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I have friends in Russia who right now are using crypto to get themselves money from overseas sources and convert it to rubles for local use. Without it they'd

I have friends in Russia who right now are using crypto to get themselves money from overseas sources and convert it to rubles for local use. Without it they'd be screwed or at least much more inconvenienced right in the middle of a severe social, political and economic crisis. I have had friends in other hard-hit countries in the past who've done the same sort of thing with the same technology. There are valid criticisms of crypto, without a doubt, but the flippant, privileged and often plainly simplistic shit slinging about it that happens among many HN commentators is frankly an absurd symptom of hive-minded bubble think. While some of you sneer, there are many people in the world who aren't real criminals finding real and very practical uses for these tokens and digital currencies.

unityByFreedom 5y ago
That's about the only valid use case, for people whose government doesn't practice good management. The question is, is that a good solution for them? And what about us? It seems like a foreign leader could be incentivized to pay off a developed country's representatives, thus creating the conditions where crypto becomes useful for populations where inflation is going through the roof. Solving that problem with something isn't worth much if that something also contributes to the growth of the problem. As Homer Simpson once said, "to alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems." The same could be said of crypto.
- Grimburger 5y ago
  > the only valid use case, for people whose government doesn't practice good management That covers a solid chunk of all those alive on Earth today.
- helloworld11 5y ago
  >The question is, is that a good solution for them? And what about us? Well, if these many people are using it, I assume they made the choice in their own best interest and have a right to, not to spite you, in a country where things aren't going to hell but life still needs to be lived. >It seems like a foreign leader could be incentivized to pay off a developed country's representatives, thus creating the conditions where crypto becomes useful for populations where inflation is going through the roof. Solving that problem with something isn't worth much if that something also contributes to the growth of the problem. I'm not sure I understand this argument. So ordinary people in real need should avoid using tools that help them endure hardship after their leaders have already caused a catastrophe because it could give those leaders ideas about future blackmail?
antifa 5y ago
The thing is 99% of sneering is about NFTs and other wacky thinly veiled "bitcoin but what if I owned all the premined coins instead?" ideas.

unityByFreedom 5y ago

That's about the only valid use case, for people whose government doesn't practice good management. The question is, is that a good solution for them? And what about us? It seems like a foreign leader could be incentivized to pay off a developed country's representatives, thus creating the conditions where crypto becomes useful for populations where inflation is going through the roof. Solving that problem with something isn't worth much if that something also contributes to the growth of the problem. As Homer Simpson once said, "to alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems." The same could be said of crypto.

Grimburger 5y ago
> the only valid use case, for people whose government doesn't practice good management That covers a solid chunk of all those alive on Earth today.
helloworld11 5y ago
>The question is, is that a good solution for them? And what about us? Well, if these many people are using it, I assume they made the choice in their own best interest and have a right to, not to spite you, in a country where things aren't going to hell but life still needs to be lived. >It seems like a foreign leader could be incentivized to pay off a developed country's representatives, thus creating the conditions where crypto becomes useful for populations where inflation is going through the roof. Solving that problem with something isn't worth much if that something also contributes to the growth of the problem. I'm not sure I understand this argument. So ordinary people in real need should avoid using tools that help them endure hardship after their leaders have already caused a catastrophe because it could give those leaders ideas about future blackmail?

antifa 5y ago

The thing is 99% of sneering is about NFTs and other wacky thinly veiled "bitcoin but what if I owned all the premined coins instead?" ideas.