and have been for centuries, but society will get used to the new idea and eventually accept it. With such a dramatic shift from the current system to a completely different one, there is no doubt that most of the ways and views of our society will be subject to major change.
In this newly changed society nudity will be even more frowned upon because not only is it socially unacceptable and illegal in public, nudists will now be seen as the poor. Once you run out of clothes to spend, you will have no choice but to go nude. So, in other words, a nudist will be the new hobo. Making your own clothes will be another big "no no", so your grandmother who knits mittens for you during the cold winter months will be seen as a criminal and will be at a great risk of being arrested for showing love and concern for your well-being.
To adjust to the new commodity, there will be a change in the way we buy goods. Stores will become more like markets where people negotiate the value of the clothes they want to spend. Because of this, people will have to learn how to value clothing. They will learn as a young child that there are five levels of values set to clothes:
- Highest Level- New name brand clothes that are extravagantly made with fabrics that are of the finest quality, that people will rarely wear.
- Higher/Middle- New name brand that will be worn more frequently than the highest level and will not contain high-quality fabrics.
- Middle- New, but not name brand.
- Lower/Middle- Used, but name brand.
- Lowest Level- Cheaply made used clothing that is not name brand.
Like most unusual ideas, there are drawbacks. In this new system clothes will actually be valuable, so they will not want to just give clothes away to places such as Goodwill. This creates a huge problem for Third World countries like Zambia, Africa. Here, everyone relies on used clothing that is donated by Americans and shipped to them in bulk. In most families in Zambia, the male figure goes out and buys the used clothing he sees value in when it is first shipped to the country, then later he sells the used clothes at the market to make a small profit. With Americans unwilling to donate their clothing, many Zambians will loose their main source of income and will be unable to provide for their families.
It is not crazy to think you can change an system of bartering, but it would just take time for society to get used to it and to adjust. This particular exchange of commodities certainly would never work considering the severe ramifications that would accompany it. Having Grandma thrown into the slammer for taking care of her loved ones or taking ones clothes away when they were in debt is pretty drastic, but you have to admit it is still an interesting concept to mull around in your mind.
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