Culture

Occupy Bitcoin: Bitcoin Is Not Just Libertarian

Published

2 months ago

August 1, 2024

Bitcoin has experienced enormous growth in the past fifteen years since its inception, and with that has come numerous monumental shifts in the culture of the overall ecosystem, as well as the smaller individual communities that make it up. This is obviously something to be expected as the network grew from a tiny niche thing in the corner of the internet to a global phenomenon now becoming a serious political issue all across the world.

Bitcoin is no longer a tiny niche thing in the corner, or a toy that only a few autistic nerds are tinkering with, it is a global economic asset and monetary network transferring billions of dollars all over the world every day. Things have obviously changed in the process of that growth, but I think that changing shift has come with substantial negative consequences.

There has always been a perceived libertarian or rightwing bent to Bitcoin. Some of the earliest adopters and communities that formed around Bitcoin were based on the libertarian philosophy, and it does make sense when looked at from a theoretical perspective. Libertarianism is ostensibly about the individual asserting and maintaining their own freedom and independence in their life. But that was not the only group of people, or the only philosophy, that was present early in Bitcoin’s history.

Many people came to Bitcoin through left leaning movements such as Occupy Wall Street, the large scale protest movement that was born in response to the same Great Financial Crisis that birthed Bitcoin itself. They too saw a need to disintermediate the banks in the global economy in the wake of the disastrous consequences that resulted from their reckless and irresponsible gambling with everyday people’s savings and investments in the course of operating the economy. They too saw a need to remove control over that economy from the hands of the governments that selectively deregulated it to allow that gambling to occur in the first place.

Both of these groups came here for the same reasons, disintermediation. The removal of mega banks and governments as a middleman involved in everyone’s financial transactions, hell, the operation of the global economy as a whole. But in the collective cultural mind it is libertarianism, the right wing of the political spectrum, that has become widely associated with Bitcoin.

The problem with that is at large most of them have not actually held to their proclaimed beliefs.

Bitcoin was designed to be an open disintermediated system, where anyone and everyone can make use of it. I am not speaking technologically, people reading this absolutely understand that on a technological level Bitcoin requires constraints in order to maintain the decentralization that gives it value in the first place, and that compromising those constraints is a death shot. I am speaking philosophically.

On the technical level scaling Bitcoin to be as open to as many people as possible is an ongoing challenge, and will remain one for the foreseeable future, if not forever. Those are constraints posed by the nature of the technology.

On a human and personal level, Bitcoin requires no constraints. It is an open voluntary system of consensus, with its nature and function defined entirely by that voluntary consensus created by the opt-in interactions of all of its users and participants. Many so-called libertarians are seemingly deeply offended and unnerved by this.

The actions of a massive portion of the active community, at least online, act in complete contradiction with the principles of libertarianism. Freedom, liberty, and voluntary interaction. Many rightwing or libertarian Bitcoiners encourage the exact opposite of that, they bully and intimidate and push people to adopt their worldview.

Their actions speak to conformity, and pressure to act a certain way, or believe certain things, rather than a respect for individual choices and beliefs that differ from their own. They attempt to infuse the idea of being a Bitcoiner, or involved in Bitcoin at all, as being equivalent to holding their beliefs and worldview. They constantly engage in shaming campaigns, in many instances bordering on or crossing into harassment, to try and enforce this equivalence of their worldview with “being a Bitcoiner.”

While I do not believe this is in actuality the dominant attitude of people in the space, it is definitely predominant in some sub-communities, and is most definitely the perceived dominant attitude in public on internet platforms. And it stands in complete contradiction to the espoused beliefs of libertarianism, individual liberty and respect, and self determination in how people want to live their lives.

The only place I actually widely see the actions, not the words, of individuals reflect such beliefs is (I’m sure ironically to some reading) the left. Progressive and left leaning Bitcoiners seem to be the only people willing to engage in any meaningful way with people who think or view the world in radically different ways without defaulting to shaming or pressuring people to adopt their own worldview. They are the people working towards opening a path to adoption for people of diverse views and backgrounds, different needs, and trying to ensure that Bitcoin can help as many people as possible.

In contrast, right leaning Bitcoiners tend to shame, attack, and discourage people who hold different world views than them. Generally deriding attempts to address such people’s needs or issues with Bitcoin. The common chant or reaction is “Bitcoin isn’t for everyone.” Or “poor people won’t ever actually use Bitcoin self-custodially.” It embodies a very “I’ve got mine, so pull the ladder up behind me” attitude about things.

It is usually couched in an attitude of appealing to technical arguments, but the vast majority of people making such claims generally do not actually articulate coherent technical reasoning for such a “forget those people” argument. They make appeals to fear and uncertainty to bolster their arguments, rather than raise coherent and articulate technical concerns.

Many of these people espouse and wrap themselves in fantasies of being powerful, rich, and influential. They tell themselves that because they were “smart enough” to buy bitcoin early on that they deserve such a position in the world, and others who were not “smart enough” do not. It’s almost a fetishization of becoming the people that Bitcoin was meant to disintermediate from all of our lives.

Yes, Bitcoin has technical limitations. And yes, that almost certainly means that third parties will not be fully disintermediated from our lives, but that does not mean that this is something to embrace and champion. Something to relish thinking about being that intermediary yourself, or waiving your hand and magically going “the market will solve this” pretending that governments don’t exist, ever in search of new private entities to subject and turn into deputized lackeys enforcing control over our financial transactions and lives.

Speaking of government interference in markets, this is something else that rightwing Bitcoiners compromise in terms of principles. Making excuses for, or even outright encouraging, the creep of influence on services and products in this space, while simultaneously attacking anything trying to escape the reach of enforcement or regulation. It’s a state of cognitive dissonance, appealing entirely to the market to magically prevent the “poor” Bitcoiners from being abused and taken advantage of in the same way as the financial system, while just pretending Bitcoin’s mere existence will stop government from forcing large private actors to act as an enforcement arm in that abuse.

When communal custodial solutions get discussed, such as ecash or other systems built on Lightning, that can be operated in a cost effective yet not highly centralized (at least in scale) manner in places like Africa, they get ridiculed. They get painted as scams waiting to happen, or completely unworkable solutions, while at the same time the critics prance around as if Bitcoin will magically win. As if there are no problems to solve to make it more widely accessible in a way that scales to bring a means of using it free from those risks to more people.

I’ve got mine, so fuck you.

The libertarians in Bitcoin have for the most part completely lost the plot of what it was originally made for. To disintermediate peoples’ financial lives. They cheer on Wall Street influence, politicians pandering, and the growing institutionalization of the whole system as progress.

“We’re going to get our seat at the table now, don’t upset the game!”

They don’t care anymore about uplifting people as a whole, or ensuring that everyone has the freedom to experiment and live their lives how they want, structure their communities and societies how they want, on the bedrock of a neutral disintermediated system. They cheer for conformity, homogeneity, bowing to their worldview. They view Bitcoin as a way to bend the world to their beliefs, their will, their way of living. It’s no longer seen by most as a framework for diverse experimentation and differentiation.

It’s the progressives, the leftists, those who came in through roads like Occupy Wall Street, that still seem to care about making Bitcoin the most that it can be for everyone. It’s time for this to be recognized, and for people to shrug off parasitic pressure to conform.

For the nerds that will get the reference, Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. That is what Bitcoin should be.

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Culture

“PickleBit”: Proof of Workforce, Fold, and Pickle Pop Partner on Pickleball Tournament, Offer Bitcoin Prize Pool

Published

1 day ago

September 18, 2024

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The Santa Monica-based non-profit Proof of Workforce Foundation has partnered with Bitcoin financial services company Fold and Pickle Pop to organize a Bitcoin-themed Pickleball tournament, offering a $5,000 prize pool for entrants and winners.

The tournament is slated to be held on October 18 in Santa Monica, California during the Peer to Pier Bitcoin Festival. Featuring both a semi-pro and amateur division, the winner of each division will receive their payouts in bitcoin. Entrants will also have the opportunity to win Bitcoin hardware wallet devices provided by CoinKite.

“This will be an incredible event, bringing together two talented and high growth communities, Bitcoiners and Pickleballers, to support creative re-use of commercial space on the 3rd street promenade”, said Proof of Workforce Founder and Santa Monica firefighter Dom Bei.

Earlier this year, Bei’s Foundation partnered with the City of Santa Monica to launch the Santa Monica Bitcoin Office, making it the first U.S. city to do so.

“The Santa Monica Bitcoin Office is already bringing communities and revenue opportunities to key areas of our economic revitalization strategy, and has done so at zero cost to the city”, said City of Santa Monica Vice Mayor Lana Negrete. “This is exciting and an example of collaborative and innovative ideas to reimagine retail on 3rd Street.”

Brian Harrington, Senior Marketing Manager at Fold, added:

“I’ve loved seeing the Bitcoin community grow in Southern California over the years and what the city of Santa Monica is doing with it is amazing.”

Participants can register for the tournament on the PickleBit tournament website, where they will also receive bitcoin rewards for signing up and playing in the tournament.

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Culture

Un Ode de l’Provocateur du Bitcoin

Published

1 week ago

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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Culture

Bitcoiners and Wobblies: Labor Day Edition

Published

2 weeks ago

September 2, 2024

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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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