I have been on Steemit for a few weeks and I can’t help but notice that many members act very much like a cult and not as individuals. Although these members often adhere to ideas of liberty and anarchy, they are very much delusional. It seems that some people got rid of the 101 fables of God and the State only to follow blindly the same concepts—but under a different brand name. They haven’t really moved on into critical thinking.
Just to be clear; I adhere to ideals of capitalism, anarchy and free-market economics myself. I have been an early bitcoin adopter and I consider decentralisation one of the pivoting paths humanity owes to take. I founded and manage the largest freethinking tank in my country for over 6 years now. I know very well what kind of minds I am dealing with in my following critique and I point out whenever I see “sheep” mentality because this is the root of the “Statist” problem we all complain about.
What I am observing right now in Steemit through “vigilantes”, “anarcho-(add edgy pop name here) and other childish personas is beyond unreasonable for people who want to be called critical thinkers, freedom advocates or tech-revolutionaries. If the Blockchain scene is to move onto the next level, we need a serious ideological upgrade that has to deal with reality (rather than a circle jerk or reassurance).
( By the way. If you feel the need to "flag" as you read— and you are against censorship— then someone needs to award you a Golden Hypocrisy Award. You are miles afar from anarchy ).
Let’s take the classic mantra most of these "celebrities" use in order to lure their cattle (and the reason most outsiders consider us idiots). Feel free to skip sections if you have moved passed this childish anarcho-x face.
1.The "Bad" Government
It sucks. We all know it. Even people who work in Government know the Government sucks. Congrats for your brilliant discovery. You are so edgy and revolutionary.
More than half of the people on this planet don’t even vote. 99% of people complain about the “establishment” but somehow nobody does anything. Have you ever wondered why?
What makes you think that if tomorrow the governments around the world ceased to exist something will change? Let’s say the dollar crashes, economies fail and all of your end-of-the world wet dreams come true. Let’s even add to the mix that Bitcoin takes over. What do you think it will happen with the whales owning Bitcoin? Do you think the wealth proportion will change? Do you somehow think there will be some magical “equal distribution” of wealth while we all live happily through grasslands riding unicorns over the rainbow?
You managed to buy a few bitcoin back in the day and tattooed it for safety on a special place. Everyone is out to get you right? (FML).
Do you honestly think the governments and big corporations haven’t acquired a massive amount of Bitcoin? What makes you think Bitcoin is not a government plan for moving onto the “next phase”? Do you think that they have stayed out of Ethereum, Bitcoin or any other Blockchain technology while you were the revolutionary in your mom’s basement? They have vast amount of resources and wealth. They know how to diversify better than you do. They might be stupid but they are not THAT stupid.
2. The "Bad" Corporations
Do you think Big Corporations will cease to exist with a Blockchain revolution? The 1% distribution of wealth happens always in any economic system. Why? Well, for the same reason people clump together like flies on shit. Envy.
People fail to see that political leaders, “vigilantes” or “heroes” or anything else, most occur out of luck. Somehow people think that if they follow their example they will also become successful. Everything happens out of consequential distribution. In a lottery game, some people can play for year without hitting one number. Most will hit some numbers and only a few will hit all the numbers.
Same goes about rich people, poor people, inventors or even down to your very own genes. You got cancer genes or you got olympic record genes or both. If Einstein hadn't discovered special relativity someone else would around that time. If Microsoft wouldn’t happen some other company would take over. No one sprouts out of nowhere for no reason. Sure it takes some effort but most things happen out of luck. Deal with it. They are not special.
Sheep give the illusion that these people emerging high above are “special”. Somehow we owe them some kind of special attention when is only the cumulative chaotic effect that made them who they are. If you are an avid gamer you would know how it feels when a bunch of people working together in order to bring down a boss—only for some rookie to come and shoot the last blow, taking all the credit and points. This is exactly what happens in the real world with leaders, politicians, vigilantes sprouting left and right. You are the sucker, delusional follower. Whether you are in favour of X ideology leader is irrelevant. What? Do you think any leader wants misery, pain and destruction? Even the worst dictators wanted a better world. They just didn’t realise their fuck-ups.
The sheep mentality cannot change because most people are weak and lazy. This is how things are. Watch around you. A handful of people have created almost everything we see around us. Most people just play and never understand what others have created. Most people don’t even bother to investigate how things they spend most of their lives with, actually work.
Steemit will have whales, Ethereum will have whales. All new paradigms will have whales. It is not about corporations or whales. Is about a few individuals that make shit happen and bunch of others watching shit happen. Big corporations might brought wars, misery and all that you like to parrot about but they also brought innovation, fought poverty, raised life expectancy by a three fold and improve daily our lives. If you doubt any of this then watch this .
I bet you never hear about this in the anarcho-pits you lurk to get your precious “insider” info. It seems that only negativity sells. Most anarchists afteral crave a revolution. We need something awful to happen in order for our dream to come alive. Get real.
If you are a true anarchist you don’t depend on current paradigms to live by your code nor you need some kind of “world revolution”. Those who want to change the world my friends have a secret desire to rule it. Never forget this.
3. The "Good" Crypto
Bitcoin so far had more scandals than a spanish soap opera. If you seriously think Bitcoin is “cleaner” than the Fed or the Banks then you are delusional. If we take the total market cap of all cryptos together, most of it has been stolen and/or became subject of fraud. 90% of all coins are scams. Bitcoin is owned by 3 companies in China while you have special cold wallets ingrained on your ass.
Why-o-why a commoner would ever adopt crypto? What kind of arguments can you possibly bring to convince them? That the world sucks? That the bankers are fraudulent and politicians are thieves but the Bitcoin economy is sprinkled with angel dust?
At least with your money in the bank you know you are being scammed daily. You know is debt. You know it's a fairy tale that goes round and round. With cryptos, same thing happens plus you need to have the know-how not to get hacked.
Decentralisation offers great benefits but so far the Blockchain has not offered any new social paradigm to the scene. Whales are still whales whether they are FIAT or Crypto. Sure don’t give your money to Zuckerberg. Give it to a vigilante. It will make you sleep better at night…
What actually happens but most fail to see
Fossil fuels are controlled from a handful of people around the globe. When the sustainable energy revolution happened most of these companies jumped in. Why? Because they are Big. That’s why. As the fossil fuels go dry, green technologies go up. There is a stable transition from one phase to the other. They are not idiots. Fossil fuel companies today own all the sustainable energy ones. When one pit dries the other will fill up. It takes an I.Q of room temperature to realise this but most people are still hitting their head on their conspiracy wall.
There are obvious problems with the financial sector. All bankers know it. They know better economics than your special internet site that speaks “the truth”. They have already invested in Blockchain technologies. Titans like Microsoft, Samsung and IBM are already in bed with Ethereum. The Mitsubishi Bank, largest bank is japan, is already creating its own token.
There won’t be any revolutions or end-of-world scenarios. Even if an economic collapse happens (I know, most anarchists wet dream picked up from American tv series—ironically owned from corporations they accuse) the transition will be smooth. There are no big wars any more. The tension is broken with small conflicts all around us.
Nothing really changes no matter what kind of revolution you have. Take for example the French revolution. The kings fell only to give rise to Syndicates. France today still suffers from Unions. Whales before, whales after. Even if you consider why the Blacks and Women were given rights you will see that it all happened because most males died in WW2 and more people were needed to have obligations. Along obligations, rights were given. 200 years of “revolutions”, we live in 2016 and people complain about the same things. Do you think discrimination ended? You have zits? Didn’t go to the right school? You are fat? Ugly? Different in any way? Again. You are discriminated by default. This is how life is. Deal with it. All the “rights” are created for fable minds. (I will write another post for this one).
The problem is not the government, not the banks and not the corporations. The problems you see around you are created from people being sheep. The same mentality that makes you follow scam artists and sensationalist speakers in order to make them...whales because YOU cannot be an individual. Whales that you will be complaining about in the future.
Full circle of idiocy. Blockchain will not change this. Mark my words. At one point in the future everybody will be their own coin. Their own currency. There will be a MarkB coin, AnarcyJohn coin and everybody will hold value based on the transactions they do, reputation, fame everything you have today with the FIAT "capitalistic" currency. And again, people will still complain about ParisHilton coin being overvalued because of her "silly" followers. People will still complain about Microsoft Coin or Wells Fargo coin “ruling the world as a corporation”. Same. Shit.
If people used a pinch of critical thinking they would realise that the problems are not the facades of “religion”, “government”, “banks”, “science” or any other general term we come about. It’s like me saying: The “Blockchain is evil because Bitfinex allowed 35% of people’s money to be stolen”. Not a fair or objective thing to say right?. What makes you think saying "Goverments are responsible for x" is any better of an argument?
The problem relies in us. In the mirror. It masquerades as “religion” “government” “corporations” because most of us fail to be honest with ourselves. So here is my piece of advice if you want to “change” the world.
Start with yourself.