The Atlantic

Yes, Credit Cards Are Making You a Bad Person

Dumber, fatter, poorer.

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Reuters

The cashless society—a world where physical money is practically obsolete—has, in just a few years, gone from a utopian dream to something like an inevitability. In Sweden, a national effort is underway to take the country cashless within two decades. Throughout Africa, it's perfectly common for merchants to accept money through mobile phones by having buyers transfer a specific amount of money to a specific number associated with the merchant.

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In the U.S., the road to cashlessness is paved in, too). In the 1970s, fewer than 20 percent of the adult population owned a credit card. Today, between 70 and 80 percent of the adult population does. In some cities, being forced to pay with cash already feels like a precious anachronism ("What do you mean I have to before extending my arm to the register?").

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