It seems like only a small fraction of bitcoins as well as other cryptocurrencies gets earned while the vast majority of the coins are bought. But when people buy coins, they obviously aim exclusively at selling them later at a higher price, which is what speculation basically consists in because it makes no economic sense to buy a cryptocurrency to spend it on goods when people can easily spend fiat instead. However, if the price goes down, people aren't going to spend their coins either. And whenever someone complains about prices going down, the only reply they receive is just to hold to their precious bitcoins, no matter what the price could or would be. I have yet to meet anyone telling these bag holders to spend their stashes on something useful.
Apparently, the HODL mentality kills the currency aspect of Bitcoin.
How exactly do you think bitcoin is bought if it's not earned. They are interrelated. And as for the currency factor of bitcoin, when people say they hodl, they don't hold it for 1 year or more than that. They do sell. They cash out. They buy back their investments. Hodl actually makes people more of a hypocrite than they already were. They say they hodl, they say they do shit but all they do is avoid losses. Bitcoin is being used very well as a currency, you'll get around how exactly as time flies.
I think he means that the speculative mentality is destroying the currency aspect of Bitcoin: The fact that most of the people are buying Bitcoins only to sell them later.
Sadly, that does destroy the main purpose of Bitcoin and other Crypto
CURRENCIES.
You say Bitcoin is being used very well as a currency, but that is just plain old nonsense.
Let me ask you this:
What do most people use currencies, like USD, EUR, etc... for? They buy things with it.
What do most people use Cryptocurrencies, like BTC, XRP, etc.. for? They buy it to make more money through selling it later.
See the difference?
Bitcoin isn't used very well as a currency. Not even close.