Murtaza Hussain on Warpcast

Murtaza Hussain pfp

Murtaza Hussain

This is an issue that I’ve grappled with for years and have written about (https://mazmhussain.substack.com/p/what-bitcoin-and-crypto-are-for). I’ve tried convincing more left-leaning people about the possibility of crypto but come up against much opposition. This opposition has been built on a belief that crypto is simply a scam that utilizes effective storytelling to inflate hyper-speculative assets. After years, I’ve stopped trying to convince people. This is because I’ve come closer to their perspective and developed a more negative view of the crypto world. This is not about the technology, which is neutral and can still have uses, but about the broader “crypto industry” which really is overrun with scamming and abhorrent behavior. I wrote about my evolving views here after years of observing this industry (https://paragraph.xyz/@unmediatedthoughts/casino-killed-the-computer-star?referrer=0x2503b70933119084c26df4c8d3e96d282de10743). I still have some hope which is why I keep an open mind.

10 replies

12 recasts

29 reactions

vrypan |--o--| pfp

I enjoyed reading the article. And I have given up trying to convince, because there is no point. And because I've lived through this a couple of times in my life. Like in the mid-90s, when I was trying to explain to my 20-something friends who first touched a computer at the university, about the usefulness of email and the amazing world of the Internet ahead of us. Or when I was trying to build WAP applications in the early 2000s and dreaming about location-enabled services on phones with a browser, while my potential clients relied on fax machines. Or in the second part of the 90s, when I was the internal joke in a company that relied on DEC Unix, Solaris and SCO, and preached Open Source and Linux. Same thing later, with blogs, podcasts, social media. (cont.)

2 replies

0 recast

2 reactions

Rando pfp

@chasing-pointers

I've been thru this before. While a small number of critics have valid, considerate concerns, most either are just curmudgeons or are simply parroting partisan rancor. The tech will prevail because it is economically useful and bears productive utility. Opposition is just transitory and is ultimately futile, same as with every prior paradigm shifting tech. It's hard to see right now due to Fauxahontas Warren having smeared partisan offal over us all.

1 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Thumbs Up pfp

Have you read @tbsocialist’s book Blockchain Radicals? I definitely recommend it for the left perspective on crypto’s potential

0 reply

0 recast

2 reactions

Tempe.degen 🎩 pfp

Tempe.degen 🎩

@tempetechie.eth

I think what turns a lot of left-leaning people away from crypto is greed and flashing money/wealth. This kind of stuff gets more attention and awareness, and to the outsiders it seems like it's the only thing happening in crypto. Talk to a non-crypto person and you'll be surprised to see that they don't know that you can have programs running on blockchain (a decentralized "AWS"), even if they are technical. And that you can use blockchain for much more than just sending coins from one address to another. Let alone that there are many non-financial use cases already... What breaks through our bubble and reaches the outside world is only pictures of douchebags in lambos, I'm afraid.

0 reply

0 recast

2 reactions

Cassie Heart pfp

Towards left-leaning people opposed to crypto, I remind them they are speaking from a "position of privilege" and they don't even realize it, precisely for the difficulties you described in your post. That has been powerful in changing minds. The right-leaning audiences opposed to crypto are a bit rarer and take little convincing beyond strictly authoritarian viewpoints that argue all money must be traceable, largely because they've taken on the task of trying to make support of crypto a party-aligning wedge issue, and for the latter camp informing them just _how_ easy it is to trace bitcoin and how _minimal_ it actually preserves privacy in any practical sense is typically sufficient.

0 reply

0 recast

1 reaction

Chainleft pfp

https://warpcast.com/chainleft/0xbac19707

0 reply

0 recast

1 reaction

Vanessa Williams pfp

Vanessa Williams

@fridgebuzz.eth

Very thoughtful, Murtaza. I am currently reading the book myself. I am intrigued by the possibilities of “the computer”, but like you, I have my doubts b/c the casino corrupts everything. The developer activity around Farcaster is the most promising thing I’ve seen so far, not without its own issues. I do have some hope left.

0 reply

0 recast

1 reaction

Trigs pfp

Well said once again. The casino is the rot of human nature, unfettered. Every stage of civilization has had some measure in place to contain the rot of human nature. As society evolves, so do its measures; but they are always vulnerable to corruption. Crypto is breaking free from the control the current corrupted system has in place. But without our own self regulation, we're just setting all the criminals free and devolving as a society.

0 reply

1 recast

0 reaction

Midnight Marauder Ⓜ️ pfp

Midnight Marauder Ⓜ️

@midnightmarauder.eth

I’m more than left leaning and know of many with similar politics in the industry. Just countering that trope that it’s all right wing crypto libertarians out here. Fwiw, @betashop.eth from Moxie worked in the Clinton White House. I also agree with the enormous amount of scams, rugs and incredibly flawed projects and products in the space. I’m old enough to see the dot com bust of the late 90’s and in many ways it’s similar. Vaporware and companies propped up with VC capital that had no viable business. When you have billions let alone trillions in any space the scammers will flock to it like a moth to flame.

0 reply

0 recast

1 reaction

ns pfp

Great article, Murtaza. I think it’s a fair assessment honestly. There are many days I feel as if I’ve been inadvertently caught up in a religious cult and perhaps became a bit brainwashed along the way. I still believe in the promise of this technology but only those who know me well know I work in the industry. I’ve stopped evangelizing for fear of social retribution, embarrassment, etc. Still, I’d wager that most here on Farcaster share this sentiment and are aiming to build something meaningful to revive the Computer (or bring it to life in the first place).

0 reply

1 recast

1 reaction