Bitcoin Uncensored is a popular Bitcoin podcast that has recently been rustling jimmies and flipping tables in the face of the “Blockchain” community. They offer a scathing, immature and humorous critique of this culture, mainly because it fetishizes mindless support of projects (even if they may be scams) and an air of hyper-seriousness.
But what they truly bring to the table is pure unadulterated Gonzo journalism*, which in its paradoxical subjectivity and lack of limits honors the basic exegesis of Bitcoin. This reveals truth that may have otherwise remained hidden, and at the very least inspires people to think for themselves in a way that Orwell would consider honorable.
Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative. The word “gonzo” is believed to have been first used in 1970 to describe an article by Hunter S. Thompson who later popularized the style.
When they attend Bitcoin conferences in disguise and wear cat shirts when giving speeches to bankers and the financial industry, they are signaling that the emperor has no clothes. They are being authentic.
Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek refers to this layer of understanding as the “real real”.
The bottom line is — any community that wants to evolve past bad habits and toxic over-optimistic utopian thinking will have to face ridicule and humor. Because it is often only when we speak in jest, that we are truly saying the truth:
"Use Sarcasm Instead of Outright Anger for Better, More Productive Conflicts"
No topic in the world is immune to change or mobilization through humor, making Bitcoin Uncensored a veritable gem on the horizon. As coarse and immature as the content itself may be, like Bukowski it uses a conversational yet instigative tone to inspire people to think and to react. And that is more than any Bitcoin journalist or media outlet has ever accomplished.
(And it’s really funny.)
Head over to Bitcoin Uncensored and give them a listen, it’s free: http://soundcloud.com/bitcoinuncensored