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Topic: Bitcoin wealth inequality and why it is bad - page 2. (Read 1889 times)

legendary
Activity: 2044
Merit: 1115
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How are the functions of money being a store of value and means of exchange mutually exclusive?

To be a good store of value money needs to be appreciating (the more the better). Conversely, to be a good means of exchange money should be depreciating at a slow (and low) but constant rate. The former contributes to hoarding while the latter to spending. Hoarding and spending don't live well together and are, in fact, mutually exclusive. In other words, you can't hoard and spend the same (amount of) money at the same time...


I don't understand what you mean here. To be a good store of value, money only needs to be a stable store of value. When you say it needs to be "appreciating," do you mean appreciating in value- as in a deflationary currency (less in circulation over time)? That wouldn't be a stable store of value. Appreciating value isn't stable, and a stable currency is superior to a deflationary currency because as you point out, deflationary currencies would incentivize hoarding and harm economic activity. On the flip side of your point, a currency doesn't need to depreciate in value (be inflationary) to be a good means of exchange. The only requirement to be a means of exchange is wide availability. A stable value, widely accepted currency would satisfy both the store of value function and the means of exchange function of money. These two aspects don't have to be, and most commonly are not, mutually exclusive at all.
legendary
Activity: 3514
Merit: 1280
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Wealth re-distribution is the wet-dream of the leftist loonies. We will be better off with the current system. Large holders of Bitcoin were rewarded for their early interest in the crypto-currency. IMO, even now we are in the "early adapter" stage. Less than a million, out of a total world population of 7 billion uses Bitcoins. That itself results in extreme inequality.

I'm afraid that we may not be able to get out from this "early adopter" stage. Bitcoin is not forced upon anyone (at least so far, lol), then why would anyone want to sell real stuff for it? Yes, early Bitcoin adopters may think they deserve to live off the fat of the land, but try to convince the rest of the populace of this (i.e. 7 billions minus 1 million)...
legendary
Activity: 3766
Merit: 1217
Wealth re-distribution is the wet-dream of the leftist loonies. We will be better off with the current system. Large holders of Bitcoin were rewarded for their early interest in the crypto-currency. IMO, even now we are in the "early adapter" stage. Less than a million, out of a total world population of 7 billion uses Bitcoins. That itself results in extreme inequality.
legendary
Activity: 3514
Merit: 1280
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I don't get your reasoning behind why it's a bad thing that Bitcoin isn't evenly distributed

Uneven distribution of the magnitude we see in Bitcoin (as well as a limited and capped supply of new coins) prevents it from becoming a (good) means of payment. Since a relatively small group of people holds over 90% of all coins, there is a competition for the remaining coins which spurs up the price, thereby turning Bitcoin into a seemingly good store of value (which is antagonistic to its function as a means of exchange), but actually into a (sort of) self-sustaining Ponzi scheme (as long as the Bitcoin user base doesn't diminish abruptly)...

Until one of those big whales decides to cash out
legendary
Activity: 3514
Merit: 1280
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I don't get your reasoning behind why it's a bad thing that Bitcoin isn't evenly distributed. What I can tell you is how to make a currency evenly distributed (whatever that means? you give every person a % of Bitcoin? based on what?) is that it requires artificial manipulation and ruins the economy.

Fiat is for sure unevenly distributed but the generation of money is a scam, Bitcoin is also unevenly distributed but the generation of money is legit.

I don't know how to start a currency and provide more or less even distribution at the same time. It may well be that giving an advantage to first adopters was the only way to bootstrap Bitcoin. But that doesn't in the least mean that it won't kill it in the end. The example of fiat money wealth inequality is not applicable for two reasons, namely, 1) you are forced to use it, and 2) its supply is neither firmly limited nor capped (the main reason)...

But that is not the point I'm trying to make here
legendary
Activity: 1610
Merit: 1183
I don't get your reasoning behind why it's a bad thing that Bitcoin isn't evenly distributed. What I can tell you is how to make a currency evenly distributed (whatever that means? you give every person a % of Bitcoin? based on what?) is that it requires artificial manipulation and ruins the economy.

Fiat is for sure unevenly distributed but the generation of money is a scam, Bitcoin is also unevenly distributed but the generation of money is legit.
legendary
Activity: 3514
Merit: 1280
English ⬄ Russian Translation Services
October 03, 2015, 01:54:33 AM
#9
How are the functions of money being a store of value and means of exchange mutually exclusive?

To be a good store of value money needs to be appreciating (the more the better). Conversely, to be a good means of exchange money should be depreciating at a slow (and low) but constant rate. The former contributes to hoarding while the latter to spending. Hoarding and spending don't live well together and are, in fact, mutually exclusive. In other words, you can't hoard and spend the same (amount of) money at the same time...

You can always move the opposite way in reasoning, i.e. since hoarding and spending are mutually exclusive, and the first is better served by an appreciating money while the second by a depreciating, the corresponding money functions should necessarily be antagonistic
legendary
Activity: 3514
Merit: 1280
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October 03, 2015, 01:50:42 AM
#8
What's inequal is the way this poll is written.'

You either agree with the OP's contention that wealth inequality is wrong. Or you don't know anything. Or you need to "Get The Fuck Out". Really fair, eh? Don't be an idiot!

If you had a Million Euro and I didn't, would you give me (a stranger) half just to be fair, fuck no you wouldn't! So don't act like you're against it!

If you want real results you should provide poll options that don't lead to bias answers, here...I'll show you how to do it. Pay close attention now, I don't want to do it twice and you NEED the education!

I didn't intend the poll itself (or its results) to be of any relevance or importance (but not the contents of the topic, of course). So I agree, it is a little skewed, but that was on purpose...

Strictly speaking, GTFO is essentially just another way of admitting that "I don't understand a thing"
legendary
Activity: 3514
Merit: 1280
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October 03, 2015, 01:46:27 AM
#7
Here's a tip. When you make polls, don't make a 'troll answer' option. It just attracts immature little boys who think they are doing mischief.

I thought (and still think) that would prevent this topic (to a degree) from becoming dull and boring like other such threads eventually became. In other words, no diapers and panties...

Let'em crap in the woods like nature intended
legendary
Activity: 3514
Merit: 1280
English ⬄ Russian Translation Services
October 03, 2015, 01:42:11 AM
#6
There are a few topics here (and there) which try to discuss why enormous Bitcoin wealth inequality is bad for it in the long haul, but I didn't see where it had been explained why it is this way precisely. This assumption is correct, the reason (concise version, omitting the gory details) being that the two major functions that a currency is sought to fulfill are mutually exclusive (well, to a significant degree)...

I mean currency as a means of exchange and currency as a store of value...

It would be wrong to focus on Bitcoin wealth inequality, as opposed to overall wealth inequality.
If a person is wealthy, nothing would stop him from converting a portion of his wealth into bitcoins (even if his bitcoin wealth was low initially). So I don't see why the initial (unequal) distribution of Bitcoin is a problem.

Why would it be wrong?

I was going to consider this issue exclusively in respect to Bitcoin. Why? Exactly to stay focused, and since my point was to analyze, i.e. to dissect and break down the issue from the top down, to move from a general premise to a more specific conclusion (deductive reasoning), as opposed to inductive reasoning (moving from specific premises to a general conclusion)...
sr. member
Activity: 434
Merit: 250
Loose lips sink sigs!
October 03, 2015, 01:12:45 AM
#5
What's inequal is the way this poll is written.'

You either agree with the OP's contention that wealth inequality is wrong. Or you don't know anything. Or you need to "Get The Fuck Out". Really fair, eh? Don't be an idiot!

If you had a Million Euro and I didn't, would you give me (a stranger) half just to be fair, fuck no you wouldn't! So don't act like you're against it!

If you want real results you should provide poll options that don't lead to bias answers, here...I'll show you how to do it. Pay close attention now, I don't want to do it twice and you NEED the education!
sr. member
Activity: 672
Merit: 253
October 03, 2015, 01:07:01 AM
#4
How are the functions of money being a store of value and means of exchange mutually exclusive?
hero member
Activity: 788
Merit: 1000
October 03, 2015, 12:49:21 AM
#3
Here's a tip. When you make polls, don't make a 'troll answer' option. It just attracts immature little boys who think they are doing mischief.
legendary
Activity: 1232
Merit: 1000
October 03, 2015, 12:14:26 AM
#2
There are a few topics here (and there) which try to discuss why enormous Bitcoin wealth inequality is bad for it in the long haul, but I didn't see where it had been explained why it is this way precisely. This assumption is correct, the reason (concise version, omitting the gory details) being that the two major functions that a currency is sought to fulfill are mutually exclusive (well, to a significant degree)...

I mean currency as a means of exchange and currency as a store of value...

It would be wrong to focus on Bitcoin wealth inequality, as opposed to overall wealth inequality.
If a person is wealthy, nothing would stop him from converting a portion of his wealth into bitcoins (even if his bitcoin wealth was low initially). So I don't see why the initial (unequal) distribution of Bitcoin is a problem.
legendary
Activity: 3514
Merit: 1280
English ⬄ Russian Translation Services
October 02, 2015, 06:48:41 AM
#1
There are a few topics here (and there) which try to discuss why enormous Bitcoin wealth inequality is bad for it in the long haul, but I didn't see where it had been explained why it is this way precisely. This assumption is correct, the reason (concise version, omitting the gory details) being that the two major functions that a currency is sought to fulfill are mutually exclusive (well, to a significant degree)...

I mean currency as a means of exchange and currency as a store of value
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