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Re:More phones, few banks, instability are transforming Soma... by Symbiote on Sunday February 28, 2016 @03:14AM (#11190298)
“People are doing business without any fear of losing cash to militants or conmen,” Aden said. “The country’s telecommunications sector has undergone a rapid rise, fueled by intense competition amongst the numerous telecommunication firms that dominate the country.”

Cash is freedom to be robbed, so I don't think that will convince anyone in Somalia.

I checked my bank statement this morning. I withdrew DKK 300 ($45) on 16 January, and still have 100kr left. I have no fear of being robbed though. You should argue against Scandinavia, and some other countries in Europe.

Re:More phones, few banks, instability are transforming Soma... by PhasmaFelis on Sunday February 28, 2016 @03:41AM (#11190350)
Indeed. The problem with some hardcore libertarians, among others, is that they want "freedom" to be #1 on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and become confused or angry when others disagree. If you want people to want freedom--and you should!--you need to start by guaranteeing their basic physical safety and survival. "Live Free or Die" makes for a catchy bumper sticker, but if what you offer is the "freedom" to watch your family starve, most people would actually prefer a bit of oppression, and I can't really fault them for that.
Re:More phones, few banks, instability are transforming Soma... by anonbanker on Tuesday March 01, 2016 @10:33AM (#11203223)
Truth be told, "Freedom", as defined as: n. The condition of being free of restraints. n. Liberty of the person from slavery, detention, or oppression.

Would fit squarely under level 2 "Safety" needs in Maslow's hierarchy. Therefore "Live Free or Die" would essentially translate as "Level 2 Needs fulfilled, or Deny me my Level 1 needs".

Basically, hardcore libertarians feel that nothing should keep them from fulfilling their physiological needs, and the only thing that might would be government force. if Government force is stopping your family from eating (See: bread lines in Russia during CCCP), You're already unable to meet your safety needs, which will naturally lead to revolt/rebellion.

Re:More phones, few banks, instability are transforming Soma... by crusso on Sunday February 28, 2016 @09:16AM (#11190960)
Your analysis indicates that you're stuck on the dimension of individuality vs collectivism whereby libertarian solutions would somehow be inferior to socialist ones.

The real problems in Somalia lie along dimensions of corruption and violence. The biggest gains that they could make as a society would be to reduce the value of corruption and violence as a means to an end. Possibly that reduction comes in the form of free markets that create a vibrant economy that their people become incentivized to protect. Possibly, some more socialist democratic processes could take hold that appeals to their cultural tendencies to help one another. Probably some mixture of those forces could help to create a new Somalian society.

Re:More phones, few banks, instability are transforming Soma... by PhasmaFelis on Monday February 29, 2016 @02:49AM (#11194144)
I'm saying that if you want people to agree with your philosophy, whatever it is, you have to make it relevant to them. Frik seemed to think that Somalians should give up day-to-day security, including financial and physical safety, in order to protect themselves from hypothetical monitoring by a government that currently can't even provide basic law enforcement. In the environment Frik lives in, government monitoring is a reality and frequent robbery is not, and he naively assumes that his priorities can be applied everywhere unchanged.
Re:More phones, few banks, instability are transforming Soma... by frik on Sunday February 28, 2016 @03:30AM (#11190327)
Are you reply to me? I was talking about cash in general, and for your information why I care: certain parties want to limit cash or forbid cash in US and Europe.

One can only robe you the cash you have with you, and no one has all his money with him, right? But if the same guy also robes you the credit card or debit card or smartphone with contact-less payment setup, they can take all your money, or multiple times more money (and the rest over a few days if you don't act very quickly and try to contact your electronic payment provider, if possible (see bitcoin/altcoin)).

The next question, how often do you get robbed in US or Europe? Beside certain hot spots in a few areas, I never heard that this is a real big problem.

Re:More phones, few banks, instability are transforming Soma... by MrMullen on Sunday February 28, 2016 @12:37PM (#11191527)
No, this article is about near cashless society that are not in Europe but in Africa.

I think you lack an understanding how cashless transactions work in Somalia. First off, no one is using a credit card in Somalia. They don't work, no one has them. Two, the article made it very clear, carrying cash is a big problem in Somalia due to crime. How contactless payments work on phones in Somalia and M-Pesa is that you have to have a code to access the funds on the phone. If someone robbed you and they get your phone, they still don't have access to your funds. You can simply go to the phone store (Or whatever they have in Somalia) and get a new SIM for your account and then have access to your funds.

I imagine that carrying cash in Somalia is extremely dangerous and well worth the "Big Brother" factor.

Re:More phones, few banks, instability are transforming Soma... by Symbiote on Sunday February 28, 2016 @04:36AM (#11190471)
I now realise my words are ambiguous.

I don't fear being robbed in Denmark, whether carrying cash or not. After all, I carry a €500 smartphone everywhere.

The smartphone apps are protected by a PIN, and contactless cards are limited to low values which the bank will refund.