The meme behind cryptocurrency is that it is the people’s money, that somehow it will upset the Rothschild’s cart of golden apples. But just as the invention of television promised to bring culture to the masses but instead became a major marketing and propaganda tool and the internet promised unlimited information freely distributed but quickly ushered in the surveillance state and the end of privacy, blockchain has it’s own hidden agenda.
We are living in the salad days of cryptocurrencies. Don’t you think it strange that people are allowed to create money, something that has always been the purview of the State? Counterfeiting is illegal and carries stiff penalties that include many years locked in a cage. Why then does government turn a blind eye to cryptos?
The rhetoric is that cryptos aren’t real money but just points you acquire in whatever game you decide to play. The difference with crypto points is that it is possible to convert them into cryptocurrency, something that can be used in trade or even converted into fiat coin of the realm. In other words, like government issued fiat currency they have fungibility.
Fungibility is a head trip: the belief that something is valuable. Be it USD, gold, silver, tulip bulbs, beanie babies, puka shells—if people believe something has intrinsic value they will freely trade their labor and their wares in exchange for it.
In these early days of crypto, government appears to be uninterested, has a hands-off attitude even though the people’s hype is that crypto will free humanity from enslavement to financial institutions and government’s ability to regulate commerce and tax income. Doesn’t this laissez-faire attitude raise a red flag since the entrenched financial industry is the behemoth of the economy and the government its enforcement arm? Haven't governments fought world wars and killed millions of people over economic control? Don't governments impose sanctions against countries that don't accept their economic model?
Either government believes that cryptocurrency is a fad that will die out, which is unlikely, or they are biding their time until the majority of people begin to accept the fungibility of cryptos and then government will give them the boot heel. Given the history of disruptive technology, I believe the latter will be the case. Here’s why.
Blockchain technology is an unhackable accounting method. Every transaction done on the blockchain is transparent, an immutable, permanent record. We who contribute to the blockchain do so knowing that what we do here is viewable to everyone. Blockchain is the surveillance state taken to the next level. Private is now public. No warrant is necessary to audit activity on the blockchain. This is the sort of stuff governments dream of.
Once the majority of people accept cryptocurrency, possibly during a “crisis” of consolidation and radical valuation swings, perhaps during a financial meltdown wherein people lose faith in the fiat USD, the government will undoubtedly step in and regulate it, in most likelihood by issuing a statist world blockchain that will be the only acceptable form of currency used in commerce. Let’s call it the Roth.
Roth will be the end of cash. Government hates cash. It is hard to regulate. People can trade cash for goods and service and there is no record. Taxes are thus easily avoided. Cash transactions subvert the power of the largest corporations, the true constituents of government. Once the Roth is in place, government will no longer be obliged to print money and cash will be an historic artifact. The government/corporate axis will finally wield unlimited power.
Hopefully this will be the straw that breaks us, the final insult that causes the people to revolt. If not, we will experience incomparable and unavoidable servitude to the whims of psychopathic regulators. How it eventually plays out is far beyond my ability to visualize.
I hate to say it but even the conspiracy talk and what ex-journalists or ex-banker confess do serve the game. We usually think of us to be immune to this and that, even to advertisement but we are not, since we were born and raised in our modern societies. We don't have the slightest clue where to get our information other than the media. I watched hundreds of youtube videos about people who plunged out of their positions but still, we are all in the system.
To be not influenced by media and Internet one has to drop out totally. This would mean to become self-sustainable like a farmer who also produces his own electricity. I guess even Michael Reynolds is not fully independent even with his biotech-houses (though really worth to check out). The only free people are those who don't know and care about us. Like some tribes or farm people (maybe the Armish).
The one and only person, who was also (to a certain degree) free and the one I know of in person was my mom. Though it had a price: in the first half of her life, she was experiencing war and imprisonment. Then she gave birth to six children and only cared about her little community. She was later on totally cared by her children: us. She didn't watch tv, no media at all, she never drove a car, she never traveled. Her world was her garden and her children. It was a perfect alliance.
I find all of this talk over exaggerated and only because everyone participates in it, it can work and will go on. I am doing the same right now.
Nobody is interested in dead people or how babies are born. Many people have never seen a dead corpse, neither a newborn coming into life. Yet everyone was born and will die. I find that rather strange.
In what I call "real life" women cannot find midwives any longer. I am talking about cases, I just heard of. The wife of my nephew, my niece and a good friend and also many of my clients won't get the service of a midwife. Here in Germany, their existence is being destroyed and you can only go to a hospital to get a baby. Does anyone of you know, how important their work is and why that is a horrible loss? I really would like an answer but no matter where I go and no matter whom I ask, no one cares. Same with dying. Do you see coffins in the streets? Do you see people celebrating death? Do you feel yourself worshiped by participating in a funeral and all death business? From where I live people want to get quick over these events.
Technology is the holy grail and that is what we care for even if we pretend we don't. Look at the topics here on steemit and elsewhere in the media.
Well, that is how it looks like when I unleash my pain-speech. It sucks. I can do a lot better. Sigh.
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No, this is all good. Better to get it out than to hold it in.
Though I posted this, I can't say I trust Bernard. Too much disinformation out there and too many people seeking recognition. That is yet another disease of this civilization.
It can cause pain to realize how fucked up our civilization is and how manipulated we are. That may be a price to pay for waking up.
All of us are addicted to our technology, some more than others. It doesn't have to be that way but few will give up their luxuries of indoor plumbing and electricity willingly, even if it is destroying the very planet on which they live and even thought their children would be much happier without all that crap.
It's no stretch to see that cell phones are creating misery for the young, even though they feel that without their cell phone they couldn't possibly be happy. That is a form of social and technologically induced cognitive dissonance we all suffer from. We don't want to quit using our heroin even though it's killing us.
That is why I have simply quit hoping for a good outcome for humanity and have simply accepted that we will eventually destroy ourselves. Consciousnesses will continue even though humans will no longer be an expression of it. Evolution always tries new experiments, some of which are successful, like ants and some of which do not survive, like dinosaurs. I'm not a humanist and so the loss of humanity is not that big a deal for me. I write to inform people that there is another way, but I don't believe they will take it. Humans aren't that bright.
Your mother is an excellent example of someone who realized how painful life could be and simply accepted that. In doing so she released herself from trying to make life more enjoyable by pursuing externalities. She found peace in the small things in life. She was lucky enough to have a tribe that cared about her and that was all that truly mattered. And she was that way because nobody insulated her from the realities of life, of bodies and sickness and human cruelty.
We don't have lepers and beggars in the streets. The war wounded are carefully hidden away in hospitals or care facilities. The sight of death is hidden away as well. All of this is to our detriment as humans and why the X and snowflake generations cry if harshly talked to. They're babies. Unevolved. Depressed.
I read a recent post on "camping." I won't link to it because it didn't resonate with me. It talked about how some campers refuse to leave their cell phone behind because it caused anxiety. As a coming of age rite, American Indian boys were required to go on a long vision quest into the wilderness alone and with nothing in search of their animal totem. They often fasted and slept in the open for many days at a time. When they found their totem, they returned. They were now men. Civilized boys, unless they experience war or are raised on mean streets within ghettos, remain children their entire lives. Yet we still revere the civilized over the savage and comforts of civilization over the challenges of the wilds.
I suppose that the EU is more civilized than other parts of the world where midwives are common and available. My last grand daughter was delivered in hospital by a midwife. In Canada they have separate facilities, hospital birthing rooms for midwives that are close to medical facilities in case something goes wrong. It is the best of both worlds.
The biggest problem with socialized medicine is that government is always controlled by big business interests and the religion of science. This tends to strip people of choice "for their own good." The future might reveal that we currently live in the Dark Ages of government, science and technology, perhaps even more desolate than the Dark Age of "The Church". That is, of course, if we survive it.
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midwives still work in hospitals but they won't come to the mother's homes any longer. I don't know when this is going to be over totally but more and more free midwives drop out of service and get engaged at hospitals or stop working in their profession at all. The C-section rate here in Hamburg is at 36 %! Women themselves believe that they have to be cut open when "worries come up and interventions have to be taken". Which is either violence or C-section. Talk about "risks" and "liability issues". Talk of shareholders.
In other countries, it's better for the midwives because the insurance charges are solidarily taken care of. Here, the midwives have to pay on their own the high fees. That is ridiculous!
Well, I can't do anything about it other than to inform the mothers to be. I will wear me out by helping my friends and family to get the feeling that one cares for them. They rely on me the older I get and that is something which takes energy on one hand and gives meaning on the other hand. Here, many friends are desperately lonely. And I feel lonely, too, despite my many duties. I really search for the Sangha as I do need guidance and exchange in the scholarly topics of theology and religion and ethics. I do need someone who is "smarter" and calmer than me when the going gets tough.
Around the corner, there is a Buddhist center but from what I smell they aren't really open and it's like they are hiding somehow. Maybe I should give it a try. I got one member to know and I didn't like her, she even lives there and gunfire talked to me even though she didn't know me well. That made me suspicious of this "holiness" of hers. She started to work for the institution where I give hours once a week and I told them that she'll not make it for she is the type of person to eat the cake and want it, too.
Oh, I am bad. I am talking behind her back.
Sorry, but these days I got so ANGRY!!
Thank you for giving me an ear.
Yes, my mother did it right. Very much so. Would you tell me your real name? Or don't you like it to be said here?
P.S. What you said about young males and initiation: YES!! That is so badly needed. Where are the males to teach them? I was talking to my brother about it and I think he did not understand what I meant.
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.... this was your last comment here so far - so I do wonder how you are doing and I am hoping a sign of life :-)
Cheers from the Seven Mountains in Germany!
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You said it man. I been saying this for months, that we are in the best era of crypto there is and that it's only going to downhill from here. Overthrow the entrenched financial and economic powers of the world? Ha! Don't make me laugh! Before, the only reason they hadn't rolled us all up was disinterest. Now, it's because they tryna be subtle about it (via things like Ripple) -- but in a way that's good.
It shows they're not quite yet ready to run roughshod over us less-well-heeled masses. It shows they are still just a little afraid of us.
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Most people still don't even know what blockchain and cryptocurrency is. That's why there is now media coverage and dissing by the financial and government sectors. They do it to increase awareness and create interest. And when the majority sees that this condescension towards cryptocurrency does little to stop its forward momentum, they too will want a piece of the action. It is just more of the social engineering that has been going on since the dawn of technology.
And I agree that now is the time to take advantage. By straw hats in winter. We're at almost the ground floor and the elevator is going up. Just make sure to get off before they cut the cables.
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I completely agree, in fact, some time ago I made a publication about it: The Dark Side of the Bitcoin. There is something very strange, sometimes I think we are moving towards where they want us to move.
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As usual, you are far ahead of the curve.
I've felt this way for a very long time. Your references in your post that point to predictive programming that is 30 years old are right on. I read somewhere that the year 1969 was a pivotal point in the acceptance and implementation of behavioral psychology in advertising, which is just propaganda used to increase consumerist activity. Predictive programming is just another facet of that. It makes me examine the ethos being presented to us today and what those in control of the propaganda machine have in mind for society 30 years down the line.
I recall how the TV series 24 got the American public used to the idea of torture as an appropriate way to extract information. I remember as a child seeing 007 kill a spy he was fighting in Dr. No, rammed his head into a doorway. It wasn't enough to just knock him out. I was shocked. Now "take no prisoners" is the norm in any fight, be it on the street gang fight, during a robbery, or for revenge.
Media is not benign. Sad that society is the unwary victim of psychopaths.
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That's right, the one who was Sigmund Freud's nephew, Edward Bernays, was able to integrate the psychological concepts of his uncle into advertising, making Western society, mainly the United States, stop buying things out of necessity, and buy things out of desire and impulses . Since those attempts to influence the masses were successful, they have applied it to all kinds of things, television series, movies, magazines, radio, internet, everything.
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Absolutely. Bernays' book Propaganda was the basis for public relations and came out about the same time as Hitler's Mein Kamph. Hitler actually wrote Bernay's a thank you note.
This is an example of the social engineering changes that took place in 1969: A Case Study on Employee Behavior Change Management: How an Advertising Agency That Specialized In Behavioral Science and Design Tackled Behavioral Engineering to Induce Change The psychoanalytical framework Freud established in psychology changed into the laboratory rat behavioral modification model introduced by Pavlov but perfected by B. F. Skinner.
One needn't read this entire study to realize that while the Freud model sought to give people insight into their mind, the Skinner model is not interested in anything but bypassing the mind to foster desired behavioral change. I was in school in the 60s and watched this change take place.
It certainly isn't much of a stretch to realize that once one views humanity in terms of animals in need of conditioning, they soon become little more than commodities for use in the economy. Once one opens their eyes to this fact, the purpose of social engineering becomes glaringly obvious.
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Do you know this man and what he said in this interview? I heard from him a few days ago, and I realized that some things he says about moving money, have to do with what I said in that publication about bitcoin. Although I do not know to what extent it is true what it says.
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Bernard is new to me. Like Perkin's Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, it sort of dovetails with what we already suspect.
I'm forever the skeptic, but there seems to be too much corroborating evidence to dismiss this sort of conspiracy outright.
Since cash is the preferred medium of exchange for the underworld and the shadow government, perhaps it will not disappear completely. Blockchain promises total financial transparency (unless that too is a lie) and the puppet masters must remain in the dark. This is yet another facet to keep in focus as cryptos move ahead. Lots more food for thought here. Thanks.
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Great post. Technology has been lauded as a way to free up time for us, yet the reality of an all-consuming medium often does the reverse. Social media promised unlimited contact with our friends, but it often makes us lonely, too much mobile use makes teenagers fall behind. Concentration problems, lack in fitness, sore backs and a lack of skills to make connections in the real world. The real problem is just waiting behind the corner. When we reach a full automation = zero employment then how are we going to distriubute the goods and services? Are we going to gate ourselves out of the external world in our perfect four walls surrounded by the super fancy technology? Well, I hope not.
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I hate to say this, but when robots do everything that humans used to do, those in control will move to eliminate the "useless eaters." The only reason our current civilization doesn't need slaves is that we don't need them and has nothing to do with morality. Wage slavery is far more efficient, less costly to management and far more difficult to rebel against. The same lie that technology will free us also applies to making everyone's lives easier and richer. Overpopulation is already destroying the planet. Do you think those who control the machines want to live in a world overcrowded with people who serve them no purpose, or does it seem likely that they want to live on a verdant, healing planet where rivers run clear and robots serve their every want and need without complaint?
Paranoid psychopaths run the world, people whose brains do not function properly, brains that lack the ability to feel compassion. This makes them self-centered and fearful. How do you think these folks will react when they can live opulent lives without the need for human workers?
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The world is always seeking equilibrium. Even thought it would be technically possible that we end up with a cast of few super rich controlling the masses, the more likely scenario is that in such case the masses would quickly revolt and took the rulling party down. The revolution. The rich must be good to the poor if they want to survive. Who knows what the future brings, scenarios are countless and basically anything can happen.
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You make a good point, and I think the best way to avoid the issue of what you buy being tracked is to use Crypto Currency as an investment tool, and not use it to purchase stuff. Do that with cash. At least while we still can that is.
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Advantageous to play the game in the early stages and then get out before the greedy get in and be ever watchful. I think knowing the game is rigged is a huge benefit.
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I'm just guessing here, but I see Steem/SBD dropping to around $1.25 - $1.50 in the coming weeks along with all other ctyptos falling in price, but then shooting way up shortly after that with Steem/SBD in the $12.00-$15.00 range. Especially if HF 20 fixes current problems with the platform, and Smart media Tokens encourage more developers to create apps for the Steemit Blockchain.
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What problems does HF 20 promise to fix? IMHO, bid bots will kill Steem's value if not dealt with.
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IDK that any promises have been made to fix a specific thing, but the next fork would be the time to fix problems with the site. Bid bots and self-upvoting seem to be the two biggest problems. People running the bid-bots are basically ripping everyone off, and ruining Steemit. The only way to profit from a bit bot is if the ROI is close to 210%. anything lower than that, and you lose money. Everyone using bid bots loses their SBD/Steem. The quality of posts goes down, and those running the bid bots make hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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I totally agree. Bid bots are a short sighted profit grab that subverts the potential for long term gains and ascent of the platform. It is the current mindset of our culture. The future looks bleak. It's a sign of the times.
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Indeed, there is something very suspicious in all this. Governments are moving, or have moved to instigate laws to tax profits from cryptos ( thats not the suspicious part) to make it look like they are concerned.
The part about doing away with cash is one of the main pushes I think. The calming words that 'everything is accounted for on the chain' will be used to sell the 'better than cash' system. The cashless society you keep hearing about (repetition anyone?). You will have to register your account with your details though, to stop illegal activities or terrorism or whatever flavour of the month they want to peddle.
The other thing that can probably be solved which previously seemed to be backing them into a corner, is derivatives. This may be an ideal system to offload those into a sea of crypto currencies to wash their hands of them and put the risk if any, onto investors and spread the pain.
I agree that when cash goes, the prison door closes. Any tracked currency from then on will remove what little privacy you had left. They will sell this as the ultimate check-mate to those naughty terrorists of course. While they also sell your details, your buying habits, your advertising profile, your saving and earning potential etc. to anyone who wants to pay them for it.
We are and will be ultimately, just another commodity.
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We are already commodities. https://steemit.com/freedom/@citizenzero/welcome-to-freeworld-farms
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I stayed out of crypto until about 9 months ago. Steemit is what got me started. I never trusted bitcoin. I knew about it when it came out, but it always seemed like a set up to me. They WANT us to move to digital currency. The "END THE FED" crowd was not likely to transition easily into a new fiat, even if digital. They roll out this probably fictional "Satoshi"and make it sound all counter-culture-ish, and all the rebellious types LEAP into digital currency first. The sheep will soon be ushered over, and then the regulations will begin in earnest.
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Yup. It's a trap. Everybody believes that the end is near for hegemony of the USD. When it all comes crashing down, those in power want to stay in power and will have the contingency plan ready.
Like I've said already, we're just livestock to them. It's still open range and they don't want us to stampede, at least until the perimeter is secured.
Cryptos is a nice little game, a circus to get us used to digital money and keep us occupied while the fence is going up. That is why it is imperative we prepare, gain real skills that we can trade and begin the process of dropping out of the economy.
In the meantime, Steemit offers unparalleled access to diverse ideas and profit potential until the endgame becomes obvious to all.
Even the best laid plans are subject to blowback. Hopefully, at some point people will figure out alternatives to government hegemony and walk away. Humanity always comes up with some new gimmick to monkey-wrench their plans. Some of us will never accept totalitarianism.
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Blockchain is the surveillance state taken to the next level. !
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