Just hours after the US election results were announced, I received messages from friends full of surprising assumptions. Some people congratulated me, jokingly saying, “Congratulations, your side won for Bitcoin.” Others commented “This is pathetic!” Expressed disapproval with comments like. and “I’m shocked Americans just voted for Hitler.” A friend said, “You were lucky to get protection as a refugee in the US under the Biden administration. Refugees and asylum seekers may face a tougher time here now, but, hey, it’s still good for your Bitcoin. Many of these friends work in high-level corporate jobs or are university students.
As a green card holder, I was not eligible to vote, but I recognize their immense disappointment in seeing their favorite candidate lose. Their disappointment was directed at me because they knew I support Bitcoin and work in this field. I think scapegoating me says less about me and more about their limited understanding of what the value of Bitcoin represents.
I know that in this highly polarized political landscape, ideological conservatism becomes apparent – not just during election season, but also in places where innovative thinking should be encouraged. A prime example of this ideological bias occurred during commencement at Ohio State University, where Chris Penn speech Bitcoin was largely criticized by students attending their graduation ceremony. I admire the courage he had to stand strong and continue his speech in front of over 60,000 people. My guess is that most of these graduate students have never experienced hyperinflation or grown up under authoritarian rule, which likely triggers an “auto-reject” response to concepts beyond their personal experience.
I have faced similar resistance in my incomplete academic journey; During my time at Georgetown, I had many unproductive conversations with professors and students who viewed Bitcoin as a far-right tool. A professor once told me, “Win, just because cryptocurrency (they didn’t use the term Bitcoin) helped you and your people in your country, doesn’t mean it’s a great tool – most people in the US and many parts of the world are scammers. Are victims. I urge you to learn more aboutPower dynamics in academic settings often discourage open-minded discourse, which is why I ultimately avoided discussing Bitcoin with my professors.
I have learned to understand that freedom of speech is a core American value. Yet, I have noticed that certain demographics or communities label anyone they disagree with as ‘racist’. In more severe cases, this response can escalate to using influence to fire people from their jobs, expel them from school, or subject them to coordinated cyberbullying. I am not claiming that racism does not exist in American society or elsewhere; I firmly believe that both overt and subtle forms of racism still persist and are alive today.
Although prejudice and inequality remain widespread, Bitcoin operates on entirely different principles. Bitcoin is borderless, leaderless and accepts any nationality or skin color without requiring any form of ID to participate. people in war torn countries Convert your savings to Bitcoin to cross the border safely, Human rights defenders receive donations in BitcoinAnd women living under the Taliban get paid through the Bitcoin network.
Bitcoin is not racist because it is a tool of empowerment for anyone willing to participate. Bitcoin is not xenophobic because it empowers people forced to flee their homes to take their hard-earned economic energy across borders and participate in another economy when every other option is closed. For activists, who are often branded as ‘criminals’ by authoritarian regimes, it supports them through frozen bank accounts and blocked resources. For women living under a misogynistic regime, Bitcoin offers a rare opportunity for financial freedom.
Going back to the context of the US election, Bitcoin not only levels the playing field for people in the world’s most forgotten places and darkest corners, but it also provides new opportunities for US presidential candidates to connect with this growing community. Also opens doors. President-elect Donald Trump has made bold promises regarding Bitcoin, signaling a favorable policy. In contrast, the campaign of Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly refused to support the Bitcoin community. Grant McCarty, co-founder of the Bitcoin Policy Institute, said,can confirm that the Harris campaign was offered millions of dollars from companies, PACs, and individuals looking for her to hold meetings with key crypto stakeholders and craft a defined crypto policy plan. The campaign never took the industry seriously.” I believe this is something that most people may be unaware of, and confirmation bias often leads to the assumption that all Bitcoin supporters support every policy of the other side, including There are also potential drastic changes to U.S. humanitarian commitments such as refugee resettlement and asylum programs, anti-trafficking and protection of vulnerable populations, and foreign assistance and disaster relief.
Most people around the world lack stable economic infrastructure or access to long-term mortgages; They live and earn with more volatile currencies than crypto gambling and, in some cases, holding their own fiat currency is just as dangerous as casino chips, or worse.
The fiat experiment has failed in the global majority. I believe Bitcoin and Bitcoin proponents deserve to be evaluated based on their merits and global impact, not through a binary lens of political bias, miswording, or factually flawed but socially accepted small taxonomies. From, which allows them to get the most out of learning. and evaluating assumptions.
This is a guest post by Win Ko Ko Aung. The opinions expressed are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BTC Inc. or Bitcoin Magazine.
