It's true that the idea of "crypto-currency" would of course be something akin to "a free banking system." But it really isn't what I've been talking to people about or thinking about, just point of fact. The connotation of "banking" is extraction of value to many people. And that's sort of what the commentator was saying, that he saw it as an extraction of value from the STEEM ecosystem. My point is that it's not an extraction of value like banking, but rather a conveyor of an incredibly unique value.

At least I don't know any other way I can send micropayments globally where the fees aren't more than the amount I'm trying to send. For me personally, I chose to use STEEM because I'm already on the platform, have spare STEEM, and also could find people on the platform in need who I might send it to. (That's even without finding them through formal Fundition campaigns, which present still more options).

To me it's about a better way of engaging in charity work, and those are the people I talk to, people already doing that and intrigued by new possibilities about how they might make their contributions go further in actually reaching the people they're trying to help. The volatility of the crypto markets is something one has to face if they are going to invest in any coin, so that's a separate conversation.