And we shouldn't try.
Look. I, like so many of us, want to join the ranks of the worlds elite. I want to build a castle. I want to design a race car, then design an event in which to race it (and win). I want my midlife crisis to be filled with champagne and private flights to private mansions on private islands for private parties filled with 3-400 of my closest friends...(you guys can come)
but...please don't make the same mistake as the mighty "anonymous". Don't threaten the establishment. Stop making claims of "taking down the dollar" or "uprooting the entire centralized banking structure"
Why do I make such a request? not because these claims are impossible, not even because I don't believe they'll happen. It's only because the bigger and more public the threat, the more steps the established power structure will take in an attempt to discredit, disprove, and dismantle bitcoin.(and soon enough, they could succeed)
Just pay attention. Can't you see it happening already? bitcoin prices surge, they call it a bubble, we respond by laughing in their faces and the price just drives higher. They get nervous and start issuing warnings about bitcoin. and not just bitcoin, the whole bitcoin community at large. Are we criminals, or investors looking for a get-rich-quick?
What do you think the next step is? the ball is in our court, so I say we relax. Sit back, get a mojito, buy/spend some bitcoin and wait. More and more people are joining our side, more businesses are accepting BTC, the price is stabilizing, people are spending them. You want bitcoin to take over the world? Shut up about it!
The pen holds more power than the posterboard, whispers more power than whining. You want people to really get involved? Use it as a way to live together with the dollar, not replace it.
Again, though, I'm not saying it can't or won't happen, I'm just saying we shouldn't make claims.
BTW, I'm not actually talking about anyone in specific here. seriously.
Back to my question though. What is next? They have already insinuated that we are all criminals or dupes believing in a get-rich-quick/ponzi/bubble sadly soon to lose everything. They have even issued "warnings associated with the risks of using internet currencies"
I see a few possibilities if some of us don't keep our mouths shut:
1, "criminals" evolve into "terrorists", soon enough a bomb goes off somewhere killing innocent people and payoff for the hit was made in BTC. Public outrage and suddenly people all over the world start turning their backs on BTC.
2, The "warnings" turn into "threats". many many people get their bitcoin wallets hacked and/or stolen in an attempt to disprove bitcoins inherent security.(lots of people don't have good security, or passwords) While the bitcoin infrastructure may be impenetrable, human error is always evident. and it'll be the most vulnerable of bitcoiners that get hit the hardest. thousands of wallets are taken and people lose faith.
3, they use their fantastic purchasing power to buy up every bitcoin they can get their hands on and either make BTC either so expensive that no one can ever afford one, or so cheap that no one ever wants one.
On the bright side though, I see several possibilities if we do calm down the trash talk a bit.
1). businesses will continue taking bitcoin. Some as a shameless PR stunt, I'm sure. But some because they have genuine faith in BTC as a viable currency. The latter group will grow even as the media attention dies down to a whisper, or nothing at all. Over time, bitcoin will just, kind of, sneak it's way into society as a real currency.
2). banks and major businesses see potential profits by catering to the bitcoin community and we start seeing "bitcoin accepted" showing up in commercials everywhere. Major banks offer services (for a small fee, of course) that make transacting between BTC and local currencies as seamless as a common ATM, perhaps even offering wallets of their own. (these will likely be a joke compared to the offerings online, but many in the unwashed masses will gravitate to them as they see them as "simpler") Even more BTC discounts/excuses to spend.
3). world business is forced to evolve. Transaction fees and wait times nearly vanish. A person can pay for a hotel room, have nummy local food delivered, pay for his cab fare, order tickets to a local concert, and tip any service staff he met along the way. All in the time it takes to ride from the airport to the hotel. all paid in bitcoin, all online, and all ok because even if a server or valet doesn't want to sit on a bunch of coins, they can actually get rid of them.
In closing, I think we should live in harmoney (get it?) with fiat currencies. At least for now. There will always be people who just don't get bitcoin. There will always be people who simply want nothing to do with it. Let's not shove it down their throats. I think, if we play our cards right, bitcoin could be as ubiquitous as disney, or coca-cola. It'll just happen quietly.
IMO Bitcoin is NOT like the internet. Bitcoin is more like Tor: It's not very well understood, it holds an extreme level of value to certain people, some people use it for less than honourable ventures, some people have tried it and could care less. I think that if we treat BTC more like Tor, it will be much better accepted, and much less scary for the sheep who inevitably won't give a s&*t in the end either way.
You want bitcoin to succeed? Don't go to war! Don't talk trash! You only make the rest of us lose credibility. Defend bitcoin, but don't attack in the name of bitcoin. OK? If they back you into a wall, use the trap door to get away. you don't have a trap door? BS. In my stories, there's always a trap door. That last part didn't make sense? That's because it's 2am here and I'm so tired I'm becoming delirious. I should probably go to bed. Good night...
