Institutions will never protect our rights - they are too easily corrupted.
We must defend them ourselves - open source tools that empower individuals are the only real path forward.
Discussion
🫡
✊
This simple fact about institutions is the biggest hurdle sometimes when trying to convince others to think about Bitcoin. I have trouble even getting them to think about the possibility that this is even true.
When it comes to Bitcoin, people have said to me "that won't work without government regulation" or "house always wins so why bother"...unfortunately this is a lesson that many have to learn the hard way.
Many are part of the problem.
100%. It's work, but it's the only way. The lazy will be slaughtered
This is the way
Are guns an "open source tool"?
The computer can be used as a tool to liberate and protect people, rather than to control them. Unlike the world of today, where people are more or less at the mercy of credit agencies, large corporations, and governments, Chaum's approach balances power between individuals and organizations. Both kinds of groups are protected against fraud and mistreatment by the other.
Naturally, in today's society, with power allocated so disproportionately, such ideas are a threat to large organizations. Balancing power would mean a net loss of power for them. So no institution is going to pick up and champion Chaum's ideas. It's going to have to be a grass-roots activity, one in which individuals first learn of how much power they can have, and then demand it.
- Hal Finney (1992)
“Both kinds of groups are protected against fraud and mistreatment by the other.” 🔑
I have been playing around with Nostr and I think it works pretty darn good for where we are at. I'm impressed. Is it buggy, sure, but ok, I would not expect anything else. The music player is cool. Not too much music I am interested in but it's just the very beginning. I love how you can zap the artist if you like the song. This is the way things should be. I think it's all of our obligation to support this protocol. We are the early adopters and big thinkers. We can see a better future but it's not going to come about without some effort. We are the ones that have to provide the early content that will attract others to participate.
And even if they aren't corrupted from within they can be captured from without (same goes for ethical companies)
And none of them protect our rights. Their aim is to usurp rights.
We need to think of all institution alike, as dangerous.
States, governments, soldiers, police, banks, work, school, family, marriage, religion....
They protect us as much as we make their slaves. To keep their institution alive..
#[0]
Nostr making government issued IDs obsolete one app at a time.
Thank you for rocking the interwebs.
A phrase I wish people would use more often: you don’t have rights you can’t defend.
Literal empowerment... this has the established dominance structure shaking in its boots.
GM #Nostriches
