Why We Use Money (1970)

[Music] You [Music] are me. [Music] Once long ago, there was a fisherman, but he didn't fish just for fun. He used the fish he caught to trade for things he needed for himself and his family. What he needed right now most of all was a new sharp knife to cut himself loose. Since there was no money in those days, he couldn't buy a knife. So, he took the fish and went to the knife maker to see if he could make a trade. Good morning, Mr. Knife Maker. Here's a nice fresh fish I just caught. I'll trade it to you for a good, sharp knife. I've already traded two knives for fish this morning. Look there. How many fish do you think I can eat in one day? What I need is a new hat to keep the sun out of my eyes. My old hat fell in the fire yesterday. Bring me a new hat and I'll give you a sharp knife. Very well, Mr. Knife Maker. I'll go to the hat maker. So, the fisherman took his fish and went to the hat maker to see if he could make a trade. Mr. Hatmaker, I'll trade you this nice fresh fish for one of your hats. Then I can trade the hat to the knife maker for a good sharp knife. Well, fisherman, I'd like to oblige you. Really, I would. But this morning, a man already traded me a fish for a hat. Now, if you were offering me a loaf of bread to go with my fish, well, we might make a trade. It's a long way to the bakers, but I'll go and see if he'll trade with me. So, the fisherman set out for the baker. Mr. Baker, please trade me a loaf of bread for my nice fresh fish so I can trade it to the hat maker for a hat. Then I can trade the hat to the knife maker for a knife. Well, I we don't need a fish. I caught one this morning. What we need is a new pot. Ours is cracked. Bring a new pot and maybe we can talk about a trade. So the fisherman took his fish to the potter shop. Oh, please, Mr. Potter. Trade me a pot for my fish so I can trade it to the baker for a loaf of bread. Then I can trade the bread to the hat maker for a hat and trade the hat to the knife maker for a good sharp knife. [Music] H. Not a bad sized fish. It smells good and fresh. I could have it for my lunch. Very well, fisherman. It's a trade. So the fisherman took the pot from the pot maker and traded it to the baker or the baker's wife for a loaf of bread which he traded to the hat maker for a new hat which he gave to the knife maker. H it fits pretty well and it's nice and soft. All right, fisherman. Here's one of my best and sharpest knives. Thank you, Mr. Knife Maker. Now I can cut myself loose. Sit down. You look tired, fisherman. You must have had to make a lot of trades before you found someone who wanted your fish. Oh yes. Everyone needs something. But it's not always a fish. I know. Oh, I know. Trading sometimes takes me so long that I hardly have time to make knives. You know, it would be a lot easier if instead of everybody trading different things, they could all use one special thing for trading. What do you mean? What kind of special thing could everyone use? It would have to be something really special. something you couldn't find just anywhere, like little bits of precious metal, gold or silver or copper. Then people would trade them for the fish they caught or the bread they baked or the pots or knives they made. Not a bad idea. We wouldn't have to do all this trading. If you'd needed a knife, you'd come straight to me. And if I needed a hat, I'd go straight to the hat maker. And what a great deal of time and trouble we would save. So the fisherman and the knife maker talked to all the people who lived and worked in their village about the new idea. Ooh, what a great idea. Yes, I think it would work. Why didn't we think of it before? The idea spread and soon everyone began using small pieces of precious metal for their trading. Some pieces were worth more than others and were stamped with marks which told their weight and value. Many were stamped with fancy designs. These were called coins. Nowadays we use coins too to trade for things we need. We also use paper money. Today, a fisherman still catches fish, but he sells his fish for [Music] money. And if he finds that he needs a knife, it's a simple matter to go to the store and buy one. Well, it's a fairly simple matter. [Music] [Music] [Music]