Everybody nowadays has a decentralization fetish but if you really look at it, none of them are decentralized, not by far. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a decentralized world, but that would imply total decentralization, not just the cryptocurrencies. You can't isolate this world from the outside world, and whatever wrong is going on out there, will permeate into this space, all the Government regulation, the criminality, the Banksters, all of it.... We are not living in a bubble, this world can just as easily can be corrupted.
First of all:
- Electricity Grid
- Internet
I don't know if you have noticed it, but it looks like the Government and a few Corporations control the entire digital world. Without internet there are no cryptocurrencies. So your ISP holds you by the ballz!
Then you have the power grid, which the Government can just probably switch off if they feel like it. So they are holding us by the ballz! What did you expect?
Of course people can start to become more self-sustainable with solar energy (which will be highly regulated, the bureaucrat will want his cut too, so expect solar licenses later), and the Meshnet is not entirely operational, besides Governments control the radio frequencies too. So better get your radio license before operating a wireless P2P network, or the Government will squeeze you by the ballz!
Other "stuff":
Ok so even ignoring these 2 monstrously big problems, then other problems arise. Ok let's suppose the internet itself is free. Well it doesn't matter how decentralized a currency is .... if the information you are getting is crap.
A democracy requires 2 things:
- Voters having a right to vote, directly without intermediaries "representatives"
- Free speech, and a largely free press, free of censorship and propaganda
Now if you haven't noticed you don't have these either. I mean sure you can setup a FULL NODE anytime, but is it economically feasible? I don't know somebody calculated the costs, was it about 100$/month to run a Full Bitcoin node?
Why the hell would you pay 100$/month to run a Full Bitcoin node just to vote? So Bitcoin by default can't be a direct democracy, it will be a representative democracy or an oligarchy.... Same with many other coins, which is fine, I mean if they are honest and accountable, that is still better than your average politician, who is above the Law...
I have no problem with Steemit witnesses, I have even recommended some who are trustworthy in my opinion, so accountability could make Representative Democracy work, but then people should not call it Decentralization, that would imply a Direct Democracy.
Secondly, Bitcoin is full of disinformation, corporate intermingling, propaganda and massive censorship. Need I remind people:
The /r/bitcoin subreddit together with the Bitcointalk forum, is massively censored, so say goodbye to free speech!
Plus literally what is it like 5 people directly control 42 billion $ in Bitcoin, they are the Bitcoin Core developers who make the software, and since all nodes are sheep, they will just use their software. At best case scenario they might not upgrade if they don't agree, but eventually they will have to, since updates bring bugfixes.
So it looks like the Bitcoin Core team has all Bitcoin users by the ballz! They hold all of your ballz in their hands, all of the 42 billion $, indirectly, but still, very tightly as explained here:
Conclusion
So what kind of decentralization are these people talking about? It seems to me like a mindless meme. Don't get me wrong, I do want decentralization, but this is not just a problem of cryptocurrencies, this is a general problem of humanity, this is how corrupt people are in general, they all want power. Power to hold us all by the ballz!
Sources:
https://pixabay.com
