I. Historical Origins: When Kings Started Cutting Corners
King Henry VIII’s Shenanigans in 16th-Century England
Henry VIII (the king with six wives) needed money for wars, so he secretly reduced the gold content in coins but forced everyone to treat the new "low-quality" coins as equal in value to the old "high-quality" ones.
- How the People Reacted:
- Upon discovering the new coins had less gold, they hoarded the old coins or melted them into gold bars to sell at higher prices.
- Only the crappy new coins were used in daily transactions, flooding the market with "knockoff" money.
- This was the OG version of "bad money driving out good" — even currency gets caught in involution! Honest folks lose out!
- Smart move? "Who cares if the coins are bad? Let’s save the good ones!" Result: The market ended up with piles of worthless coins — buying a cow required hauling a sack of them!
II. Deep-Seated Psychology: Humanity’s "Cutting Corners Gene"
- Short-Term Greed: Humans instinctively chase "immediate gains": using bad money (screwing others) while hoarding good money (benefiting themselves), even if it harms the market long-term.
- Herd Mentality: "Everyone’s using fake stuff — I’ll lose out if I don’t!" When bad money floods in, even good folks become accomplices.
- Risk Aversion:"Save the good stuff for emergencies, dump the junk ASAP!" Hoard gold in chaos, stockpile luxury liquor in peace — same logic.
III. Real-Life "Bad Money Drives Out Good" — Have You Fallen for It?
1. Workplace Edition
"PPT Wizards" Crush "Hard Workers": Bosses drool over flashy slideshows, clueless that the data-crunching night owls are the real heroes. Result: Smooth talkers get promoted; grinders burn out.
Slackers Torment the Hardworking:Your coworker spends 3 hours a day "paid to poop," while you get scolded for "low efficiency" after overtime.
2. Consumer Edition
- Instagram vs. Reality: "Aesthetic" Restaurants: A spot spends $500K on decor and filters, serves terrible food, yet has 3-hour lines. The century-old diner next door? Bankrupt for "bad marketing."
3. Social Life Edition
- "Players" Outplay "Nice Guys": Smooth-talking Casanovas win hearts, while sincere guys get friend-zoned.
- Social Media Flex Contests: The guy posting Lamborghini pics? Probably drowning in debt. The actual rich guy? Quietly posing as a resellers.
4. Culture Edition
- Viral TikTok Tunes vs. Classical Music: "Wā Ya Wā" (a Chinese nursery rhyme) racks up more streams than Beethoven. But does losing artistic taste equal happiness?
- Clickbait Kills Depth: "Shocking! Warren Buffett’s Tearful Investment Advice" gets 100K likes. An article on Principles of Economics? 200 views.
IV. How to Fight Back? — Let "Good Money" Rise!
1. Brand Yourself
- At Work: Stop silent grinding — turn Excel sheets into slick dashboards!
- Socially: Just say it: "I’m socially awkward but fix computers" or "Single but cook like Gordon Ramsay."
2. Find Your "Quality Tribe"
- Crafters: Ditch cutthroat pricing on Pinduoduo — sell "artisan stories" on Xiaohongshu.
- Coders: Skip competing with influencers — dominate GitHub with genius code.
3. Weaponize the System
- PPT overload? Hit back with AI tools: "Darling, your slide’s color scheme needs Pantone 448C (the world’s ugliest color)."
- Clickbait plague? Build a "scam blocker" that translates Sensationalist Headlines into Normal Human Language.
4. If You Can’t Beat ’Em, Join ’Em
Friend A: "Why do the ‘bad coins’ always win?"
You: "Maybe they’re shameless — like my dog hogging the couch."
V. The Ultimate Truth: Bad and Good Money Rise and Fall, but 80% of What Circulates Is Junk.
"Bad money driving out good" is a battle of human nature — laziness, greed, and herd mentality unwittingly prop up the "underdogs." For "good money" to stage a comeback? Nearly impossible. Why? Because none of us can outrun time.As philosopher Keynes quipped: "Markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent."