Bitcoin adoption is inevitable in the long run, but putting aside the political divide and building a broad coalition will shorten that path.
This is an op-ed by Jason Meyer, educator and author of The Progressive Case for Bitcoin. Disclaimer: This book is published by Bitcoin Magazine.
Does Bitcoin need progressive?
The simple answer to this question is no, Bitcoin does not need to advance. We can all quote the memes by heart: Never mind bitcoin. Tuk-tuk, next block. Bitcoin is inevitable. Bitcoin cannot be regulated. I think each of these slogans is true, in its own way, in the long run. But lately, I’ve been dedicating a lot of energy to answering the opposite of that question, which is: Do progressives need Bitcoin?
my book He answers this more complex question in the affirmative. And although it is easy to conclude with confidence that Bitcoin is not Need Progressives, it might be interesting to consider why you should care that I’m on a mission to take an orange pill with as many progressive liberals as possible. It is true that Bitcoin does not care. But I think you should.
long term shortening
Just as it is clear to me that bitcoin will eventually work, it is also clear that the support of liberals and those on the left of the political spectrum, while not an absolute necessity, is nonetheless important. Even if Bitcoin is inevitable in the long run, there is a lot of time between now and the end of that long run. That could be a time of increased adoption, innovation, and promotion of freedom funds across the planet. Or it could be a time filled with political fighting at every level of every government around the world. Many people reading this may not care, or they may welcome the fight. But in the long run, I would be dead and the world would be a better place if more people understood and used Satoshi Nakamoto’s innovations before my corn heap was passed on to my kids.
There are bitcoin clients who do not align with me politically, but who nonetheless support my work. These people like to remind me that Bitcoin is the enemy’s money. This is not only true, but actually an important characteristic of all “good” money. Moreover, it is also crucial to remember that, in this narrow sense, Bitcoiner is not your enemy, no matter how you align it with the old political system. While the left and right may be fighting over everything else, it is imperative that we unite when it comes to bitcoin, as doing so provides our best chance of replacing our current system. before long term end.
System repair
Like many people, my view of Bitcoin is that it is money for everyone. I also see it as our best tool for replacing the corrupt, opaque, and reactionary global financial system that we have all inherited. At some point, the people who control the current system will start to fight bitcoin, and when they do, they will fight hard. the Current environmental fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) And the last closure of Fiat onramps cryptocurrency exchange It would look strange by comparison. Powerful interests from Washington, D.C. to the High Street will be able to pull levers to make it difficult for anyone but an expert to learn about, access, or store bitcoin securely. Every player in the current game is motivated to keep it running for as long as possible and they have access to vast resources to help make this happen. Perhaps, for the first time, it is not about powerful interests trying to make more money, but about the definition of money itself. It will be a war and they will pull everything they can.
Some Bitcoin customers confidently claim that Bitcoin bans do not matter because people are able to go to places where Bitcoin is not banned. If Bitcoin becomes illegal in some countries, or even some states within the United States, we may have a chance to see just how difficult judicial arbitrage can be in practice. Those with wealth and connections may be able to move to a different country that embraces Bitcoin. Those who struggle to survive will be left behind. until Ted Cruz was dismissive On the idea when he quipped to a Bitcoin audience recently, “How many people here have your El Salvadoran passport?”
I don’t agree much with Cruz, but he’s right. It’s hard to see how a contingency plan for everyone moving to El Salvador can deliver on the promise of “Bitcoin for Everyone” during my lifetime.
But perhaps the goal of those in power currently will not be to make bitcoin illegal, but instead to keep us fighting about it from our deeply entrenched and polarized political views. Since their goal is to protect the existing system, they probably won’t start banning their competitors, but instead will keep people arguing about it.
The best outcome for those seeking to preserve the status quo is for the public to see bitcoin as a right versus left issue, something else to divide people while administrators continue to benefit from existing systems. And there is every reason to believe that this will happen. Currently, there are a few Liberal politicians who regularly try to earn political points by minting bitcoin. If the tactic proves successful over time, others will add their voices to the chorus. On the flip side, some conservative lawmakers have rushed to not only support Bitcoin, but also highlight that politicians on the left are not doing so. Eventually, all the forms of FUD, roadblocks, and political fighting could come to a head, at which point Bitcoin will start to feel less inevitable.
Make war impossible
The window to this novel is small and closes quickly. My strong belief is that the secret to our collective success is not in convincing the politicians in power that bitcoin is a force for good, but instead in educating the citizens who vote for those politicians. We still have a chance to do that. Most of the previous altcoins didn’t think much of Bitcoin. I have seen that once people are given the opportunity to learn and ask questions, they are often convinced of Bitcoin’s value proposition. However, the opposite can also be true. If we get to the point where the government is trying to ban Bitcoin, there will likely be a large section of the population concluding that it must be bad. If public sentiment shifts from “Bitcoin is fake money” to “Bitcoin is bad for bad people,” this bell will be hard to quash. Such an outcome doesn’t make Bitcoin’s success any less likely in the long term, but it could hinder adoption, innovation, infrastructure building, and education for decades. Not only will this lock us into an outdated system, but it will also delay the real-life benefits that Bitcoin offers to people who need this technology now.
Due to Bitcoin’s superior cash characteristics, it will eventually win and become a preferred means of storing and transferring value among the citizens of the world. We know that those currently in power are motivated to fight Bitcoin. If given the chance, they would. But, though we could win their war, we still have a chance of making such a war politically impossible in the first place. Doing so should be considered a necessity. Cory Clepsten makes a similar argumentemployment Nassim Taleb frame from the “obstinate minority”. Klippsten claims that if Bitcoin reaches 10 million supporters in the US, this small but immobile minority will make it virtually impossible to fight the technology.
Even if imperfect, the schematic does hold some intuitive value. Let’s say for the sake of argument that Klippsten’s figure of 10 million is correct. It would be foolish to think that we will reach this goal (in “The race to avoid warWithout intentionally broadening our target audience. So far, the Progressives remain a fairly untapped option for such expansion. Moreover, our coalition of 10 million would be stronger and more fracture-resistant if it were heterogeneous across the political spectrum. It would be Impossible to ignore a powerful coalition of bitcoiners that spans the political spectrum and will be hard to fight. This is why I, and many people like myself, bring the cause of Bitcoin to progressive people any way I can. I think this should concern you.
Bitcoin doesn’t care, but you should
The world needs us to be progressive in the orange pill. I would very much like to hit Klippsten’s 10 million target and see the diehard minority of Bitcoiners shape the future of money. The good news is that there is a growing catalog of Bitcoin educational resources presented through a progressive lens. There is also a growing and bustling progressive community within the bitcoin space. Thanks to these tools, we have an opportunity, however fleeting, to reach more people and convince them of the promise of Bitcoin. And we need your help.
This is a call to action. Don’t shy away from conversations about Bitcoin with a liberal colleague, son-in-law or neighbor. Try to reach out to these people wherever they are and explain how Bitcoin deals with the injustices they care about in the current system. Many progressives would respond well to an informed discussion of how and why Bitcoin addresses wealth inequality or grants property rights to marginalized groups of people. You may have more success than you think. If you can’t convince them yourself, point them to the appropriate books, podcasts, and articles so they can continue their learning.
There is no doubt that we will eventually reach the tipping point when Bitcoin becomes inevitable. When that happens, it will be critical to have a variety of political ideologies represented in our alliance if we are to achieve the greatest success. The only remaining unknown is whether we will act quickly enough to reach that tipping point before the war. I am optimistic that we will, and to that end I will continue to take orange pills as many progressives as possible. I hope you will join me in this work.
This is a guest post by Jason Meyer. The opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
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