Security Notes: How Digital Payments Can Combat Antisemitism

Payments is an ever-present social activity that reflects values, preferences, and customs. Hence, by imposing payment dynamics, one can achieve social change—especially so when payment has migrated to cyberspace, first as a mirror of material money and soon as a cyber-native digital coin. The possibilities are far-reaching, waiting for a daring imagination to bring them forth.

Case in point: antisemitism. October’s worldwide pro-Hamas protests have shown that this vile prejudice is alive and well. The sentiments that brought about the horror of the Nazi holocaust are raging hot. Jews and Israel are condemned and regarded as unworthy of existence. It is not criticism of Israel’s policies, nor complaining about Jewish deeds, all of which is fair game. It is condemnation of an ethnic entity for being who they were born to be. Now, how can payments play a role in the combatting antisemitism?

We can use payments to keep the danger of antisemitism front and center. Consider three examples.

Ongoing support. Quite a few merchants announce their denunciation of antisemitism. This may be reflected by a policy that takes a cut from all proceeds, to be contributed toward restoring disfigured synagogues and to compensate victims of antisemitic hate crimes. This cut may be substantial, establishing these merchants as respected members of society.

This will work even if the cut is minuscule, with negligible impact on the bottom line, as long as it is exchanged for a receipt with a statement: “We are proud to be part of the campaign to combat antisemitism, and we thank you for your contribution”. People enraged by antisemitism will think more favorably of this merchant, and neutral people won’t care, but antisemites will find it hard to shop there. Maybe they like this store, this airline, this restaurant, and so they either feel banished from places they like, or suffer the humiliation of contributing to combat the antisemitism they support.

Merchants would not like to lose their antisemitic customers, understandably, but once a critical mass of anti-antisemitism stores is apparent, antisemitic customers will have a narrow choice. Jewish-owned establishments and German owned establishments are the most likely starting points for this campaign, the latter in light of Germany’s historic record.

Pay and Play: Let a mint issue digital claim checks against a par-value dollar sum. Let the money so collected be added to a fixed-interest-bearing fund, and let the claim check be redeemable 24/7, and also be splitable phone-to-phone. The interest on the money in the fund would be dedicated to support antisemitism victims.

Holders of such a digital-money claim check will offer it as payment to honor any invoice. Recipients of the claim check may redeem it right away at par value, or keep the money in the fund to bear more interest for the cause—the idea being that rejecting such a claim check as payment is tantamount to announcing. “I am an antisemite.” And hence one expects restaurants and other establishments could hang signs saying, “We accept antisemitism combatting digital money.”

Individuals and organizations convicted of antisemitic hate crimes could be required to make monthly payments to antisemitism-combatting outlets, in lieu of prison time. This repetitive act will keep the convicted antisemite considering his beliefs, and will spare the state the cost of incarceration.

This is only the beginning. Digital payments has become a well-managed, fine-tuned social dynamic. There are countless ways to use this new technology to bring about social change. Success in combatting antisemitism will evolve, aiding similar campaigns to combat other social hatreds, say against gay people.

—Gideon Samid gideon@bitmint.com