guest post by Gor-Lak, undead lich
Just so no one accuses me of bait and switching, when the title says I’m going to be examining the Tanster, I am referring to the currency. The current denomination is the Koand.
This thing is pure genius. I mean really. Tanster (the artist) has pulled some amazing PR stunts in her career and exposed a lot of the falsehoods around us, but this Tanster Buck thing is undoubtedly the best one yet. It exposes our entire economy.
I mean wow. How does she come up with them?
It’s a good thing she doesn’t read these or she wouldn’t let me say all those nice things about her. I am on Scout’s Honor to only tell the truth, at least while I’m adding content here. It’s been an interesting experiment. I don’t get many new experiences as an undead lich.
But I digress.
The topic is the new Tanster currency.
She proposes it as a real currency to be used between everyone as a way to exchange value. The value of a Tanster Buck is fixed at the value of one hour of skilled labor. That value is immutable therefore the value of a Tanster Buck (Koand) is immutable.
On the other hand, the amount of government currency equal to the value of one hour of skilled labor fluctuates throughout the day. Government currency loses value over time. Don’t bother with a savings account. Inflation eats away at all that we own. Don’t worry. It’s good for us.
That’s what the economists working for the bankers and their government puppets say. The value of all our possessions constantly losing value is good for them but it is a whip for us. We demand more money for our one hour of skilled labor to make up for the fact that what we have can no longer sustain us. Wages go up, Unsurprisingly, prices go up. Those in charge have to make their profits, after all. They set the prices.
We, the Workers, are a vast majority. Why do we put up with this?
“I’ll take things a Truther would say for $100, Mayim.”
Whereas government currencies lose value over time, the Tanster currency never loses value. It is inflation proof. It’s value is fixed at the value of one hour of skilled labor. That is what it will always be worth to us here at the Tanster Project. It’s value next to US currency might rise significantly. It is art, after all. Just ask the lucky finders in the Throwing Stones event Tanster is currently running.
And that is the genius of the Tanster Buck as an art project. It exposes what a harsh whip government currency is. It invites people to form a community, based on an acknowledgment that our stuff doesn’t have to decrease in value due to inflation. The Tanster Buck is the only currency in the history of mankind that is inflation proof.
I exaggerate for effect. The Gold Standard used to do that, supposedly. Either way, it’s gone now.
Long live the Tanster Buck (Koand)!!!