I read over the “Why Bitcoin Needs a Rebrand” article in the new Bread zine from nostr:npub1cashappn03s3cl2ljsdntv0v28e2um5lgx4vjctqjt23pcwzjhsqmtdg5l. There’s definitely some truth to it but it didn’t bring out the thing that often puts me off the most about “Bitcoiners” - the extreme individualism.

I like Bitcoin and I’m obviously passionate about decentralized tech. But I think there is a dark side of “freedom tech” where some people lining up under the banner of “freedom” are looking for freedom from responsibility, not freedom from tyranny. I’ve seen this in the hate we’ve gotten at Nos.social for building decentralized moderation features. Nostr users blast us for building tools that give our users the *freedom* to listen to who they want. For these people freedom of speech isn’t about freedom to speak subversively to those in power, it’s about freedom from consequences, and anything else is “censorship”. It’s about freedom to harm others in settings where they don’t feel at risk themselves.

I’ve grown up in America on rugged individualism, but the trajectory of my worldview over the past few years is moving decidedly towards communalism. I want to see the same shift in Bitcoin. Where are the Bitcoin mutual aid tools? Social key backup? Cooperative financial institutions? This is a big part of what excites me about Nostr tech: it’s social, it’s based on relationships and trust, so it’s a great foundation for building these types of convivial tools. I want the new Bitcoiner to be into potlucks, farmer’s markets, and family.