Shadowing Practice: If Money is Infinite, Why Do We Still Have Poverty? | Prof. Jiang Xueqin - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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So in the beginning, it was merchants who engaged in finance.
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So in the beginning, it was merchants who engaged in finance.
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Because merchants needed money in order to facilitate trade.
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And some merchants became extremely wealthy.
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And when they became very wealthy,
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they started banks in order to support trade and other merchants.
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okay so these banks traded in gold because that was the primary source
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and supply of money back there okay so what happened is you would come
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and you would put your money your gold in the bank for safekeeping
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and the bank would give you a contract right a contract
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is just saying thank you for giving me your gold I promise to give back your gold at any time
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that you want it and this is what we call a receipt right
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and this would allow for better and easier trade because now I can take this contract and I can go to England.
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Maybe I'm based in Italy.
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But now I can go to England and say,
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listen, I need to buy cotton or bananas from you.
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And the person is like,
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well, what do you give me?
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I'm going to give you gold, right?
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So I take the receipt and I give it to you.
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And why do we do this?
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Because it's a lot easier than giving gold to other people.
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And so this system would facilitate trade throughout the world.
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Does it make sense?
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Now, I'm the bank.
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I have all this gold.
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And I want to make money with it.
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So I want to give it to other people.
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So other merchants would come to me and say, listen, I need gold.
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Can you lend me out gold?
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Right?
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but i say to him yeah but if i give out the gold you have a security issue
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it's inconvenient for you so why don't i give you a receipt a contract instead does
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that make sense
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because all i need is a contract all i need is a receipt in order to go
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and do trade elsewhere right so so by doing this what i've done is I've doubled the gold in my bank, right?
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I've created money out of nothing.
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So the gold is still five million,
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that hasn't changed, but the receipt is now five million plus five million,
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so theoretically, I now have 10 million in the bank bank.
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All right?
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So that's how money and finance works.
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Now there's a problem with this system.
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What's the problem with this system?
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What do you mean?
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Why would the other people say they don't see it as gold?
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Okay, that's a good question, okay?
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Why is it that people believe in me?
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Okay, the answer is very simple.
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The answer is because for most of human history, people didn't need money.
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If you were just a normal person, what were you doing?
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Were you in a village growing crops?
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If you wanted to get new stuff, what would you do?
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You would trade with someone else, right?
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Maybe you have a goat that I want.
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Well then I would trade you a cow for it.
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So we didn't actually need money.
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So throughout most of human history,
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no one had any need for money.
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It was only in certain circumstances that you would want money.
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So for example, marriage, right?
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Okay, so throughout most of human history,
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money represented debt that could be unpaid.
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Oh, sorry, debt that could never be repaid.
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So for example, a very common thing is,
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maybe you and I fight and I kill you.
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Well, in theory, your family should now come and kill me.
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But obviously that would create a lot of problems, right?
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So the way to settle the dispute is,
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I would give your family money.
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Because money was symbolically meant to say,
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I'm sorry, I killed you.
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This is a debt that can never be repaid.
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That's what money was used for in most circumstances throughout human history.
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There was no actually real use for money was symbolic.
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But with the rise of trade with merchants,
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they needed money in order to facilitate the trade.
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But these merchants all knew each other,
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so they trusted each other anyway.
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So money was a mechanism for them to trade easier.
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Okay?
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Does that make sense?
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All right?
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Okay, so let's go back to the question.
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this system looks great I can print money out of nothing
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but there's a problem with this system what's the problem? there's a problem here
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okay that's actually a great question okay
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so yeah is it possible to forge the contract okay
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so that's a really good point the problem is
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so the answer is that they all knew each other anyway okay
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because it's a very small circle again we have not reached
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the modern period where it's a lot of people using money
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that's the case then fortune becomes a problem we'll discuss this in future classes okay counterfeiting
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but at this point in history forgery is actually not a big issue.
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There's actually a bigger issue.
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And it's a huge issue.
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What's the issue?
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I have $5 million of gold, right?
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There's about $10 million of gold out there in receipts.
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What's the problem with that?
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The problem is that if everyone wants to go at the same time,
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I go bankrupt, right?
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Because I lose my reputation.
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The contract says that at any time you want the gold,
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I must give it to you.
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But if I have like,
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if there's a hundred million dollars in gold contracts,
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but I only have $10 million in gold,
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only if 15 million wants the gold back, then I'm screwed.
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This is what we call a bank run.
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Okay?
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A bank run.
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And this is a huge problem for merchants.
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Okay?
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There's also another problem with this system.
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And the problem is this.
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Who do I usually lend my money to?
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Do you guys know?
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If I'm a bank, if I'm a merchant,
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who do I usually lend my money to?
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Okay, guys.
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today we lend the money to entrepreneurs.
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But back then, there really weren't entrepreneurs.
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There were kings and noble people.
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And what did they do all the time?
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Why did they do money?
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To fight wars.
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Okay.
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That's why there's a demand for gold.
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Because if I'm a king,
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I need to fight a war.
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Usually against my brother or someone else to control this territory.
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Right?
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Now the problem with this is I could get killed,
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in which case, oops!
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But also, what's much more common is the king would be like,
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screw you bank, I don't need to pay you back.
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Okay?
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So there's actually a lot of risk with this system
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so over time develop a system to mitigate
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or reduce this risk okay what would they do what they
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would do is they would create cartels cartels are just partnerships
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so maybe this bank works with another bank works with another bank throughout Europe they
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and the way they establish these cartels is usually through intermarriage
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right they would marry each other they would combine together and
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that way let's say let's say 15 million of receipts wants back the gold
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but there's only 10 million well guess what you just go to another bank okay
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and let's just say a king decides I'm gonna pay you
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back bank well your bank works with other banks to establish
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a new enemy to kill the king to get the money back.
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Do you understand?
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And this system is what we call today central banking.
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And what you will learn in this class is central banking controls the world today.
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Okay?
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Now what's really important about this system is that it's based on power.
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Right?
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And what power is, you can turn nothing,
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money, the contract, into everything.
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Right?
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That's what money is.
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Okay, so we live in a world in which banks can print out money, right?
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So now, let's ask ourselves the question.
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Wait a minute here.
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If the banks can print as much money as possible,
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why do we have poverty?
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Right?
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Because we can just give money to poor people and they won't be poor anymore.
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Why do we have poverty?
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If there's all the food in the world that we want,
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why are people starving still?
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Why?
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Because we don't have limited resources.
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Okay, so we don't have limited resources, we have scarcity, okay?
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So that is the common answer, scarcity.
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We have poverty because of scarcity.
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already told you this they can put money out of nothing
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so money is infinite money is an infinite resource
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so why are we why do we have poor people then that's kind of strange With money,
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are they just used for trade?
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They still have limited resources in the actual, the actual .
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You see what's happening is this.
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You all believe money is scarce, OK?
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I just spent the past 10,
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20 minutes explaining to you.
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It's not scarce.
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It's infinite.
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It's just a number.
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We can at any time print out as much money as we need, OK?
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So that's how power works.
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Power has brainwashed you into thinking something that is not true.
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You've been taught from the first day that money is scarce.
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But it's not scarce, it's infinite.
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And no matter what I say to you,
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you still believe this, okay?
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So you have to get that out of your head.
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Money is not scarce, it is infinite.
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So let's go after the question.
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Why is there poverty in this world?
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Why do people starve?
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Why is there inequality in this world?
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Why are there poor people?
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Why are there rich people?
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What's the answer?
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Because they don't print.
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Okay, because it's scarce.
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So guys, this is amazing, okay?
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You guys can't get it out of your head.
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You think money's scarce.
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You think it is not possible to print infinite money,
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when I already told you it is possible to print infinite money,
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because they do this all the time, yeah?
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The one who has the power don't want everyone to share the same.
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Yeah, because we don't want people to all have money.
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The powerful people don't want that.
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That's exactly the answer.
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And why?
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Because otherwise no one would work.
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Do you understand?
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The point of putting money is not to give you money.
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The point of putting money is to create the illusion
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that money is valuable and therefore you work hard in order to obtain it.
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But in order for me to make you want to get money,
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I need to create artificial misery.
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Do you understand?
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Right?
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If there weren't poor people,
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you wouldn't want to be rich.
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It's only because you see people suffer that you would want to go make money for yourself.
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What do your parents tell you?
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Your parents tell you, work hard in school,
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make a lot of money.
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Otherwise you're going to end up like a poor person.
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Right?
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Well, guess what?
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If there were no poor people,
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your parents couldn't say that to you.
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And you wouldn't want to work hard in school.
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Right?
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That's why we have poverty.
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Because poverty creates the illusion that money is valuable.
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In other words, poverty isn't what you do to yourself,
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it is what the powerful do to you.
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Now let me ask you another question.
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You guys have studied some economics.
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Why do you have crises?
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Crises.
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For example, there's a stock market crash.
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Or for example, the economy goes down and people lose their jobs.
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Why do you have crises?
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Exactly, you're not taught this in economics class.
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That's kinda weird, right?
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The point of crises is to destroy money.
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Why do we need to destroy money?
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Because if there's too much money in the system,
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people don't have to work.
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So you have to destroy this money in order to make people feel money is scarce.
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Okay, does that make sense?
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So why do you have wars?
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Right?
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Why are there wars in the world then?
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Because they're fighting over scarce resources, right?
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I already told you, scarcity is a lie.
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The real reason is war is meant to destroy wealth in order to make you think money is valuable.
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Do you understand?
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You guys play World of Warcraft or these games, right?
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Guess what guys, World of Warcraft,
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in our world, there's actually no difference.
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You just run around pointlessly working hard to obtain credits in order to buy stuff.
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If credits just flew out of the sky because they could do that,
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right, they could actually program the engine to just put money out of nothing,
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you wouldn't do nothing every day.
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You wouldn't play the game.
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Okay?
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It's only because you believe that there's scarcity in the world
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and that you must work hard to obtain wealth that you do any work.
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Do you understand this?
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Okay so this world
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that we live in it's a complete illusion created by central
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banking in order to make us work as hard as possible
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because the real value is not money the real value is the work we do.
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Thank you.
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Context & Background
In the enlightening video "If Money is Infinite, Why Do We Still Have Poverty?" by Professor Jiang Xueqin, the speaker delves into the historical evolution of finance and its impact on trade. The discussion begins with the role of merchants in facilitating transactions through the establishment of banks which managed wealth, primarily in the form of gold. This exploration highlights how the initial necessity for trading gold evolved into a more complex system involving contracts and receipts, fundamentally altering how commerce operates today. Understanding this background can enhance your english speaking practice as it provides material that is both informative and relevant to modern economic discussions.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- “A contract is just saying thank you for giving me your gold.” – This phrase illustrates the essence of mutual agreement in business.
- “I promise to give back your gold at any time that you want it.” – A commitment that emphasizes trust in financial transactions.
- “This system would facilitate trade throughout the world.” – Use this phrase to discuss the efficiency of financial systems.
- “What I’ve done is I’ve doubled the gold in my bank.” – A metaphor for leveraging resources effectively.
- “People didn’t need money.” – This statement reflects the historical context of economic exchanges.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To improve your English speaking using the shadowing technique with this video, follow this practical guide:
- Watch the Video Once: Begin by watching the video without stopping. Focus on understanding the overall message and context.
- Listen Actively: On your second viewing, pause frequently to listen to Professor Jiang's pronunciation and rhythm. Pay attention to how he emphasizes key phrases.
- Shadow the Speaker: Use the shadow speak method by repeating phrases immediately after hearing them. Mimic the intonation and speed for more effective practice.
- Focus on Specific Phrases: From the list of top phrases, select one or two to practice. Repeat them multiple times, ensuring clarity and accuracy.
- Record Yourself: Finally, record your shadowing session and listen to it. Assess your pronunciation and compare it with the speaker to identify areas for improvement.
Incorporating this approach into your learn English with YouTube sessions will enhance your fluency and confidence in spoken English. Regular practice using the shadowing site helps solidify your understanding of natural speech patterns and vocabulary.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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