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Bitcoiners and Wobblies: Labor Day Edition

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2 weeks ago

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Recently, I’ve been reading about the foundations of the American Labor Movement. Specifically, the birth of the Industrial Workers of the World and a group called the Wobblies, a nickname given to IWW Members. At its peak, the IWW had over 150,000 members in 1917, with global memberships and significant power and influence. While the IWW was a socialist leaning organization in theory, many of its core values were intertwined into the DNA of the American Labor movement, and was undeniably pivotal to the development of organized labor and a strong working class following the industrial revolution. The parallels between some of the IWW’s origins and ideologies and Bitcoin are significant, and shall be demonstrated with quotes rather than boring you to death with in depth history.

All quotes are attributed to the book “Wobblies: A Graphic History of The Industrial Workers of the World (Buhle/Schulman.

Origins and Genesis

“No one can say exactly where the inspiration for the IWW came from. The origins are too numerous both in the U.S. and abroad…”

Similarly, the nickname of the Wobblies, has no clear origin. Naturally, some of the mythology around Bitcoin comes to mind, and while Bitcoin’s origins are clearly documented via white paper and email communications, its creator or creators is or are shrouded in mystery. As Bitcoin caught gained popularity, its growth was decentralized and organic. In another parallel, while the IWW and American Labor Movement had prior inspirations, it was a pioneer in the sense of organizing labor across ethnic, gender, religious and other demographic differences.

“After the Civil War, massive industry grew up faster than anyone could have imagined, with previously unthinkable wealth accruing to the bankers but with millions of desperately poor working people, employed at low wages or unemployed in the frequent economic recessions”

From the financial crisis, to post-covid wealth accumulation within the ranks of billionaires, to a current AI, robotics and self-automation boom underway, this story is all too familiar. However, recessions have been all but outlawed, replaced by government intervention, currently placing systems as large as Pensions and Social Security on the equivilant of government welfare and dependence.

Wobblies and Bitcoiners

“The Wobbly, male or female, Asian or Occidental, black, brown, red or white, was only an ordinary human being in physique”

We feel the same about Bitcoiners. We have all met some of the most inspiring people in our lives in this space. It is both the character, grit and determination that allows individuals to discover and understand Bitcoin, as well as the character building journey a Bitcoiner must take to fully grasp Bitcoin and share it with a world that rounds out what many of us believe is the most talented and motivated communities in the world.

“Their story was collaborative, collective, not reliant on any one hero or heroine-as heroic (or tragic) as individual Wobblies lives might be.”

Kill your heroes. Death to Ego. Bitcoin doesn’t need any of us.

Solidarity: A movement greater than the individual

“The world of the Wobblies was one realized in its best moments by solidarity across race, ethnic, gender and nationality lines”

The beauty of Bitcoin is it requires no trust between those who transact with each other. And in doing such, Bitcoin allows humans to deconstruct the daily head to toe analysis we perform on each other daily; an analysis that instinctually calls out our differences, with roots in paranoia and fear. While blind solidarity amongst Bitcoiners is the antithesis of “dont trust, verify,” there is a strong natural bond between Bitcoiners. I believe the future of Bitcoin, when facing its largest tests ahead, will very much depend upon a deepened solidarity between those who subscribe to Bitcoin’s Genesis, core values, and blind commitment to being honest, true and trustless.

AFL vs. Knights of Labor

“The earliest mass movement for an eight hour workday during 1885-86, highlighted the different roles of two kinds of labor movements. The American Federation of Labor, founded in 1883, sought to organize skilled workers (almost entirely white and male) only…whereas the Knights of Labor, founded in 1869 as a secret society..extended its membership to almost all workers (except Chinese), including African-Americans and women.”

The AFL and its exclusive country club brand of membership outlasted the ultimate demise of the Knights of Labor and still exists today as the AFL-CIO. In reading about the different philosophies of the AFL and Knights of Labor it brings up parallels within the Bitcoin community, frequently heard criticisms of Bitcoin Maxi’s, as well as Bitcoin v. Crypto. I leave you the reader to draw your own thoughts here, as parallels are in their nature loose affiliations at best.

The Movement

“In the industrially advanced United States, the working class had been prepared ready to assume control of society and to replace “politics” and the “State” with a government of direct rule. As Marx had pointed out about the Paris Commune (and Lenin would repeat for the Soviets), the existing government apparatus could not be infiltrated and taken over piece-meal; it had to be dissolved and repalced by a truly democratic, modern form of government”

There are two camps of thought in Bitcoin, one that calls for a full collapse of the current financial system, and migration to a Bitcoin Standard, and another that insists Bitcoin can co-exist with and even surpass the current financial system without the latters’ collapse. While money is not identical to government in this parallel, the amount in which money is entrenched in the legacy financial system, is prodigious, and this always sparks interesting debate between Bitcoiners.

“For the IWW..the familiar problem of the socialist movement being notoriously small in the US could be solved in a new way. ‘Educating’ workers into becoming socialists, through newspapers, speeches and election campaigns, was too passive and not very successful. Workers needed to educate themselves, in and through their own actions and self-organization.”

Some opposing parallels here. Immediately, I think of a core value of Bitcoiners, which is that, no one can walk this path for you. Proof of Work can not be sidestepped or bypassed. No individual or group can cheat the quest for knowledge, both about Bitcoin and the system it sits poised to replace. The Bitcoin journeys of individuals and membership-based orgs, absent continuous learning and education, often end up in loss or disappointment. Those who do the work, find that their knowledge of money blossoms, and few if any have ever turned back after coming to deeply understand Bitcoin.

Simultaneously, my mind shifts to the oligarchy’s attempts at no less than a 10 year negative media blitz on all things Bitcoin. It slowed the train but it did not work. The other day, I randomly asked people at the 3rd Street promenade in Santa Monica, to share their thoughts on Bitcoin. Overwhelmingly positive, and having some foundation in accuracy. The movement to dissuade people from finding Bitcoin was a delay of the inevitable at best. Because nothing can stop an idea whose time has come.

Conclusions

On this labor day, I gaze upon the deeply polarized two party political system of the dominant world power today. And as I see labor unions align with one party, at the expense of creating division within their ranks, I see a labor movement that has drifted from its original foundation. While the IWW rose and fell, its pinnacle represented an unwavering movement, a solidarity and commitment to the worker above everything else. And there is power in that. I see parallels today in Bitcoin.

The core principles of Bitcoin transcend our differences and are worth fighting for. At Proof of Workforce, our method of fighting for these values is through education-based Bitcoin adoption for workers, unions, pension funds and municipalities. And in doing so, we are sharing not just bitcoin the asset, or Bitcoin the Network, we are communicating the Genesis of Bitcoin and its values, so that they may not be lost in the progression of time.

Finally, Bitcoin is a natural evolution of the labor movement, sharing many similarities and parallels. However, unlike the labor movement, the worker can rely on Bitcoin, absent any allegiance to any political party, leader or oligarchy. And in this sense, Bitcoin and its system of values stands to be adopted by unions all over the world. And in doing so, unions around the world can become re-aligned to their Genesis Story. A story where solidarity comes above all, a story where workers come together to hold onto the very productive property dependent upon their labor. A story where, as many workers stand to be phased out of relevance due to automation and AI, the unions representing them look forward and claim ownership of the most accessible and promising productive property available to them today; Bitcoin.

This is a guest post by Dom Bei. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.



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Culture

Un Ode de l’Provocateur du Bitcoin

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5 days ago

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September 10, 2024

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Out of the ashes emerged a snarling rodent dubbed Max Punk.

Open conflict, Whales besting Bored-Apes, the social layer manifest.

Bitcoin leaders sent to prison, then freed by massive strike waves.

HODL’ers fighting in the streets, power cuts, three-day work weeks, Maxi’s battling for Hashrates, governments brought down, Central Banks crying.

The Banksters powerless.

The Orange-Pilled class – loud, stacked and toxic.

L’ Provocateur don’t stand downwind from sh%#tcoins.

Max Punk smells of victory not of FOMO.

An Orange sky at night traverses’ seas of fiat to El Salvador dreams, not NFT nightmares.

Un Bukele ami très explosif.

Promoting Bitcoin thru absurdist and provocative actions,

a means of enacting monetary change.

Proof of ‘work[ers]’ never strike.

God won’t save the dollar, the regime.

Fiat makes you a moron, a potential Elon-bomb.

L’ Provocateur don’t stand downwind from sh%#tcoins.

Max Punk smells of victory not of FOMO.

An Orange sky at night traverses’ seas of fiat to El Salvador dreams, not NFT nightmares.

Un Bukele ami très explosif.

Orange shoes and garb only taunts the volcanos.

Consuming sats, not the FUD.

And there ain’t no future ‘cept with Bitcoin.

…In your dreaming Laser eyes!

This is a guest post by Enza Coin. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.



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Remembering Hal Finney: A Decade Since His Passing, His Legacy in Bitcoin Lives On

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2 weeks ago

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August 29, 2024

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Today marks the tenth anniversary of the passing of Hal Finney, a renowned cryptographer and computer scientist who played a pivotal role in the early days of Bitcoin. Finney, who passed away in 2014 due to complications from ALS, is celebrated for his profound contributions to Bitcoin and his foresight into the future potential of the nascent technology.

Early in Finney’s career he worked as a video game developer before he joined PGP Corporation, where he worked on early public-key cryptography software. His interest in digital privacy led him to the cypherpunks mailing list, where he collaborated with other pioneers in the field. In 2004, Finney created the world’s first reusable proof-of-work (RPOW) system, a precursor to the proof-of-work consensus mechanism that underpins Bitcoin.

However, Finney is perhaps best known for his early involvement with Bitcoin. As one of the first to recognize the revolutionary potential of Satoshi Nakamoto’s creation, Finney became an active participant in the project. He famously received the first Bitcoin transaction from Nakamoto himself and contributed to the development of the protocol. His 2009 tweet, “Running bitcoin,” remains an iconic moment in Bitcoin history.

Despite being diagnosed with ALS in 2009, Finney continued to contribute to Bitcoin, using eye-tracking software to code even as the disease progressed. His resilience and dedication have left an indelible mark on the world and those interested in Bitcoin. “Today, I am essentially paralyzed. I am fed through a tube, and my breathing is assisted through another tube,” Finney published on the Bitcoin Talk Forum on March 19, 2013. “It’s been an adjustment, but my life is not too bad… I still love programming and it gives me goals… I’m comfortable with my legacy.”

As the community reflects on his legacy, here is one of the only known recorded videos of Finney speaking at the Crypto 98 conference, discussing zero-knowledge proofs, shedding light on his pioneering work on cryptographic protocols.





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An Untold Story of Bitcoin in Thailand

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3 weeks ago

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August 27, 2024

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In the rapidly expanding global Bitcoin community, Western biases often dominate the narrative, overlooking diverse stories from around the world. One such story belongs to Didier Somnuke, a small business owner in the heart of Bangkok, a city known for welcoming 22.8 million international tourists in 2023, surpassing cities like Paris, London, and New York City. Although Thailand has experienced a massive spike in household debt, reaching 16.37 trillion baht (US$463 billion) or 90.8% of the national GDP, up from less than 14 trillion baht in 2019.

Didier Somnuke, born in Yala province, where geopolitical conflict is a harsh reality. Southern Thailand is one of the poorest parts of Thailand with a poverty rate of 34% compared to the national average of 6%, according to the World Bank, has been plagued by instability. Since 2004, this turmoil has claimed over 7,000 lives and injured 13,500 people.

As a Thai saying goes, “ทวงสิทธิ์ที่จะมีชีวิตที่ดีกลับคืนมา” (Reclaim the right to a better life), In 2012, Didier left his conflict-ridden hometown for Bangkok, where pursuing higher education was a beacon of hope for a better life. At that time, Bitcoin and financial concepts were distant ideas in Didier’s universe. Navigating the vibrant streets of Bangkok, Didier completed his master’s degree and joined the workforce, taking up a typical 9-to-5 job. For a domestic migrant, this was a significant achievement. Reflecting on his journey, he recalled his teacher’s words, “When you are old, you have time and money, but you will lack the energy to start a business. If you want to do it, just do it.” With this advice in mind, Didier resigned from his monotonous corporate job after a year and opened a new chapter in his life.

Didier borrowed 50,000 THB (approximately 1,500 USD) from his brother to begin a street burger shop. He chose to start a burger business because he believed it was easy to launch with a small investment. Driven by his ambition and inspired by the bustling energy of Bangkok, a city that never sleeps. He spent about a year developing the recipe and began the business in 2015. In the first three to four years, he managed everything on his own as a solo entrepreneur, and his income was lower than the wage he earned in his corporate job. He often wondered if he had made a mistake by quitting his job to start a business that generated less income. However, after five years, everything started to improve. Sales at the shop began to increase, and Didier started hiring employees.

He admitted, “I entered the crypto market with greed; all I wanted was to get rich quickly.” In 2017, he and his friends pooled their resources to buy three ASIC miners from Bitmain to try mining Bitcoin and altcoins like Litecoin and Dogecoin. They saw a return on their investment within six months. Didier bought his first Bitcoin in early 2017 to purchase those ASIC miners but didn’t know how to transfer his Bitcoin, so he ended up using a bank transfer instead.

Reflecting on his early experiences, he recalled, “My first Bitcoin were slowly converted to shitcoins during the bull market. I was so lucky. I got a 100% profit almost immediately whenever I bought something.” Despite having zero knowledge about cryptocurrency, he gained confidence and became a super shitcoiner, paying very little attention to Bitcoin.

In mid-2017, he learned about leverage and trading. His profits skyrocketed due to leverage. Although luck was not always on his side forever, in early 2018, the market crashed, and he lost over 1 million Thai baht (almost 30,000 USD), while his initial capital was just about 100,000 Thai baht (about 3,000 USD). On top of that, he also lost his shitcoins from the mining pool. He had kept all of his shitcoins in the mining pool’s custody, and one day, when he checked his account, every shitcoin he owned, worth 10,000 USD were gone. The notice on the mining website, “Hash-to-Coin,” stated that if coins were kept with them for more than three months, they would be considered a donation.

He disheartenedly said, “I lost everything.” But unlike most people, “I didn’t blame Bitcoin. I still see it as the future. I blame myself. I didn’t know anything and I did over leverage.” He emphasized that despite his heavy financial losses, his girlfriend did not leave him. “My girlfriend was my customer. She regularly came to buy burgers. I met her while I was struggling financially during my early days as an entrepreneur. She supported me and said we could make the money back.”

Determined to turn his circumstances around, he discovered Mr. Piriya on YouTube and started following his live streams about the real Bitcoin education. This marked the moment he began to truly understand what Bitcoin and cryptocurrency are. Enlightened by this unique knowledge, he came to see Bitcoin as a saving technology rather than just a trading tool. Over three years, Didier recovered from his losses and emerged stronger. He got to be friend with Mr. Piriya, and together they founded a company called Right Shift to develop Bitcoin content in Thai language through multiple social media channels, including on Nostr with with one of the popular hashtag #siamstr. As a team, they translated “The Bitcoin Standard” and “The Fiat Standard” into Thai, both of which became best-selling books in Thailand. They organized the first-ever Bitcoin Thailand Conference in 2023 and are now preparing for the next one in September 2024.

Didier now accepts Bitcoin as a payment method in his main burger shop, one of four different franchises. He uses Wallet of Satoshi to process these payments. Within a year of implementing this initiative, he has received over 3 million sats in payments, though he initially expected to see more transactions in Bitcoin. In his marketplace, some neighboring small business owners occasionally ask him about Bitcoin as they notice the large Bitcoin poster in his shop. Although they often lose interest once he explains, according to his several unsuccessful experience. Instead now, he focuses his energy online, where he can make more impact to people who are willing to embrace innovation.

In 2022, approximately 8.4 million people in Thailand, accounting for 12% of the country’s population, used cryptocurrency. Estimates suggest that by 2028, this number will rise to about 17.67 million, representing 25% of the population. During our conversation, Didier claimed that there are about 50,000 Bitcoin users in Thailand and speculated that the Thai government might intervene in Bitcoin adoption, potentially mandating the use of KYC wallets because they dislike money systems they can’t control. In the worst-case scenario, Didier remains resolute: he will continue advocating for Bitcoin with his friends. “It is not an option,” he asserted, “it is the only way to survive.”

This is a guest post by Win Ko Ko Aung. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.



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