[Blindtlk] AT the Intersection of Money Identificationand Human behavior

Sat Mar 7 19:40:57 UTC 2015

I always fold my money at the counter, and does not take long at all.

Judy

-----Original Message----- 
From: Gary Wunder via blindtlk
Sent: Friday, March 6, 2015 3:11 PM
To: 'Chris Nusbaum' ; 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] AT the Intersection of Money Identificationand Human 
behavior

Hello, Chris. A couple of easy comments: most blind people I know would not
offer somebody a 50 if the purchase they were trying to make was for $16. If
I make a purchase for seven dollars, I normally give someone a 10. If I make
a purchase for 13, I give them 15 or maybe a 20. It is certainly easy to
argue that we may not have bills that are close to our purchase price, but
it is a lot easier to do than one might think. If I want to break a big
bill, I often do it in a place I frequent or in a place where there is a
good size line, and seldom do I just pocket the money. I don't think it is
too much to ask the clerk to tell me what bills he is handing me. I think it
may be too much to wait until you are in the line to find your app, bring it
up on the phone, and then test every bill.

It is not always an easy call to know when it is your right to hold up a
line and when it is your responsibility to see that that line moves along. I
don't think there is any one-size-fits-all answer for these situations.

As for the comment about taking your iPhone out in dangerous places, I
suspect that someone who wants to rob you doesn't need the visual prompting
that you have devices of value on your person. How many people travel
without a cellular phone? I remember being in a bus station once and being
warned that letting people see that I had a cellular phone could be
dangerous. I wonder how many of these situations are less likely to happen
now that people know that most cellular phones have cameras and that you may
be just as likely of being in a face time call as you are a voice call. No
matter how you cut it, if somebody wants your iPhone, give it up. It is far
less valuable than any injury you might suffer. You have insurance to assure
its replacement. You do not have the same guarantee about your life or the
ability to restore things that might be broken in an assault. It goes
against the testosterone that flows in my bloodstream to say this, but
objects are only objects, and there are better fights to fight.

-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Chris
Nusbaum via blindtlk
Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2015 11:27 PM
To: 'Bob Hachey'; 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] AT the Intersection of Money Identification and
Human behavior

Bob and All,

What a fascinating video and ensuing discussion! As Arielle pointed out, it
is likely that actual blind people getting ripped off by dishonest cashiers
is more rare than the public makes it out to be. This is especially true
considering the fact that most places in which money is transacted are
public, so the unsuspecting blind person is likely to be "rescued" (I don't
like using this term in this context, but it's the only one I can think of
at the moment) from the scam by a concerned bystander. As some on this list
have pointed out, however, this is not merely a hypothetical worst-case
scenario--it has happened to real blind people in the real world.

I for one have never been deliberately short-changed by anyone, though I
have always been very conscientious about holding up the line behind me when
transacting money. I have heard Dave's sentiments expressed by many in my
personal life, both blind and sighted: Sort the money then and check its
authenticity; don't worry about the line behind you. As I have improved my
skill and speed in folding and organizing money in my wallet, I have
progressed from stuffing change in my pocket and waiting to organize it
until I'm home to folding and organizing the money while at the counter
based on the information the clerk has given me. However, I have never been
able to bring myself to check the accuracy of the clerk's information using
a bill identifier while at the counter. As someone who uses the LookTell
Money Reader app on my iPhone as my bill identifier of choice, I found
myself on the few occasions on which I tried this method becoming more and
more anxious about holding up the line as I pulled out my phone, found the
app, opened it, lined up the camera and waited for the feedback. I just felt
like I was becoming way too much of an inconvenience to my fellow shoppers.
This anxiety was further compounded when I tried this on a recent trip to
Baltimore, only to be warned by a passing good Samaritan that thieves in the
city would rip my iPhone out of my hand if they saw it out in a public
place. Risk, danger, more risk, and more danger!

I don't know if there's a solution to this conundrum, but this constant
choosing between the lesser of two evils is frustrating. I guess, like many
other aspects of life, this is a matter of weighing the trade-offs. I am
very concerned with not making myself an inconvenience, but at what point do
I allow myself to sacrifice this anxiety in order to ensure that I have the
correct change? The iPhone has opened up innumerable doors, including those
which allow for greater access to otherwise inaccessible material, such as
the Money Reader app for reading currency. However, those of us who live in
or frequently travel to urban areas must always be wary of those who might
want to steal our precious devices. And we must consider all this while
videos like this one remind us that not all of the public, even those who
are in the business of transacting money with customers, are as honest as we
would wish they were. I have struggled with these things for some time now,
but have never vented my frustrations to this list until this moment.
However, the video which Bob posted and the discussion which resulted have
inspired me to do it. Has anyone else delbt with these issues? If so, I
would very much appreciate hearing all thoughts on reconciling these
contradictory risks. Thanks for reading my rant. <Smile>

Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bob Hachey
via blindtlk
Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2015 10:49 AM
To: blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Blindtlk] AT the Intersection of Money Identification and Human
behavior

Hi all,

Below my name, please find a link to a truly fascinating YouTube video. Note
that the blind people and clerks depicted here are actors and that this is
an experiment in human behavior. How will bystanders react when a blind
person is shortchanged because he or she cannot identify US currency? While
it is nice that we can get free money identifiers from the BEP, how likely
are we to use them when we are handed change and people are waiting behind
us in line?

Bob Hachey

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myyyqH4j634>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myyyqH4j634

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