The real danger is nodes being operated ineptly. People act like just running a node is a magic fix to the danger of state capture. Its not. We need to be able to actively select the rules our nodes use. I'm sure command line jockeys can handle it without problem, but the rest of us can't. All we can do is choose which version to run. Not running the latest version means potentially running buggy or exploited code. Realistically, all most people do is hit the update button when it appears. The documentation for the updates isn't even good enough to really know what's being changed. So what's going to happen? One day there will be a malicious update that significantly alters how bitcoin works, and in just a few days, most of the network will run it. How many that updated will roll back to an earlier version? Some, but not all. Attackers are doing this math. They're watching our behavior, planning around observed statistics. This will only get worse when a hundred million users run nodes on every continent. Attacks can benefit from ossification too. We'll "win," and then while we're celebrating, bitcoin will be turned into a CBDC. Who's slipping the noose on who? We think we've pulled one over on the powers that rule this world. That's hubristic, prideful horseshit. The fix is not merely decentralizing nodes - it must *also* be widespread knowledge of how to use nodes in a sovereign way. Not just hitting the update button. The code is not under our control if that's all we do.

Sorry, got off topic. I agree with your sentiment. Too much focus on ngu, not enough focus of cypherpunk.