What if Bitcoin could end Hunger or Proverty or both ?

[bbit]

Today, I was thinking about why bitcoin isn't talked about more and I came to the conclusion that we don't promote it as a good "cause" and we do not challenge big world problems.  

Why don't we turn the "evil fee's of Mastercard, Visa and the plastic mafia cartel" against themselves for our own good and the worlds own good?  Finally we get the attention of ordinary people who can't justify the incentive of switching from cash to bitcoin. How you ask?  Turn all optional bitcoin fee's to point to a payment address to feed a poor family in Africa, or a charity of there choice or some cause they feel worthy.Credit card company's make billions off these fee's  we can challenge the status quo and create a huge selling point for bitcoin to turn the ordinary person from a fiat spender to a bitcoin spender that is actually doing good.

I think our bitcoin dev. team has an obligation to do something to make this a reality in some form or fashion.

I mean my title grabbed your attention right? Just imagine if this a headline that was circulated around the world.

[smiles]

If the headline circulated it would be a lie.  Bitcoin can't solve these problems.  It is only a tool.  Only people can make these things change.  Unfortunately the heart of man is evil above all things.

[bbit]

If the headline circulated it would be a lie.  Bitcoin can't solve these problems.  It is only a tool.  Only people can make these things change.  Unfortunately the heart of man is evil above all things.

how do you figure it would be a lie ? Bitcoin can solve these issues or at least make a difference. If I'm paying fee's for ANYTHING I want it to go to something not to the corporations. (specially if the receiver just needs a payment address and a way to convert)

I should add that most of the world can be fed on little bit of money if all fee's were to help millions who are hungry doesn't this make a case ?

[bb113]

Feeding people who are chronically impoverished treats the symptom not the cause. I wouldn't assume that is net good for those people or society at large.

[bbit]

Feeding people who are chronically impoverished treats the symptom not the cause. I wouldn't assume that is net good for those people or society at large.

Agreed.  The cause is never going to go away that is a human trait but we can treat the symptom as you say, and it will help society as a whole.

[SgtSpike]

Well, there's been 0.6511 (rounded) BTC in fees in the last 10 blocks.  Extrapolate that out, and you have around 15 BTC/day in fees, or about $105.

Not going to do much, but it's something.

The problem would be, in getting everyone to switch over to a client that actually allows sending the fees to an outside address like that.  You could cause some nasty forks and significant devaluation of Bitcoin if it doesn't go smoothly.

[Elwar]

Bitcoin will end hunger and poverty.

Bitcoin will empower the people over their governments thus allowing for people to succeed in the absence of the oppression brought on by force of tyrannical government control which is empowered by creating power/money out of thin air.

[westkybitcoins]

I think I'd rather give a poor African family a mining rig (complete with wireless modem) and teach them how to manage it to make an income, than give them free money at this point in world affairs.


Half-serious: Maybe supply power-generating indoor bikes for the electricity. (Hmm. Now I'm compelled to try to figure out how many calories it takes to generate a kHash/sec. on a typical rig.)

[bb113]

Bitcoin will end hunger and poverty.

Bitcoin will empower the people over their governments thus allowing for people to succeed in the absence of the oppression brought on by force of tyrannical government control which is empowered by creating power/money out of thin air.

Theoretically, what would change your mind (i.e. convince you otherwise)?

[Dutch Merganser]

People are only hungry or in poverty because they failed to embrace the correct brand of superstitious nonsense. Haven't you heard of The Secret? Surviving victims of the 2006 tsunami learned the error of their ways from the author, that will teach them to buy the book 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_%28book%29

http://www.religiondispatches.org/books/1849/barbara_ehrenreich%E2%80%99s_bright-sided_explores_the_dark_side_of_positive_thinking/

[Gabi]

Poverty? The so called "poor countries" always have super-rich governments, of course a criminal government. You send them money, the government take them and buy new weapons and luxury things.

[rebuilder]

Setting aside the problem of getting this adopted, there are a bunch of reasons why this is a bad idea in the first place.

1. Sudden introduction of a level of centralization in the protocol. You're proposing to hard-code an address to skim fees into, presumably run by someone "trustworthy", and to mandate this for the entire network. Try convincing the people screaming "ponzi" Bitcoin is not a scam if you have someone skimming off the top like that.

2. Who gets the donations? How do we decide? Is it going to be the same party from here til eternity, or do we change it up from time to time? Do you have any idea what kind of hell that will entail if the sum ever becomes large?

3. It completely goes against the principles of voluntarity the whole project is founded upon.


Charity shouldn't be built into the protocol, though Bitcoin enables you to donate to whoever you like should you choose to do so.

[Elwar]

Bitcoin will end hunger and poverty.

Bitcoin will empower the people over their governments thus allowing for people to succeed in the absence of the oppression brought on by force of tyrannical government control which is empowered by creating power/money out of thin air.

Theoretically, what would change your mind (i.e. convince you otherwise)?

Theoretically...


Prove to me that humans seek pain and avoid reward.

[foggyb]

Bitcoin will end hunger and poverty.

This will never happen as long we humans persist in our natural tendencies. It has never happened before (globally) to my knowledge.

Why would it happen now? How would it happen?

Take a walk down the main street of any major city and tell me how bitcoin will feed the poor and shelter the homeless better than any other currency.

[smiles]

Unfortunately the heart of man is evil above all things.

I never knew that! You learn something new every day.

Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

[Shuai]

shitty idea. Sorry.

[herzmeister]

Unfortunately the heart of man is evil above all things.

I never knew that! You learn something new every day.

Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

Locke: Man at large is by nature good, it's the state which is patronizing, spoiling and intimidating them and making them bad.
Hobbes: Man by nature is a beast, we need the state to tame them.
Locke vs Hobbes

@OP: It's not recommendable to introduce centralization into Bitcoin, that's not what it's made for. However, Bitcoin can help to free the concept of money out of the control of states and central banks, which would allow fair competition of currency, which would probably end recessions and many of the problems we have today, increasing people's independence and prosperity and standards of living immensely.

Thus this may free resources to offer independent and ingenious help to third world countries, which should consist of helping them become really self-sustaining, instead of making them dependent on global corporocracy like Monsanto which is unfortunately the way things are happening today.

[smiles]

Unfortunately the heart of man is evil above all things.

I never knew that! You learn something new every day.

Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

Locke: Man at large is by nature good, it's the state which is patronizing, spoiling and intimidating them and making them bad.
Hobbes: Man by nature is a beast, we need the state to tame them.
Locke vs Hobbes

@OP: It's not recommendable to introduce centralization into Bitcoin, that's not what it's made for. However, Bitcoin can help to free the concept of money out of the control of states and central banks, which would allow fair competition of currency, which would probably end recessions and many of the problems we have today, increasing people's independence and prosperity and standards of living immensely.

Thus this may free resources to offer independent and ingenious help to third world countries, which should consist of helping them become really self-sustaining, instead of making them dependent on global corporocracy like Monsanto which is unfortunately the way things are happening today.

Oh Crap, I thought you were quoting CALVIN and Hobbes.

http://cdn1.matadornetwork.com/bravenewtraveler.com/docs/wp-content/images/posts/20100127-calvin.jpg

[foggyb]

The need for laws prove that mankind is evil.

Do you need laws to stop you from going out and murdering children? I don't. And from what I've seen, evil men usually don't care to abide by them.

Laws are first and foremost designed to serve justice. You behave in a moral fashion because you know there are negative consequences to immoral actions, even outside the law. You and many of us abide by the law out of a self-centered nature, not out of the goodness of a pristine heart & mind. When you say you're basically a good person, that is immediately proof that you're not.

[foggyb]

Sorry man, you are so far off base on this one. Don't presume to know me or why I live the way I do.

Its not personal, don't make it that.

I treat people the way I expect them to treat me.

Of course you do. None of us would go to the trouble of being nice if people didn't reciprocate. Its in our best self-interest.

I'm a firm believer in rights, but realize we give those rights to each other.

Our basic rights are inherent. You cannot give someone else rights. That would make them your slave.