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legal consequences don’t imply my complicity; there is no shame in coming out in front of citizens with sats that openly belong to me and to fight the establishment

if we forever hide in the shadows, what message does that send to the wider world?

how can we ever hope to reach mass adoption if we implicitly behave like we’re always on the backfoot

we as humans have the right to free speech, and bitcoin is speech, God fucking dammit

Saberhagen The Nameless 2y ago

You said you don't do something because of potential future legal consequences (not even illegal right now). So it doesn't make sense why you hold bitcoin if they can just make it illegal in the future. They already did that to gold. It makes even more sense they would do it to something as threatening to them as Bitcoin.

We also have the right to privacy enshrined in the 4th amendment. But words on paper didn't ever stop government before. I'm not going to impotently beg politicians and governments to respect my rights. We have to take our rights and make them unassailable. Privacy and anonymity via encryption are one way to do this.

Hey, I get the sentiment man. It's not about hiding in the shadows though. It's about consent. Your business is no one elses unless you want it to be.

Mass adoption doesn't concern me. Some will learn by being burned. If they need it they'll find it and use it. If someone doesn't want something you won't be able to convince them. Adoption should happen organically if your tool is valuable and useful to people.

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Discussion

nostrnaut 2y ago

while I agree #bitcoin presented greater threat than that of gold, I have one word: enforceability

while they could rip KYC sats from law abiding citizens, the public outcry from human rights groups and international condemnation would be - IMO - disastrous

the economic fallout of any Western nation *actually* criminalizing #bitcoin would be a neon-light pointing straight to the exit gates of that nation; even China hasn’t fully done so, and if they haven’t, the USA most likely won’t

inalienable rights have been enshrined, and the #bitcoin experiment is too far gone to squash

Saberhagen The Nameless 2y ago

Governments commit atrocities all the time. They'll frame Bitcoiners as extremists or some shit if necessary, propagandize the public, and those human rights groups and other nations will fall in line for the most part like they always do. Look at the covid hysteria. Majority bought that shit up.

They don't need to be able to directly control your Bitcoin to bend your fingers. If they know you own Bitcoin they can threaten you with prison if you don't cooperate. In more extreme regimes, they can torture or kill you and your family. 99% of people will give in to that kind of duress.

That's why privacy and anonymity are both important.