r/Anarchism • u/Senior_Ad_6799 • 4d ago

Barter in small towns

Is there still some form of barter in your small towns?

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u/Sargon-of-ACAB anarchist 2d ago

Your phrasing implies that 'barter' is what existed before capitalism or money. I know I'll come across as an insuferable know-it-all but I feel it's useful to point out that barter is what happens when a society or community that's used to money suddenly can't use money anymore. It's not some intermediary step towards modern currency or anything.

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u/Senior_Ad_6799 2d ago

I didn't mean as an intermediate pass, I meant both barter and money at the same time

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u/organizedpotatoes 1d ago

There are roughly a billion people without electricity and a great many people that exist without even gift economies.

There are absolutely those that do not even barter.

Let that imagination run wild.