Thank you all for the insights you offer in this thread, it is great food for thought.

Originally Posted By: Art_in_FL
the videos are being pushed by people trying to sell you silver. As if precious metals were not subject to manipulation.


Apart from the speculation issue, buying silver is just replacing one kind of money with another. Both silver, gold, paper money and clam shells works on the confidence we put into them. To me it seems kind of naive that we should loose confidence in some kind of money (paper money and electronic numbers in the bank), but not in others (silver and gold). Apart from making pretty jewels and physical conduction paths for heat and electricity, silver and gold have close to zero practical value.

"Money is hardened sweat". A. O. Vinje (wikipedia)