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No, I don't mean inflation like a balloon. I'm talking about the inflation of
prices!
Hello, I'm heyheybye, and after many, many months of reading the Times, I've
decided to follow in my little sister's footsteps (kirbie393) and write an
article.
Don't know what inflation is? Well, here's the fancy, dictionary
definition for it:
in-fla-tion -
n.
- The act of inflating or the state of being inflated.
- A persistent increase in the level of consumer prices or a persistent
decline in the purchasing power of money, caused by an increase in available
currency and credit beyond the proportion of available goods and services.
In this case, we're going to be using the second definition. If you don't know
what that means exactly, because the definition is really using some fancy
language, here you go:
- If people really want something (there is an increasing demand for it), then the price of it will go up
because the people selling will be able to earn more money.
- If there is a large increase in currency (like there's a lot more money
going around), then there's more money to buy the same amount of stuff. That
means the price of everything will
go up to balance it out.
Now you're probably wondering what this has to do with Whyville, or more
importantly, you. Well, there's a lot that could be of importance to you, and to
prove this, I'll use my own Whyville experiences as an example.
When I first joined Whyville in 2002, there was no such thing as the Trading Post.
Getting so-called "unsellable" face parts was very difficult, as you could easily
be robbed, scammed by false promises. So, the prices of most parts were
relatively cheap.
Now, though, since the Trading Post has been introduced, and scamming has
gotten to be very difficult to do, a single hair face part can sell for more
than 10,000 clams!
Back when I first joined, I got to be pretty rich, with over 3,000 clams. Today,
though, there are people with WAY more than that, people who are willing to pay
more for things they want. There is more money in Whyville, so the prices of
everything will naturally increase -- that's inflation.
And since the people who have the face parts that are in
demand are limited, they are in control of the price. That means the price usually ends up
being raised by a lot, so the sellers will get more money. More inflation!
Now that you know the basics about inflation, maybe we can try to stop it... I
suggest we start by
giving things out free once in a while. Maybe someone will follow your example,
and the city of Whyville will be happier because things don't cost so much. At the very least,
you'll make a new friend. And no, it isn't a crazy idea! I've given face parts to
someone I barely knew, and his response was, "I've never gotten anything for free
before, thanks!" And now we're good friends.
Anyways, I have a book report to do. This is heyheybye signing off... and
remember, the future ain't what it used to be.
Editor's Note: Excellent article, heyheybye! Readers, are you
interested in learning more about how Whyville's prices are controlled -- or
uncontrolled? Who's in charge of the Whyville "dollar", anyway?
If you're interested in writing for the Times, take heyheybye's example and
investigate how business and money works, and then apply it to Whyville. How is
a real life business put together -- and why does it work (or not work) when
kids try to do the same in Whyville? Why does your country have a "Treasury",
and why doesn't Whyville? That sort of idea could lead to some really fabulous
stories to be featured in the Times!
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