My Mindy moment: a conspiracy theory?

Nothing generates conversation and social media posts like a good conspiracy theory.  So in an effort to get more people talking about Origin of the Specious, I decided it was time to create one that follows my love for Animaniacs.  I preferred some of the constituent cartoons to others.  Generally, I always found “Mindy and Buttons” a good laugh with its combination of a dog taking over the parent role of a 5-year-old girl whose constant curiosity with her repeated questions of “Why?”  before ending with “Okay, I love you.  Bye-bye.”

So I did a little bit of research on Covid-19 conspiracy theories and found some.  They were about how the virus came from 5G masts and were now a means of forcing vaccines on people.  That left me channelling my inner Mindy to come up with a conspiracy theory about Coronavirus.  After all, we know what it is and we think we know where it came from.  But why was it created?  The answer to the last question hit me in the face like a brick.

Why?  I was talking to the owner of one of my local coffee shops.  He was grateful for the pandemic because his business turned to only accepting contactless and credit card payments.  Cash was dirty.  Card only payments meant he no longer had to worry about employee theft as all payments were now being made directly into his bank account.

So I began to wonder:  Why?  Over the past 25 years there have been efforts made to control cash viz. the enactment of various money laundering regulations.  Now we are seeing restrictions on making payment by cash.  But that was big wads of money.  So is Coronavirus being used to control small amounts of cash?  Was it created at the behest of banks to further control the use of day-to-day cash?

Conspiracy theory?  Maybe, but, it is as good a conspiracy theory as any.  Face it:  money is an abstraction with payments via card even more so.  But I never thought I would be paying piddling amounts such as a £3 coffee by credit card.  This may be the new normal with cash staying in my pocket for a lot longer than it used to.  Or maybe I’m just a “Silly Buttons.”

Whatever.  “Okay, I love you.  Bye bye.