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by nk1tz 1730 days ago
The beautiful thing about Bitcoin is that is it a pure, global, free market writ large. There is absolutely nothing you can do to prevent individuals from choosing to participate in it. Therefore the correct retort to someone like you is to tell you to "cry harder".
5 comments
fnimick 1730 days ago
You've correctly explained the tragedy of the commons, congratulations. This is exactly why we need regulation to stop people selfishly destroying the environment for everyone for personal gain.
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thehappypm 1730 days ago
This isn't correct, though. If I decide to start an anti-Bitcoin political movement, I can get leaders elected who can ban the use of Bitcoin in the USA. Sure, some motivated folks will use VPNs and the like, but cutting the general public off from Bitcoin would be devastating. Then who will be crying?
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satronaut 1730 days ago
lol, try and ban bitcoin
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thehappypm 1730 days ago
Why would that be hard? It's used for tons of illegal activity (ransomware as an example).
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satronaut 1730 days ago
Only .4% of bitcoin transactions are used for illegal activities.

It'd be hard because you'd have to find every single node and disconnect it from the internet, and something like 90% of Bitcoin nodes run over TOR

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TomSwirly 1730 days ago
> Only .4% of bitcoin transactions are used for illegal activities.

And you know this... how?

Did you know that 96% of statistics are made up on the spot?

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satronaut 1730 days ago
https://en.cryptonomist.ch/2021/01/20/chainalysis-crypto-ill...

Here's a source if you're curious

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thehappypm 1729 days ago
I'm sure the criminals are doing a great job of making sure that they look like they're in the 99.6%!
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adrianN 1730 days ago
I can easily think of a number of measures that would make it much harder to participate in the bitcoin market that governments could implement without much trouble.
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RGamma 1730 days ago
A critiquing/problem-aware mindset can rightly point to risks and inappropriate excess. In that sense it is part of healthy self-regulation.

If you let it take over, the ensuing negativity and Weltschmerz might paralyze you.

And true, most criticism (whether justified or not) comes to nothing if there's a lack of regulating entity that could do something about it.

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HenryKissinger 1730 days ago
> There is absolutely nothing you can do to prevent individuals from choosing to participate in it.

Governments in authoritarian countries have shut down bitcoin mining operations and arrested people.

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