what's a grecian urn?

[teethnambition]

"Imagine I'm a space alien," says the hirsuite and fanged fellow who's been hanging around the questions area like a pleasant floral scent the past couple of days. (Except for how he kind of smells like carrion, which may or may not be coming from that leopard pelt he's always showing off

Comments

[vicioussweetie]

"Money's a token of value, usually more portable and more easily stored than goods that could be bartered. It's also a sign of consistancy, because most money doesn't lose its worth in storage. Food would spoil, and manufactured goods might get broken. Unless you take inflation and the destabilizing of the currency into account, but that's mostly politics."

Ali glances up at the fellow, gives him a little smile, then looks back at the lace she's knitting. "Why do you ask?"

[teethnambition]

"I'm just reflecting and amazed at how people will hook into and worship something imaginary."

[vicioussweetie]

"I see nothing wrong with the imaginary. It's often a great deal better than reality."

[teethnambition]

"I'm sure it's preferrable."

About three drachma a week!

[onemorebounty]

Leaving aside for a moment the question of where you're from, it's a standardized unit of value for use in the exchange of goods and services. It tends to be either something valuable in and of itself, or a promisory token made in the name of an individual or organization. It also adds a clear numeric element to trade, which some find much simpler than trying to gauge the relative worth of two goods being exchanged.

*She looks him over.*

That said, where are you supposed to be from, that has neither currency nor hygiene?

Re: About three drachma a week!

[teethnambition]

"Mmmmhm. Magic bullet."

"Oh, it's got both. My extraterrestrial nature's a benign lie, I'm from Glasgow. Is it that bad?" Sniff... It helps with the subjects, so no change there.

Re: About three drachma a week!

[onemorebounty]

"Magic bullet?"

*She gives the leopard pelt another look.*

It would probably last longer if you cured it. As it is now, it's going to be rotting on your shoulders, cultivating all kinds of disease and attracting all kinds of vermin. It probably won't look that good for long, either.

Re: About three drachma a week!

[teethnambition]

"I've had this pelt as it is for ten years now. Vhe haff vheyz, y'know?"

[onebaddeed]

"It's a simpler way of conducting the barter system." James says simply. He's not going to voice his opinions of currency, oh no.

[teethnambition]

No, really?
No shit, Sherlock.
Pull the other one, it tingles a little.
Never gonna give you up,
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and
Desert you.

"Yes."

[onebaddeed]

"...Also quite often a total mess and justification for many various wrongs."

[teethnambition]

"While all other times they claim they're not doing it for the money."

[harkhearthebell]

"The root of all evil," says the Ukranian fellow with a slight smile.

[teethnambition]

"Good one. No-one had actually said that yet."

[harkhearthebell]

"Well, I cannot say I have ever seen more people fight over scraps of cloth or pieces of metal just to give themselves more imagined worth over their fellows. Surely there is no greater evil than destroying a community over something that doesn't rightly exist."

Ivan tilts his head and blinks. "Really? I am absolutely shocked and utterly disappointed by that. Here I had thought the rest of these people were more clever than me."

[teethnambition]

The King whispers: "Not to go by what I've seen so far."

[rurounitriv]

A symbol that many people confuse for that what it symbolizes.

[teethnambition]

"That which, surely."

[rurounitriv]

*She mutters something in a dialect of Greek which hasn't been spoken in centuries.* That which, indeed. Your pardon, it's been a long day, and it's not over yet.

However, my point still stands - it symbolizes a unit of exchange, worthless without common agreement upon the value it represents, but often mistaken for having intrinsic value. And frequently considered by those so confused to be proof of personal worth rather than a simple indicator of accumulated resources.

[teethnambition]

"I couldn't agree more."