One Month Into Bitcoin

Some initial thoughts from a newbie.

When I tell someone that I just started to work for a Bitcoin company, I get one of two responses. There is usually no in between.

First, there’s the Intrigued Interrogator. They are generally very excited to have met someone in the Bitcoin space, and they usually begin by stating their own brief experiential anecdote — ‘Oh! I have an uncle who just invested in Bitcoin’ or ‘Oh wow! I just saw that Silk Road story on the news.’

Then they ask loads of questions about the who, what, why, and how of Bitcoin. And I’m proud to say I can now answer most of the questions to the asker’s satisfaction (as long as they don’t get into the deep complexities of the blockchain… not there yet!). They are usually so inquisitive that the conversation can last hours.

Then there’s the Scathing Skeptic. I receive this response about half the time, and it’s one of surprise and sometimes sympathy — ‘oh, so you’ve decided to devote your days to… that?!’ They’re not skeptical; they’re beyond. They know Bitcoin is a farce, a scheme, a scam. They know it will not last.

When you politely ask why they think that, the usual response is ‘because there is no way Bitcoin will replace the current system.’ I suppose it’s generally difficult for people to imagine something they haven’t seen but some actually get upset and change the conversation or peg me as an anarchist and walk away. Really! They actually walk away!

But it’s hard to judge these people. I remember my initial thoughts about Bitcoin were also ones of skepticism because the important things like the breakthrough technology of the blockchain or the ability to instantaneously send money anywhere in the world at a very low cost were completely overshadowed by the numerous stories about scams, illicit drugs, porn, and gambling.

Now, a month in, having watched countless videos and read numerous introductory articles, I am really excited about the future of Bitcoin, both as a network and as a currency. As a newbie, I generally feel very welcomed by the community; everyone I’ve encountered is more than happy to discuss the basics and explain the complexities. But this openness is sometimes enshrouded by a culture of extreme libertarianism that can be alienating to newcomers.

From my brief experience, it seems these political sentiments are quite a barrier for Bitcoin education and uptake. In fact, I’ve realized in explaining Bitcoin to others that some people actually fear certain libertarian principles. They don’t just disagree. They are truly fearful. So decentralization, for example, is not a benefit of Bitcoin but rather a frightening prospect for them.

Indeed, there are various scams (which exist in every industry btw), which have certainly not helped Bitcoin’s reputation, but this doesn’t mean we should sit idly by while the future of Bitcoin is left in the lurch.

Is it possible to talk about bitcoin without politics?

By Niccola Perez, Marketing and Sales at universal Bitcoin service providers, Coinapult.

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