RE: Don't Blame, But Reclaim Government
Ask yourself this, do happy people commit violent acts? What happens when you eliminate the source of most of the unhappiness in the world? But you’ve been told that you need it for your safety, right? Are you confused about what that thing is?
Again... 100% agreement here. Also, I know almost all Antonopoulos videos and this is one of his best. This is not where we disagree. Also this:
They paradoxically would have to commit suicide to stay in control.
Absolutely agreed. Where we differ is what happens after the exit. You seem to trust that trustless peer to peer transactions is some kind of cure against centralization in the material world we all have to share, while keeping intact the system that's bound to centralize material wealth and thus power. The fiat money system is product of that exact same system. That's where we disagree. Still I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think so.
No I don't trust it at all. Bitcoin's motto is "don't trust, verify". To state it more accurately, I hope that it will work to help balance out wealth, but it is by no means certain. Systems in the beginning start out decentralized, then gradually over time become more centralized. That's the nature of most systems. The problem with decentralized systems is lack of scale which makes them vulnerable in the race for a one world centrally controlled digital currency like FedCoin.
The reason I have any hope at all has to do with the fact that bitcoin and similar protocols are based upon sound principles of money (Austrian economic school). To the extent they become bastardized we will be faced with the digital panopticon on steroids.
To state it again, we are past regulation making a difference here. That ship has sailed. Of course the USA can brutalize hodlers within their borders. I'm expecting that. The bottom line is that no force can stop the billions of people outside the western banking system adopting these technologies. It is simply beyond their ability to regulate and when it comes, the USD as a reserve currency and the ability to prop up the US national debt on the backs of other nations will be history.
So glad to read this :-) We really do agree on so much... I to hope something better will come out of all of this and digital currencies surely are a huge step in the right direction. But like you said: all systems evolve to become more centralized over time and I still see democracy, discussion and a sense of interdependence as the best way to guide that process. And who knows; maybe the blockchain will eventually give us real information to incite real discussion and let us decide on our shared future in a trustless and functional democracy of well informed people. I think we both hope for something similar... Thanks for all the input and food for thought my friend; I really appreciate the way you communicate about this subject :-)