Finished with today's work, I am a bit intoxicated. Forgive me, try to change me, ignore me, agree with me, or kill me.
tl;dr - Though with strong practical reasons for use (lower fees, convenience, generally uninflatable by government), I believe Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general will move us toward a society favoring pluralism, where people disregard laws in favor of their views on morality, and away from individual bureaucrats who view themselves as robotic law enforcement officers rather than men with guns, gavels, or law licenses who're given, through violent means (and I don't mean to disparage this), the privilege of a wider range of acceptable-violence scenarios and who have the power of choice. Bitcoin's obvious-to-all, practical improvements entice me, but the societal changes it facilitates - humans as equals rather than always in a dominant-submissive relationship - excites me.
1) I'm cheap. Not only is buying bitcoin one of the few rational-seeming choices for savings (heading toward being deflationary) and cheapness (low fees, high efficiency), ESPECIALLY for the young (I don't think many older folk - and I'm speaking as an American, here - understand how strongly we want out of the dollar and the government-sponsored monopolies which inhabit the USD space). I won't post anything on eBay not because I have some vendetta against them but because I like keeping my money. This is not an ideological position, but a practical one. The massive fees indicate the current system is broken, and I'm very willing to risk coins to essentially vet current BTC businesses.
2) I like many older people who speak their minds openly (which seems pretty rare among the youth), but in general, I resent old people. They've given us what we have, and I hate what I'm left with. I want to ditch their money and eliminate social security in particular ASAP because it sure as Hell ain't gonna be around (in any net-beneficial format) when I reach retirement age, so as far as I can tell, it's a a spit in my face. If they're deserving of care, someone will fund their existence, but I don't feel obligated to support them all, and find it offensive that anyone would be willing to violate me on the premise that I should. In general, I find resistance toward government a resistance against the bullshit situation our parents and grandparents left us, and to some extent, against our own family. Most of all, it's just disappointing to see what's been left us. We have a ruined environment, a broken government, and a system where we're struggling and still forced to keep the old in a comfortable lifestyle. From a nihilistic position though, I don't blame old people at all - but that's the only perspective from which I find them blameless, so it's awesome when you'll find old farts bashing nihilism as a destructive force corrupting the young.
3) Very related to #2, I view Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as an effective opt-out solution to strict application of law by algorithms, zombies, and robots. I would be willing to be imprisoned to fight the system extra-judicially (I don't mean to indicate violence, here) and hope many of my peers would, too. I believe we're much larger in number than we believe, largely because we're afraid of the effects of honesty, but I believe there's nothing to fear. I would leave my family behind and see them imprisoned, too, to get out of keeping the current system limping along, and I'm somewhat willing to flaunt it, but I'll sure be honest about it. I have nothing against LEOs. They're people. They're bureaucrats. They have power to enforce and also to choose not to enforce. I view LEOs as the real front-line against tyranny, not the enforcers of tyranny, though they can choose to be. Just this morning, I was with a group pulled over by a sheriff. We had a quick exchange and he let me go, without a seat belt latched, proper insurance, and with whiskey at my side (as a passenger), because he understood us after a very quick Q&A. I greatly appreciate and respect him. Because everyone has choices and power, I find the "it's my job" position absolutely deplorable, and I'd spit on the first person to ever take such a position with me under threat of imprisonment (especially while drunk!). He's not corrupt or uncaring, but human, and I think we largely lack that as a society. I think the argument that policemen are some type of uneducated gun-wielding sociopaths is both unfounded and comes from an origin rooted in stupidity. They simply dislike being disrespected (because - surprise, surprise! - they're human), so when a bunch of people come at them with videocameras, giving them a hard time and trying to paint them as some type of Gestapo without even having a real dialogue, I am a bit pleased when they're imprisoned. Fuck the laws and the idiot "libertarians" who hide behind them to try justifying being arrogant pricks, but fuck bureaucrats who hide behind the same facade, too.
4) Bitcoin allows me to stay away from the public as part of a larger move away from constant interaction with other humans. I take bad interactions quite poorly and hold a grudge for life so long as I remember the wrong. I observe for a long time, trying not to make a splash, then come to a harsh judgment, either in polarized favor or opposition to the entity. I haven't been able to correct this likely-unhealthy behavior, so I'm pleased to be away from people as much as possible, both in informal and formal business situations. I'm untrusting, much more an observer than a schmoozer (though I put real effort in the latter for the sake of money), and am very pleased to see Bitcoin launch us into the next generation of non-interaction to obtain the necessities and exchange ideas. Any time I give money or interact anymore, I assume I'm wasting my money or breath, with faith in an ideal or at least non-suck potential being proven wrong, which itself I value. Depersonalization of ideas and actions, I believe, is the cornerstone of a rational society, though this may simply be confirmation bias from a relatively unsocial person.
5) Bitcoin's convenient, and this is part of the depersonalization aspect I very much appreciate. I heard a radio advertisement from a bank, recently, and they literally tried suggesting that people should choose them because they're the "curious bank." Fuckin' what?! I don't want entities (especially corporations) in my business, whether they think it's their business to protect me or to act as the government's boots on the grounds to prevent the fictitious crime of money laundering. I don't want to deal with banks'/governments' "curiosity." I want to send or receive money simply, without entering in my credit card details, SSN, and the origin of the funds. I sure as Hell am not going to be presenting my veins for robotic memorization and scrutiny to buy BTC.
6) Bitcoin has a strong showing of people willing to oppose the government and come out of their shell (even if only for anonymity rather than just having an audience of people judged relatively receptive to their ideas). I'm of course attracted to like-minded individuals, and I believe Bitcoin itself, as well as this forum, has helped to show the ideology is not some tiny movement which can be propaganda'd into believing they are nonexistent and without support. I greatly respect Andreas Antonopuolos and the discussions he sparks. I'm appreciative of the discussions Shrem and others have sparked. I love the defiance in the community, partially because I think it tends to only be found in the open-minded, but also because we're often in agreement.
Basically, I'd love to find a more open-minded population willing to have direct and open-minded discussions on the fate of another person, and depersonalized arguments when it comes to philosophy. I'd love to see more pluralism, and though I often take polarized stances, would just like to see more tolerance and empathy, not only toward things we can relate to, but toward anything which "seems to be reasonable within reasonable doubt." I don't believe someone who kills another while not in immediate danger should automatically face four years to life in prison, and I certainly don't think a "money launderer" (which I consider an activist) should face more harsh judgments than a murderer, but this is the legal system we have, and I'd love to kill it. Ignoring practical reasons - Bitcoin, to me, is a gateway for society to move further into anonymity and depersonalization of ideas. I believe Bitcoin will strengthen pluralist ideals within the global society and help us move in a socially liberal direction where you don't have to like gay sex or executions in public, but are more willing to tolerate it if a case can be presented that it's circumstantially reasonable,
NOT that it's legal. -And, should you find that person's act unreasonable and can present a solid and consistent moral argument supporting your actualized response, I don't think we should violently prevent all killings of a person who should kill the person they disagree with.
Deep down, what really attracts
you to Bitcoin?
