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To me the crypto anarchists seem a bit like gun enthusiasts in claiming that their passion will allow them to resist a corrupt government or powerful corporatio

by kubb 5y ago

To me the crypto anarchists seem a bit like gun enthusiasts in claiming that their passion will allow them to resist a corrupt government or powerful corporations. It doesn't end up happening, but I bet it makes your subculture feel more important than others.

MildlySerious 5y ago
> To me the crypto anarchists seem a bit like gun enthusiasts in claiming that their passion will allow them to resist a corrupt gobernment or powerful corporations, it just doesn't end up happening. If there is something I can recommend, it is not to define a "subculture", sector or movement by its most extreme outliers. Makes for a pretty bleak outlook on life. > I bet it makes your subculture feel more important than others though. That's how some people think no matter where you look, including startups and VC. I'm just having fun, but I don't feel particularly important. Yeah, thinking there is some good to be done, some meaning in the things you spend time on is part of what makes them fun, but I could find that in a dozen other industries, too.
seibelj 5y ago
I think it's been definitively proven that a group of ideologically devoted people can resist even the most powerful government. See Vietnam vs. USA and Afghanistan vs. Britain / USSR / USA. When people say gun enthusiasts (or privacy enthusiasts, or crypto enthusiasts, or any group) could never resist the government, it doesn't make any sense because we watched trillions of dollars spent by governments fail at exactly that.
- user-the-name 5y ago
  Sure. But that requires those people to actually be ready to dedicate their lives to the fight. Currently, the US is the closest it's ever been to losing democracy, and the gun nuts are cheering on those who are destroying it. So not going to be expecting much out of them, I'm afraid.
  - chromatin 5y ago
    > and the gun nuts are cheering on those who are destroying it. Which gun nuts? Conservatives? Or the Trumpists? Maybe you mean the Libertarians? Or is it the John Brown Gun Club? Or maybe NFAC? "Gun nuts" is considerably more nuanced than presented.
    - user-the-name 5y ago
      Most of the above? Surely you are aware of this.
- kubb 5y ago
  That's not resisting the government, that's resisting a foreign invader. But if it's close enough that it lets you believe...

by kubb 5y ago

MildlySerious 5y ago

> To me the crypto anarchists seem a bit like gun enthusiasts in claiming that their passion will allow them to resist a corrupt gobernment or powerful corporations, it just doesn't end up happening. If there is something I can recommend, it is not to define a "subculture", sector or movement by its most extreme outliers. Makes for a pretty bleak outlook on life. > I bet it makes your subculture feel more important than others though. That's how some people think no matter where you look, including startups and VC. I'm just having fun, but I don't feel particularly important. Yeah, thinking there is some good to be done, some meaning in the things you spend time on is part of what makes them fun, but I could find that in a dozen other industries, too.

seibelj 5y ago

I think it's been definitively proven that a group of ideologically devoted people can resist even the most powerful government. See Vietnam vs. USA and Afghanistan vs. Britain / USSR / USA. When people say gun enthusiasts (or privacy enthusiasts, or crypto enthusiasts, or any group) could never resist the government, it doesn't make any sense because we watched trillions of dollars spent by governments fail at exactly that.

user-the-name 5y ago
Sure. But that requires those people to actually be ready to dedicate their lives to the fight. Currently, the US is the closest it's ever been to losing democracy, and the gun nuts are cheering on those who are destroying it. So not going to be expecting much out of them, I'm afraid.
- chromatin 5y ago
  > and the gun nuts are cheering on those who are destroying it. Which gun nuts? Conservatives? Or the Trumpists? Maybe you mean the Libertarians? Or is it the John Brown Gun Club? Or maybe NFAC? "Gun nuts" is considerably more nuanced than presented.
  - user-the-name 5y ago
    Most of the above? Surely you are aware of this.
kubb 5y ago
That's not resisting the government, that's resisting a foreign invader. But if it's close enough that it lets you believe...