All about the Bordens
by Tom LlewellinClare Raspopow
It’s that time of year again. Leftover Christmas turkey (or Tofurkey, as the case may be) has long since been polished off, school has long since started, your minimum payments on those credit cards are edging upwards, you’re on your 14th consecutive day of the ever-tasty za’atar and Kraft Dinner diet, and that tuition deadline is awfully close. You’ve got money on the mind, but what’s to be done?
Unfortunately, you won’t find the answer to that in this special insert. Along with New Year’s resolutions and gym memberships, January is traditionally awash with helpful guides to put you back on financial track after a spendthrift December and quell your buyer’s remorse. Rather than trudge a halfway-informative path through the financial ties that bind (or strangle), we decided to question the ties themselves. What is money, both materially and figuratively? When a handful of bills rolls out of the ATM, just what are you holding?
The next few pages will look at how we see money, how we think about money and the economic basis for money. And we’re not just talking about dollah dollah bills, but anything people use as currency. We think it’s important that people not only question how they spend their money, but the role of money in their lives and in society. So buckle up and prepare yourself for an adventure in cash, credit and everything in between.
—Tom Llewellin and Clare Raspopow,
Special issue coordinators
The Link Volume 31 Issue 01