How's Your Bitcoins Doing!? | The Confab 01: Diverter

Episode notes

Welcome to the The Confab, the term derives from "confidential talk", which was commonly used in the Prohibition Era for meetings and conversations that took place in the smoky, rule-breaking speakeasies of that time.

The informal, privacy focused and clandestine nature of Ungovernable Misfits lends itself to these discussions. So, grab a seat and a stiff drink from the concealed bar, listen and revel in the conversation.

(00:00:00) Intro

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(00:04:15) It's Been a While

Diverter, how you doing, mate?
Hey, what's up, man? Doing good. How about yourself?

(00:05:30) The Great Malaise

Diverter and Max outline "The Great Malaise" in the bitcoin space. Users have fallen out of touch with the core principles on which the software built. Privacy was always niche, but at least the space at large was somewhat adversarial to the institutions and systems that abuse individuals every day.

(00:09:17) The Pattern Has Fractured

How did it get like this? In Chapter 5, Diverter asserts it's due to a fractioning pattern of users. Those who would have typically fallen away after the last bust cycle decided to stay, polluting the public square that should have been more ethos driven for the next bull run.

(00:17:00) Then They Fight You...

Chapter 6 is about the phrase "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win", which is used all the time by those in Bitcoin. But, with this fractured environment it seems as if they don't actually know what that looks like anymore OR they think they've already won with El Salvador Adoption, ETF filings and the acceptance of Bitcoin TM.

(00:27:14) What Does The Fight ACTUALLY Look Like?

So what does the fight actually look like? In Chapter 7, we have a great example in Roman Sterlingov and Diverter's recent attendance at the Finney Forum cemented that belief. When you have someone that is being charged and convicted based on no qualified evidence that is what the fight looks like. The State doesn't have to play by the rules and in fact makes the rules. So how will you navigate a game in which you, on the surface, have no way of winning?

(00:32:28) Beware of the Zombies

When it comes to punishment, the big bad government, as inefficient as it is, can actually move quite quickly when it wants to and it has the help of it's citizenry in these situations. Chapter 8 explains that much like witch burning or the scamdemic, people often mobilize on behalf of the government whether it be due to policy or acting as the jury. It comes in flavors such as grift, compliance, greed etc. that overall muddy the waters of principled disobedience.

(00:42:26) Building Your Networks

Well that's all well and good. So you're telling me that it's all intellectually rotten, compliance and greed driven zombies that will sacrifice the purpose of bitcoin in the name of NGU and government acceptance? No! In Chapter 9 the focus is on building your ONLINE networks and your OFFLINE networks. By strengthening these two domains you can begin to affect the zeitgeist and protect yourself against the censorship and attacks that are to come.

(00:51:50) Pandora's Box Has Opened

A Pandora's Box has been opened on the potential for censorship in Bitcoin. In the past, the act of censoring transactions on the bitcoin blockchain was an untenable thought, but as Chapter 10 outlines, the roadmap for how to accomplish such things has been shared widely as of recent. The networks you've built should be prepared for what's next.

(01:02:40) Shifting the Overton Window

The Overton window is the sliding scale of allowable opinion in the public domain. You may notice at times that there are things that remain unsaid even though they are obvious, that would be outside the Overton Window. While the fight exists against the physical in regards to transaction censorship, lawfare and unjust persecution Chapter 11 focuses on the battle in the metaphysical. To incorporate the principles of Bitcoin back into the conversation a battle must be had in the ideasphere. We need those in our networks to express themselves in the public square more often to gain visibility within the window.

(01:10:20) Using the Tools is as Easy as P, G, P

As one goes out into the world, mentally equipped with what the situation is, what is a tool that is available to us that is recommended to defend oneself? Chapter 12 explores PGP as a tool you should harness at it's base level: Encrypting and decrypting a message with a key, signing messages with a key, operating a key chain. Essentially stripping the third party UI/UX that apps like Signal provide and using it at it's base design. This will empower your understanding and help you communicate with your networks in the surveilled world.

(01:21:48) Until The Next Time

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