1

In CBS's sitcom Ghosts, the ghosts' form of currency is back rubs.

Apparently, Hetty is quite rich in this currency.

How does this currency work? That is, why does a "back rub" have a value? How does one earn a back rub and how does one lose it?
Based on that, why is Hetty so rich?

It is explained in the show itself: "shrewd bargaining and a general disdain for physical touch, which leads her to never cash them in, Hetty has amassed a vast wealth of back rubs."

I don't get this...

whoisit
  • 115
  • 5
  • 1
    Literally explained in the show: “shrewd bargaining and a general disdain for physical touch, which leads her to never cash them in, Hetty has amassed a vast wealth of back rubs.” – BCdotWEB Feb 04 '23 at 20:26
  • 1
    @BCdotWEB Yeah i did not understand that. That's why I asked the basics. – whoisit Feb 04 '23 at 21:05

1 Answers1

3

As Ghosts is a sitcom, it would stand to reason that the entire premise of "back rubs" is just that: a back rub. It's valuable because, like all currency, the ghosts value it. As far as how to earn them, another ghost has to promise them to you. When you have them racked up, you can transfer the back rubs owed to you by another person to get something in return. Or you can simply cash one in and get a back rub, which most would find a pleasant thing. Hetty is rich because she doesn't like being touched, so she never cashes in on her back rubs, and simply acquires them and uses them as currency.

Looking too deeply into it won't get a lot of value. The entire premise of back rubs being currency is likely just to be a satire of the actual dollar, which is completely worthless except that hundreds of millions of people believe it has value.

Carson
  • 569
  • 2
  • 6
  • Yeah I do understand the last paragraph. But how would Hetty acquire back rubs? Giving and receiving back rubs both involve touching - so she can not cash in, but cannot also earn them presumably... – whoisit Feb 20 '23 at 17:33
  • 1
    Think of it like debt. "Having" backrubs doesn't mean you get a backrub, it means you are able to demand fulfillment of a promise for a backrub. Hetty collects those promises, but she never cashes them in. Instead she saves them so that she can trade the promises away to others, much like how a mortgage company sells a debt. – Carson Feb 20 '23 at 20:12
  • 1
    "If you warn me about any incoming people, I'll owe you a backrub" "Deal." In this scenario, nobody cashes in or "gets" backrubs. They own the rights to a credited backrub. – Carson Feb 20 '23 at 20:13