Steemit is a strange place.
On the one hand, many of the people on Steemit espouse humanist virtues and readily discuss an incipient future society -
fairer, kinder and with more open-minded values - of which Steemit is sometimes touted as a forerunner.
On the other hand, in terms of disparity of wealth, Steemit couldn't look more like America in the mid 1800s (or really, a microcosm of American wealth disparity today) if it tried. And as Steemit gains in popularity, and the masses head west to the digital gold rush, this disparity can only increase.
Many "Whales" - especially top "Whales" - are either early adopters or individuals with the real life resources to directly enhance their steemit accounts with capital.
I'm sure a number of "Whales" have risen serendipitously to the top of the food chain, even having arrived relatively recently, by working the system like mad. I say this is serendipitous not to belittle their efforts, but to highlight the luck involved in every rise, no matter the circumstances. But, on the whole, I would venture to guess most high-end "Whales" are not members of this latter group.
There is nothing wrong with this.
In fact, it is one of the underlying truths of human history - one we teach our kids everyday - whoever gets there first wins. That is a fact.
Below the "Whales" are, roughly speaking, the rest of us. This also parallels the situation in America in the 1850s and today. But, frankly, I always find it bizarre when people talk about wealth imbalance as a solely capitalistic evil. The fact is, in all of human history, since the concept of "currency" was invented, wealth has naturally accrued in a select few, and "the wealthy" are usually those who get there first, and have sufficient gumption, foresight and material or social opportunity to act on their good timing.
Honestly, I would bet money this sort of thing happened even before currency was invented. It is no stretch of common sense to imagine a bunch of hunter gatherers lining up to trade with the first person to figure out rudimentary farming.
It would come as no surprise to me if, before we even conceived of currencies, we intuitively created monopolies.
And now there's Steemit, and steem, and to a less ironic degree the rest of the cryptocurrency craze. We've all signed up for this experiment in pushing the boundaries of the illusion that is currency. Yet we find ourselves immersed in an almost timeless paradigm, wherein the rich leverage their richness to enhance their richness and the poor, even banded together, make few inroads.
I don't say this with any judgment, either of whales or average users. Nor, as I will momentarily prove, do I hold myself above the clamoring for wealth and attention which we all want. Everyone of us is only human. The great majority of us, if given the opportunity, on a one to one level, would prove to be good people. We would, if a child fell, bend over to pick them up. We would, if faced with suffering we had the immediate ability to stop, attempt to stop it.
Yet, at the end of the day, we are still in it for ourselves, and who can blame us: we come in alone and we go out alone. Until our selfishness changes - really, truly, to a man, woman and child, disappears- the wheel of history will turn again and again and again.
Fact is, I ain't gonna live to see it. I live here, now, and I think, for four days work, I've made some solid content and intend to keep doing so whatever the case may be.
But of course, of course, profit is my motive. Yes, I have enjoyed writing for the first time in a long while. Yes, it gives me a sense of self-worth when someone says they like what I wrote. And it's all a better use of my free time than I was ever making
of my free time before.
But, at the end of the day, I want a 2 bedroom apartment on the upper west side. To get that kind of thing, you either need a lot of luck, a lot of work, or a lot of gumption. Or all three. And no matter what, we're all trying to get the attention of the whales. Not just on Steemit, but forever before, and possibly forever more. The whale hunt is inevitable.
So with that in mind
Get on over here - It's a firesale of all original, quality content, and I plan on delivering more every day!
There's my pop-sci blog, soon to be dealing with the conundrum of light's speed.
Check out Piqued #1
Check out Piqued #2
Then there's my series about the exploration of wild mushrooms - most recently an interactive workshop to teach readers how to identify mushrooms themselves
Check out The Mushroomer #1
Check out The Mushroomer #2
Check out The Mushroomer #3
For something with more whimsy, there's my often ridiculous reviews of your favorite candies - cause why the hell not?!
Check out the Twix Review
Check out the Junior Mints Review
Check out the Old Timey Candy Trial
Check out Oh Henry! Story
Check out the Mallo Cups Review
And finally a small bucket of miscellaneous material. Particularly relevant to whales is my commentary on the current state of taxation on Steem based on the most recent IRS notices.
A Taste of Travel
Tax Implications Of Steem
Some Shit About Coffee
My hope is to keep producing at this quality and at, roughly, this pace for the foreseeable future. I may not have the digital luck - but I'm trying on the hardwork and gumption. Now excuse me while I tag all the highest payout tags.
DBER