“C’mon, George! I thought we were friends.”
May 26th, 2013
The greatest compliment that can be given to a project like Silver Circle is to see it actually begin to enter the culture. There’s a colloquialism in the film that I’ve caught myself using, and now I’m hearing other people use, which is pretty exciting. It’s an unlikely meme. Not one I was expecting to catch when I first saw the film. But you can’t control culture. Don’t worry, it’s not much of a spoiler.
In a scene where our hero, Jay Nelson is sharing a drink with his dad, George Nelson there is a brief exchange between George and the owner of the establishment as they settle the bill. You wouldn’t think it would be very memorable dialogue, and it’s not particularly plot relevant. It’s just a device to reveal to Jay that his own father uses the contraband Rebel Silver. But George first tries to pay the bill with dollars and the merchant replies incensed, “C’mon George! I thought we were friends?” Then George reluctantly pays with silver.
For the academic, the scene is an example of Gresham’s Law in action, but for we common honest money enthusiasts it’s a scene I think we’ve all acted out at one time or another. I know I have.
I had been stacking silver for a year at least before I made my first purchase with it. When I went to the 2011 New Hampshire Liberty Forum I encountered merchants who actually accepted silver for the first time. I was thrilled. Before then the idea of an honest money marketplace was only theory, and I was eager to make purchases. Ofer Nave calls it “irrational exuberance.” Many people go through this in the beginning, but then I wised up and I realized that if a merchant accepts both silver and dollars it’s really in my best interest to pay in dollars because the price may be the same today, but it will most likely be in my favor tomorrow.
That’s why George would rather pay in dollars. When the dollar value goes down and the silver value goes up he’d rather be the one holding the silver. So, even though a merchant wants silver, and it’s in their interest to take silver, smart customers like George hoard.
I see the same transition in the Bitcoin community. I accept silver or Bitcoin for various services. And I definitely saw this at the Bitcoin Conference in San Jose last week. New users are excited and eager to spend their first bitcoins, but given the option, seasoned users pay with dollars.
That’s why I love “c’mon! I thought we were friends” as an expression. All at once it communicates that someone prefers the alternative currency, and knows you know why. It says the person isn’t ready to start refusing to take dollars, but using honest money is a sign of trust and familiarity between friends.
Find out where you can see Silver Circle by checking our theater and special screening schedule on -->our event page -->.
