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0 pointspolygamous_bat2y ago0 comments

> its especially odd that even tech folks (who would be expected to understand it) appear to be so "luddite" on it.

Have you considered the alternative hypothesis that these smart people are actually understanding the true nature of crypto very well, and you are stuck in a confirmation bias loop?

Whether the "tech" works is very different question than the social effect of it. A biochemist can be awed by the effectiveness of fentanyl while also maintaining that the average person should never be getting their hands on it.

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jrm42y ago

I almost like your fentanyl comparison -- but where it fails to me is that your biochemists will have very specific ideas about what will happen.

To me, tech's war on crypto feels more like "the War on Drugs." It's fine to be against, but it's the extreme lack of interest in discussing detail (which if you were anti you'd need to get into to stop it) and they don't do that.

Let's say you wanted to attack crypto on principle? Great. First you'd need to ID and figure out their weak points. Bitcoin kills the environment so you attack there. Now, others don't - but a lot of the post ETH coins are centralized with a small number of founders, so you can get them there. Now, ETH is going to be harder because they've done a better job on decentralization...

ETC.

That little paragraph above is orders of magnitude more detailed than any actual attack I've seen. Which again- SUPER WEIRD for tech folks!

polygamous_batOP2y ago

Your problem is thinking that the issue with crypto is primarily technological. It is not, it's mostly social.

Same reason why you don't see people arguing about the technical details of the slot machine in gambling regulation. However innovative the mechanism is, the ill is social and that's how it should be regulated. Or similarly, the regulation around alcohol are centered around limiting the social ills (like drunk drivers plowing into unsuspecting people). I am perfectly happy with crypto getting a similar regulation, with Coinbase getting similar terms, disclosure requirements, and responsibilities as the sports betting sites. What I am not ok with is Coinbase shilling tokens as "finance of the future" when it's really just the dumping ground of the latest of Anderssen Horowitzs' scam coins.

jrm42y ago

Very fair point. I guess the part of me that keeps wanting folks to consider is sort of analogous to perhaps guns or other kinds of weapons.

My strong belief is that SOMEONE is absolutely going to be using this stuff. It's going to be a thing, a big and very influential thing. Might as well get ahead of it and understand it and possibly use it for good?

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0 pointspolygamous_bat2y ago0 comments

> its especially odd that even tech folks (who would be expected to understand it) appear to be so "luddite" on it.

Have you considered the alternative hypothesis that these smart people are actually understanding the true nature of crypto very well, and you are stuck in a confirmation bias loop?

0 comments

jrm42y ago

I almost like your fentanyl comparison -- but where it fails to me is that your biochemists will have very specific ideas about what will happen.

ETC.

That little paragraph above is orders of magnitude more detailed than any actual attack I've seen. Which again- SUPER WEIRD for tech folks!

polygamous_batOP2y ago

Your problem is thinking that the issue with crypto is primarily technological. It is not, it's mostly social.

jrm42y ago

Very fair point. I guess the part of me that keeps wanting folks to consider is sort of analogous to perhaps guns or other kinds of weapons.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse