I always assumed credit scores were an integral and historic part of the American financial system.
They were not, they are very recent,most of your parents didn't have credit scores growing up, and as you can probably tell or at least intuit, it's mostly just a b******* scheme for those with capital to accrue more capital by invading your privacy.
Huh, I worked a convenience store/gas station in the late 90s and credit cards were at least half of the sales. Heck, it was kind of funny when someone used a card for candy bar that cost less than a dollar.