you can only trust debtors

… another innovation of the early twentieth century: consumer debt. As Jackson Lears has argued, through the installment plan previously unthinkable acquisitions become thinkable, and more than thinkable: it became normal to carry debt. The display of a new car bought on installment became a sign that one was trustworthy. In a whole sale transformation of the old Puritan moralism, expressed by Benjamin Franklin (admittedly no Puritan) with the motto “Be frugal and free,” the early twentieth century saw the moral legitimitation of spending.

~ Matthew Crawford in Shop Class as Soulcraft

Not only do we have moral legitimitation for debt, but we also have institutional legitimitation. Matt and I have been entangled in paperwork as we’ve tried to establish his credit score. Every credit card application has resulted in rejection, not because Matt has bad credit, but because he has no credit. He’s a poor candidate for credit because he has never had a debt before.


*That being said, with the recent recession and growing concerns for the environment, debt and spending are beginning to take on different moral meanings.