Thoughts on Cryptocurrencies Tribalism and Worship

in #cryptocurrency6 years ago
Not the most pleasant of subjects to tackle, but nonetheless one that I believe most of us should be discussing. After all, regardless of the color of your t-shirt we all want the same thing. We want cryptocurrencies to win the battle and give us financial sovereignty.
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It would seem that departing from that common ground, many of the discussions we have, many of the debates would be had keeping that final destination in mind. That is, that regardless of which cryptocurrency community we subscribe to, all of us understand that if one "makes it" then the ideology is the one who truly succeeds.

What we project


Everything we put out there, all the articles, all the videos, absolutely everything adds to the conversation. I think this is precisely why I'm personally bothered with "to the moon" banshees, because they make the cryptospace sound like scam-central. However, I do understand why they do it, as it's completely irrational for me to expect maturity from absolutely everyone who has access to a youtube channel.

That being said, I personally hold different standards for different people. I would never demand, if that is even a word I should use, a neutral, stoic position from every single blog on the web, that would be silly of me. There are levels of knowledge, levels of involvement, all the whole spectrum of course is welcome to participate. But, there are those voices that are under a lens at all times, and those should know better.

The Crypto Leaders


The small group of people that get invited to podcasts, make TV appearances and what have you, they are were the eyes rest, when people talk about this crazy world of cryptocurrencies. This means of course, and undeniable so, that their words have more weight than mine or yours, and hence they should be adept at not only what they should be saying, but what they should be quiet about.


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Some controversy is not necessarily bad, and most of us have heard that there is no such thing as bad publicity, but at the same time, would it not be more effective if it was somewhat balanced? And I guess that is one of my biggest frustrations to date. The fact that it seems that drama dominates the space, and everyone is expected to pick teams.

This was painfully apparent in the blockchain cruise were "debates" were scheduled so that crypto leaders could present their best arguments. I hesitate to recommend anyone to watch those videos, as they have little to no substance, and became for the most part shouting matches. The old, "He who screams louder is right" seemed to be at play.

Tribalism and Worship


I have to say I don't particularly enjoy even using these words, but to me, this describes precisely the phenomena. Instead of being pragmatic and objective about what is and what is not, people default to picking an idol, and thus blinding themselves from everything else.

Does this surprise me? Yes and no. For one, this pretty much is consistent with our social behaviors, but it does surprise me a bit, because I believe, maybe wrongfully so, that the conversations on these subjects were ones were critical thinking was dominant. Now, please not the use of past tense here. I am now convinced that I was the one with unrealistic expectations and nothing more.

I cringe every time I see or read someone referring to a white-paper as some sort of holy constitution that must not be changed regardless of obvious flaws it contained. And, I use the word flaw because many of the things original white-papers were attempting to predict were social behaviors, and even though I'm a fan of Asimov I believe that psychohistory is still not a thing.

This is to say, that its necessary for concepts to evolve, to adapt to growing demands, and these changes to be driven by the wants of those who we intend to participate of this new paradigm. I find the conversations around this very subject frustrating, as if I'm watching someone arguing for the forceful solution to a puzzle, and that is quite paradoxical.

Will we ever learn?


Probably not, but maybe that is completely fine. As with many things time will tell, and some of this revered leaders will fall back into obscurity, some will become the new Bill Gates of the world, and other's I'm sure will be launching a lot more than cars into space blasting David Bowie.

But as far as I'm concerned, a good look in the mirror would do wonders for them, wonders. Now, how do we get past that ego? Of that... I have no clue.

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ok apologies, im gonna go a bit off base cuz im working out something in my head to do with resources. take it for what you will.

tribalism is a funny thing. yes, its great to belong to a group. support and defense. but that always comes with a cost. usually rules, expectations of loyalty, worship my way, fear of losing face, jockeying for position.

the problem with tribalism is that it tends to separate, make enemies, especially if people are fighting over resources.

if that resource is peoples opinion or trust, and opinion becomes votes, delegation and support, then peoples support of your leadership may be a commodity you might need to fight over with declining membership and capital.

drama is imho an ancient device, a psychological aid and gladiator throwback, used by puppet masters and leaders to control the story and how it gets written.

what were the (gladiator) games for? socialization, distraction, an outlet for frustration. they were used to appease the peoples thirst for violence so they wouldn't question the rules, used to divert attention from the ethics of what was happening.

in steemit-discordland, we need to be mindful: why is a particular drama occurring. who and what is behind it? is the concern legitimate? is it being controlled by players?

some drama occurs as a difference of opinion, or rhetoric - a chance to sway opinion. yet, the people who win the argument or the debate often get to write history. think about it.

petty drama that squirrels its way in - the pretense that guyZ is a shyster, scammer, liar, etc - it may be valid. but one persons duplicitous fibbing may be the other guys good business decision. who gets to call that? popular opinion.

drama may be hiding the fact that guyX doesnt like the competition or attention guyZ is getting. in the end it may be more about petty politics, money and image rather than the ethical highroad they might have you believe.

imho, we are a still a small community. the people that are hanging, the core group, we all need to get along. the last thing any leader should do is try to divide opinion with one sided bias, past grievances, or questions of trust. yes it may take longer to reach consensus. but it may prevent the cold war.

not off base at all torico!!!!

comment of the week, right here

Being somewhat up in my years, lets say on the 15th hole, my involvement with Steemit is purely to post content that others may find interesting. Most all of my posts are about hobbies, travel, pleasures and family. My expertise with blockchains, and all that comes along with it is above my pay grade. I bought Steem at the recomendation of my son @ryan313. I had owned Steem for over a year before Powering up and opening a Steemit account. I am so glad I did. The one thing that my son said that inspired me to get involved with Steemit was, " Dad it is a great way to leave a lasting trail of part of who you are. That sold me. Hopefully, after I am long gone, generations that follow will be able to get a better picture of who Grandpa, Great Grandpa, Great Great Grandpa and so on, was.
As far as those people at the top of the food chain, I guess the ones attending the blockchain cruise, their behavior during these debates reminded me of two things. The 1st being a quote from no other than John Wayne, "Talk low, Talk slow, and don't say to much." The other quote is an all time favorite from Max Ehrman's Desiderats, "Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story."
It doesn't sound like this is how things went during the debate. One last thing, if you ever want to get anyone to listen, try wispering, then everyone will want to know what you're saying.

John Wayne, "Talk low, Talk slow, and don't say to much." The other quote is an all time favorite from Max Ehrman's Desiderats, "Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story."

Oh man.. those are just awesome, thank you for sharing that with me.

If you get a chance take a look at Desiderata, it is a valuable tool I use on many occasions to put things into perspective. Have a great day!

My heroes end up behind bars or on the run. Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Ross Ulbricht, now Cody Wilson. I'm glad Satoshi never popped his head up, or he'd be have been black bagged into the lowest circle of Guantanamo years ago. Roger Ver did some time I believe; but these other guys don't make for great martyrs.

Oh man.. Truth is never popular among the elites, it makes them look bad.

I think for this reasons you mention the bear market is still not over... As long as the space temains fragmented and destructive to each project which focus on market share instead of the end result, there will be no or little constructive development as a whole. Until we see massive failures and consolidation, we will not see unity in solving the main issues of adoption and scalability. This is similar to the dotcom boom and bust and the creation of new tech powerhouses that were created once the market was wiped out as talent and capital consolidated to form them.

ummm...where is @ned 's pic ?

oh we need one... get me a good one, we put it here.

Take one from @whatsup Ned's hair contest. .

no, you pick....

Final destination

o.o isn't that the one where all of them get eliminated one by one?

hahhaha yes, funny coincidence...

We are hardwired to find people to look up to, and emulate. That is what our parents were to us, when we were very little learning machines.

And from the moment we grow up, we are desperate to replay and remake that parental bond, by finding new folks to look up to, and follow, and emulate, and learn from.

That's why actors like Tom Cruise, and just about anybody in the public eye, have people leaning forward in their chairs, craning for words of wisdom about how to live, despite the fact they may not have the answers, how such become role models venerated far above any level they can live up to and deliver on.

Folks like Dan and Ned, and Vitalik, and even Roger Ver and Jimmy Song, are good at some things, sometimes, but rarely at everything, and we've got to check our own programming, because deep down, we want new parents to take care of us, like the little kids we once were, once upon a time.

It's been decided Rodney, if I ever get around to writing a book (been planning on it for years) you will do the prologue, deal?

i totally agree with everything you said and also what the result is except the fact that as you mentioned they called cryptos as a scam, is for people to learn things incorrect.

Then if they give it a try and realize that it's a bit different than what they were told not only they will leave but they will give "bad reviews" everywhere

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