Intentionally Decline Cash Payments

There are businesses who intentionally decline cash payments and they know exactly what they are doing. In an article titled How the Cashless Economy Shut Out the Poor written by Ginia Bellafante, she writes about her experience when attending a restaurant that declined her cash payment. If she did not pay with a card or apple she was forced to find food elsewhere. These companies are intentionally doing this to keep away the poor. 7 percent of American households have no one in them with a checking or savings account, while an additional 19 percent are considered underbanked, meaning that they rely on products or services outside the conventional financial system. (Bellafante, Ginia). The restaurants and business that are partaking in this are discriminating toward those who are not as wealthy and cannot maintain a card or pay using apple. We are now shutting out the poor from being able to consume certain goods and serves. According to Ginia, Visa went forth with the attempt to create a war on cash. Implementing payments through technology. Turns out every time their network is utilized they receive a fee.

In another article titled Should a Nonprofit Splurge on Management? written by Kwame Anthony Appiah, also touches on the importance of income inequality. In this article, it tells of an individual who was employed at a nonprofit. Recently it suffered a great loss financially which led to many employees being laid off and later was informed that the senior managers' salaries summed up close to the budget and were paying for their presidents' company vehicle. (nytimes.com). There was no consideration at all in regards to those who were fired and let go from their employment. They were chosen to be laid off without being aware of their status at home, who they have to take care of if they even can afford to continue paying their rent or even purchase food. This also ties in with the topic of poverty and discrimination. Ginia wrote of business who refuse to accept cash payments. Unfortunately the poor and those living in poverty more than likely do not obtain credit cards or debit cards. The businesses that are promoting payments with apple and card are aware of that and continue to enforce this policy to keep those who are not as wealthy far away as possible from their business. It is absurd that individuals would deny a human because of their economic status, but that is the world we live in. We are depriving an individual of consuming food, purchasing clothes, and so many other goods and services. Those who work for companies who are promoting this type of transaction are helping to create a bias discriminative demeanor towards those who are poor, are living in poverty, and those who just so happen to leave their card at home one day leaving them with the cash in their wallet.

The employees who lost their jobs received the short end of the stick. Those who are wealthier and higher than them did not feel the burden as those who lost their job did. Instead, they are still gaining more money and in this case a new vehicle. There is constantly segregation among individuals due to their economic status, race, religion, gender, etc. If we allow companies to deny us the ability to pay in cash the wealthier individuals who are running these companies and huge corporations will continue to make money off it. Those who are living in poverty will not benefit from this. Where there is discrimination it leads to income inequality which then helps to increase the rates of poverty. There are other factors that contribute to income inequality such as, ability, education, unequal distribution of wealth and plenty more. Sadly, it is something that is constant and unavoidable due to the fact that we have to continue producing output.

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