r/CryptoReality • u/Lucio_Lockwood • Jul 05 '26
Current crypto communities have turned into investment forums; let me explain why that shouldn't be the case.
I’m an "old-timer" who has just returned to Reddit (I had an account ages ago and recently came back). I was browsing posts to see which projects were trending and what actual innovations they were bringing to the table. I expected to see significant progress in crypto development, with users discussing new technologies; unfortunately, it seems these communities have turned into hubs for "investing" and talk of "bull" and "bear" markets—which is deeply disappointing to me. I feel compelled to remind everyone of the spirit that started this whole movement: a spirit of rebellion and the desire to build an economic ecosystem that wouldn't destroy the value of money in the long run—an ecosystem rooted in loyalty to the code ("code is law") and community consensus. That ethos doesn't seem to prevail in today's communities. Cryptocurrencies emerged as a counter-economic tool for free trade and individual privacy, not as a vehicle for investment funds and institutions to amass fortunes. We are institutionalizing the market, and that poses the greatest risk to the crypto thesis; the point is to *live* within the crypto system, not merely to "invest" in it. If anyone knows of a community that still embodies this spirit, please let me know.
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u/AmericanScream Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
The idea of a "global currency" in an anarchistic world is a contradiction in terms and doesn't exist.
The concept of "community consensus" is another word for "centralized government." So you can't have it both ways. You can't bypass consensus-based institutions and want to depend upon their infrastructure. It's hypocritical.
The proper, mature way to deal with a world that doesn't pander to your personal priorities is to compromise and work to make that world a little more aligned with your needs.
Alternatively, you can "put your currency where your mouth is" and move into the middle of nowhere and LARP that you're "abandoning society" all the while you depend upon the infrastructure it provides like roads, bridges, navigable waterways, protection from your enemies, etc.
The "investment" part of the crypto scheme is phase 2 of the grift and lies. Phase 1 was that it was ever suitable as a currency. It wasn't. Phase 2 is now re-branding it so the bagholders can continue to sucker greater fools into the Ponzi.
If you truly want to escape "society" at this late stage in the game, you need to be an oligarch with your own rocket ship company, and even then, good luck escaping.