The Bitcoin Cash Controversy

Censorship, name-calling, and obfuscation are just some of the many realities of communities--and that includes the cryptocurrency community. Unless you live under a rock or are totally new to crypto, you probably know that there's been some controversy surrounding Bitcoin Cash and its proponents. Scroll past the next paragraph if you know what Bitcoin cash is, but read on if you're totally new to the scene.

Bitcoin cash is a fork off of the original Bitcoin intended to solve scalability problems and provide an alternative that doesn't involve Bitcoin's large transaction fees. Roger Ver, the founder of the currency, created Bitcoin Cash to match Satoshi's vision. Satoshi Nakamoto invented the original Bitcoin and intended for it to be a peer-to-peer electronic cash system. Bitcoin functions more as a stock than a currency, which is why saw the need for Bitcoin Cash to exist. It is when he started calling Bitcoin Cash Bitcoin when the uproar started.

Bitcoin proponents said this would confuse investors and used the name "Bcash" for Bitcoin Cash. Others used "bcash btrash" as a meme to prevent people from using Bitcoin Cash and called it an altcoin. The Bitcoin account on Twitter has been suspended for promoting the coin, but that hasn't stopped Bitcoin Cash proponents. These people claim that the core proponents resort to ad-hominem attacks without providing any real arguments, yet they call core supporters "core minions".

If Bitcoin Cash really is the Bitcoin that lines up with Satoshi's vision, why would its proponents try to confuse new investors by calling it Bitcoin? Roger Ver has been accused of buying the Bitcoin account to mislead others which, if that is true, is a pretty stupid (and possibly illegal) marketing technique. However, this has lead to core supporters vandalizing the Bitcoin cash Wikipedia page and a full-on editing war.

All in all, I don't have any strong opinions in this debate that lean either way. However, I the rest of the crypto community--and new investors--should heed this warning. Twitter screeching as a form of "debate" is not limited to tradcons or Tumblr kids with green undercuts, but anyone can succumb to it if they feel strongly enough about a particular issue.

Sources and Photos:
https://news.bitcoin.com/bitcoin-cash-wiki-article-suffers-from-edit-warring-and-vandalism/
https://twitter.com/search?q=bcash&src=typd