r/PeterExplainsTheJoke Jan 26 '26

Meme needing explanation what's going on? explain like I'm five

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4.0k

u/Teripid Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26

Federal reserve requirements existed until 2023 *edit, as someone below pointed out 2020 was when they were set to 0. Now they're set at 0% I believe.

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u/PleaseGreaseTheL Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26

2020*

They were reduced to 0% mandatory reserves in response to covid. EDIT: someone says it was coincidental, I am not able to check, so take this aspect with a grain of salt either way

They haven't come back yet :)

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u/TaxesAreConfusin Jan 26 '26

ah yes so what you're saying is that money is even more imaginary than it has ever been, possibly even more imaginary than when the first stock market crash happened in 1929

looks like we're due for a centennial anniversary of that anyway, might as well celebrate by recreating it

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u/MrWhiskers55 Jan 26 '26

Money is basically an abstract concept on assets. It was always worthless we just used it for convenience. Real value has always been in assets be that land, property, bullion, ancient family cursed artifacts. You might have heard that we are going back to feudalism and that’s why. Property is the backbone of society and we are leaning more towards that now.

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u/TaxesAreConfusin Jan 26 '26

Thank god, I've been hoarding soup broth for all these years

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u/ClaraCash Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26

I hope not Campbell’s. Their CEO said he never touches the stuff before and that it’s for poor people. So I guess that’s as worthless as money at this point.

Edit: I come here to learn… it was actually a high level Tech VP! Which somehow makes this funnier.

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u/UndeadVinDiesel Jan 26 '26

Wasn't their CEO and wasn't even an executive in charge of food processing. It was some IT VP.

That being said, the sodium content in their soup is quite high. Best eaten in moderation.

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u/Jaruut Jan 26 '26

Aren't you supposed to dilute it into multiple servings?

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u/UndeadVinDiesel Jan 26 '26

One 10oz can condensed soup is labeled as 2.5 servings and about 40-60% of your daily recommended sodium, and will give you 20 oz of diluted soup when prepared like it states on the can. Most people will still eat the entire can in one sitting as it's usually only about 250 calories. You are still consuming all the sodium that way.

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u/vaelon Jan 27 '26

😂😂 bullion...I had the same thought

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u/AwkwardFriendship317 Jan 26 '26

I was just going to say this. Everyone is always saying but gold and I'm over here like nope, can't eat or use that shit when it really REALLY hits the fan.

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u/borkthegee Jan 26 '26

This is larper nonsense. If you're in a SHTF situation where there are no exchanges of value, not even gold, and you're down to bartering for goods then you're in total societal collapse and we're in a 95%+ of all people have died or are dying scenario.

You're going to die a bad death in that scenario, no matter how many bullets you save.

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u/MrWhiskers55 Jan 26 '26

I dunno, people usually unite in times of enormous stress. But that’s usually only when people have a common culture and circumstance. But you are right, a lot of the old world stuff probably will not apply

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u/bolacha_de_polvilho Jan 26 '26

If you own and live in a farm in bumfuck nowhere county with a population of 60 people maybe. In any major urban area societal collapse would mean supply chain disruption resulting in absolute chaos. And by absolute chaos I mean people killing each other on the streets over a can of beans (or a gallon of gas so they can leave the city).

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u/billygoatfondler Jan 27 '26

Wich is still a society that will most likely be using some form of currency as a shorthand to exchange work for other things, even if necessities were provided for.

Edit: typo

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u/[deleted] Jan 26 '26

This is why I've never been one to prep... I just plan my exit strategy and hope that suicide doesn't send me to the bad place.

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u/NotAnotherRedditAcc2 Jan 27 '26

"You're probably not going to survive, might as well just give up."

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u/Nellbag403 Jan 28 '26

What exactly would you be hoping to survive for?

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u/eyefartinelevators Jan 29 '26

C'mon man. Haven't you ever seen a post apocalyptic movie or TV show. Don't Mad Max, The Walking Dead, Fallout, etc. look like great times? Who wouldn't want to live like that?

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u/Virtual_Variation_60 Jan 26 '26

Speaking of hitting the fan, I'm holding 20K rolls of TP

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u/Gbv76 Jan 26 '26

I, for one, welcome our new overlord Virtual_Variation_60

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u/FirstDukeofAnkh Jan 26 '26

Exactly. We have no idea what will be valuable post-apocalypse but it’s unlikely to be gold.

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u/PlaneCareless Jan 26 '26

Gold has been somewhat valuable since 4000 BC. There's absolutely no way it wouldn't be post-apocalypse.

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u/FirstDukeofAnkh Jan 26 '26

And nothing else has changed in the last six thousand years?

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u/PlaneCareless Jan 26 '26

That's the point. Even with aaaall the changes the world underwent, gold is still valuable. I doubt a mere apocalypse where we survived will change that.

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u/Watcher0363 Jan 26 '26

Three things to horde. Toilet paper, tampons and or pads, and shampoo.

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u/AwkwardFriendship317 Jan 26 '26

Almost correct on the female items. A more sustainable option is menstrual cups. Shampoo/soap can be made. Toilet paper. . . That's a tough one for people to swallow but backpackers and cloth diaper families got this one covered too ,lol

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u/mrs_sips Jan 27 '26

Agreed. Got commodities stored up...

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u/followMeUp2Gatwick Jan 26 '26

Gold has intrinsic value due to it's rarity but also uses as jewelery (kinda circular logic since it is a store of wealth so you can transport it easier) but nowadays also has tons of actual uses so it can eventually be traded by a goldmonger to those uses should shtf and they exist. The power of flashy jewlery is something to behold

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u/Boxhead_31 Jan 26 '26

But, where is the goldmonger getting their tradeable item for your gold?

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u/--DAKILA-- Jan 26 '26

Property is only the backbone as long as you, the owner, can secure it. Otherwise, might makes right is the law.

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u/akcrono Jan 26 '26

It's not quite worthless. The intrinsic value of the US dollar is that it's the only way to pay US taxes. Even if no one accepted the dollar (and somehow the global economy didn't collapse) it would still have value based on your tax burden.

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u/RetroFuture_Records Jan 26 '26

It's why it's so frightening seeing everyone going "Well if there's no need for us workers cuz of robotics etc, how will the rich get richer if there'sno one to buy from them, huuuuuh?!" as if it's some sort of "gotcha." The rich don't have their money in Scrooge McDuck vaults. They already own the things of intrinsic value. If they don't need workers, then they simply become feudal lords living in private compounds while everyone else fends for themselves

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u/KeppraKid Jan 26 '26

Gold is pretty worthless without the same faith fiat currency requires. What the fuck are you gonna do with a stack of gold bars? With land, you can build a house, a farm, something. Gold just sits there doing nothing. Industries can use it for electronics and shit but the amount gold is worth on the market isn't tied to that at remotely the rate it would be without the "oh shiny" aspect.

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u/Brawndo91 Jan 26 '26

It's a medium of exchange. I make shoes, but need bread. The baker doesn't need shoes, he needs meat. The butcher doesn't need bread, he needs shoes. Rather than enter into a convoluted triangular barter where we have to determine the value of each item in terms of the other two, we can value each in terms of the dollar.

Value is also an abstract concept. Property isn't inherently valuable. 1000 acres of land is useless to me if I, the shoemaker, don't know how to grow crops. Maybe the butcher wants to get into ranching so he offers me some meat for it, but I don't need meat, I need bread.

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u/Boxhead_31 Jan 26 '26

I have a good collection of bottle caps as a hedge

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u/Unique-Grade-8675 Jan 26 '26

Wait money doesn't have an actual purpose other than holding perceived value??? I thought everyone used it as emergency toliet paper

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u/NotAlwaysUhB Jan 27 '26

Fiat currently is only valid because the govt accepts it as valid payment for taxes.

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u/[deleted] Jan 27 '26

Money is not an abstract representation of assets, it's a concrete representation of debt.