If I could change one thing about this world - this socially constructed world— or about life in general, then I would abolish the use of money. Reading Jean Baudrillard’s essay, “The Perfect Crime,” brings me to the realization that the world is no longer valued for what it is because money, and the things that can be bought or achieved through it, is now the prevailing reality. Money has enslaved people. Money runs (sometimes ruins) lives.
I am not blaming money for peoples' fall from grace nor do I think it is “the root of all evil.” Money is both desirable and undesirable, but in my opinion, its desirability is outweighed by the undesirable effects. Wars, global economic meltdowns, racism, gender inequality, violence— if we dig deeper, these global conditions are all related to if not driven by money. I say that men these days have become enslaved because many can no longer dream of an existence without it. The use of money is now tantamount to worshiping a surrogate god.
