Currency, stocks, bonds, coupons, etc. They are all paper or some other relatively worthless item that is used to allegedly trade goods and services.
But they are actually detrimental to civilization due to exploitation of the markets.
Examples:
Currency Exchange: cheats somebody every time.
Two working class people perform the exact same service at the exact same quality, but they live in different countries. One or the other or both of these men will get screwed over by the currency market. The "Real" value of their good or service produced is identical, but when they go to spend teh currency they earned, at least one of them will get "screwed".
Even a one world currency would not solve this problem. AFter all, what is a computer really worth? in the end, food, clothing, shelter, Information technology, and medicine are what keep human beings and civilization alive. A piece of paper is worthless in and of itself, and it hides the true value of a good or service. How many meals would you give up for a computer? How many computers would you give up for a meal?
Brokers.
They actually contribute absolutely nothing to the economy or civilization in general. All these people do all day long is switch around some numbers trading fake wealth, whether currency, stocks, bonds, or whatever, for "real" wealth. How does this work? You buy a less valuable currency or stock and wait a few weeks, months,or years, and sell this paper for something else that is hopefully worth much more. Then you convert it to "real" wealth by buying REAL assets such as real estate and staple businesses that provide the basics of life, like farms or mining companies.
The broker produces absolutely no goods or services, but gets filthy rich by "gambling" and playing with numbers. The laborers who actually produce the goods and services get just enough to keep them from revolting against the government or the company. The company's top few owners and CEO often get filthy rich, even if the company itself is losing money. How? Broker bought low and sold high, due to speculations, he makes thousands or millions of dollars in "fake" money by doing absolutely nothing to contribute to the "real" success of the civilization, he simply exploits other members of civilization.
One reason the US dollar keeps losing value is because as much as 70% of US citizens do not produce goods or services at all! That's right, they contribute nothing whatsoever to the survival of civilization, but are "working" in "fake" number markets either directly or indirectly.
Things that contribute virtually nothing to survival of civilization:
Casinos
banking
Stocks
bonds
mutual funds
currency markets
most lawyers
many forms of entertainment industry(especially movie theatres)
prisons - most death row inmates and most lifers
etc
Most of these things are literally gambling or functionally identical to gambling, but they are much more than just that.
As stated, the first 6 of these things literally contribute nothing or virtually nothing to civilization, all they do is make some people filthy rich at everyone else's expense.
Entertainers are masters of legalized price gouging. Don't believe me? Just go to a movie. Who pays $3-$5 for a soda? Not me, but it appears millions of American's are so thirsty and hungry on friday and saturday nights that they are willing to pay 1000% markup on the fair value of a drink or bag of popcorn. Did the person who actually produced the soda or bag of popcorn make that money? No! In the end, the theatre owner and Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford got the money!