The intellectual legitimacy of Bitcoins is a matter of mathematical truth,
substantiated by global communications and international commerce. But, like any
phenomenon involving principles of science and observable fact, there will be
attacks – irrational by some, personal by many and vicious by others – from so-
called defenders of the faith; the custodians of tradition and power, the
politicians and economists (mostly the latter), who do not register their
criticism with scholarly sobriety or respectful disagreement, preferring,
instead, to wage a rhetorical war – casting their calumnies in their weekly
columns – in which we, the supporters of Bitcoins, are either fools, political
cranks, anarchists, utopian propagandists or ignoramuses. We must respond to
these assaults before innuendo vanquishes virtue and malice defeats morals and
basic standards of decency. Our tactics must, however, be clear and resolute –
without a trace of ideological certitude or arrogant dismissal of our opponents.
To the public, we must quietly say: Eppur si muove ("And yet it moves.") Those
words are a metaphor for effective communications on behalf of the
popularization and increased acceptance of Bitcoins, because the phrase is a
reminder of the power of belief versus the entrenched forces of faith. Those
simple words, said to have been issued as a sotto voce reply by Galileo during
his Inquisition by the Catholic Church – that firm conviction on behalf of
science, confirmed by his own calculations and aligned by his own vision of the
heavens, is a study in the power of a message and the triumph of observable fact
(the heliocentric model of Earth's orbit) against the fiercest of enemies. The
point: If one man, nourished only by the accuracy of astronomy and the integrity
of mathematics, could, in the face of all the armaments and tools of coercion
possessed by Rome, preserve his beliefs and publicize the truth; if Galileo
could neutralize the mightiest of critics, if he could remain steadfast in the
shadow of the sword, then our goals are far easier and absolutely doable. Our
arguments can win the day, provided we choose to answer – as we must, as we
shall – the erroneous criticisms directed against us. Put a different way,
silence is not an option and self-confidence is not a shield from an onslaught
of vitriol. As our opponents raise their voices, and shamelessly try to
associate us with fringe political movements and figures of ill repute, our
response should be lucid, persuasive, intelligible and firm. In short, we must
learn the art of communications. Responding with Facts and Acting with
Integrity: Neutralizing Vicious Attacks My advice to users of Bitcoins is
simple: Never allow a major critic to own this debate, never cede (by inaction
or silence) intellectual territory to commentators or partisan writers, since
any such individual – and I include Paul Krugman in this category – wants to
politicize this discussion, to our everlasting detriment. The opposition, to
their credit, has a potent weapon at their disposal: The verbal device of
repetition, to unceasingly broadcast a message that portrays the proponents of
Bitcoins as disruptive, radical invaders with secret plans to dissolve national
borders, demolish the Federal Reserve, end the printing of fiat money, and amass
every dollar, euro, peso, yen, yuan, drachma and shekel into a financial funeral
pyre; its flames shooting skyward, as we encircle the neighboring grounds in
celebration of the arrival of the New World Disorder, while reading aloud choice
passages from the works of Ayn Rand. Yes, our most extreme opponents believe
this nonsense. Or, more cynically, they hope you believe this fiction; they
understand the power of fear, its ability to induce anxiety and a sort of
political psychosis, which is impenetrable to reason and immune from logic. The
only way, therefore, to prevent these events from happening is to be as
repetitious as our enemies – albeit with dignity, patience and an absolute
refusal to react with anger or personal attacks. If we reply with even the
slightest trace of rage, no matter how justifiable, critics will say: “I told
you so.” Rather than fall victim to such prodding, we should say – to the public
– some variation of the following statement: “Our opponents seek to personally
malign us, distort our ideas and slander the intellectual credibility of our
findings. “We support the use of Bitcoins as an alternative currency because of
the strength of the scientific method and the verifiable nature of mathematics.
“We are a community, freely assembled and diverse in our interests, without a
political agenda or the missionary zeal of our most aggressive critics. “We
welcome the chance to have a dialogue about these issues, since we believe, in
the words of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, ‘Sunlight is
said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient
policeman.’ “In this era of remarkable technology and the instantaneous delivery
of information, we choose to have this conversation with transparency and
decorum. We invite others to do likewise.” That proclamation is greater than any
shouting match or online confrontation. Repeat the facts, calmly and
professionally, so our message resonates louder than anything the opposition can
say or scream. Let us begin to communicate. Hayden Gill is the Founder of
Buzzdron Media, an innovative digital marketing and design agency. An expert
concerning the use of Bitcoins for online transactions and e-commerce, Hayden
can be reached at [email protected]. To send a tip directly to Hayden, his
Bitcoin Address is 1JTmgE84GUoepRW5Qyo5ZTBvnwjgahfRer
substantiated by global communications and international commerce. But, like any
phenomenon involving principles of science and observable fact, there will be
attacks – irrational by some, personal by many and vicious by others – from so-
called defenders of the faith; the custodians of tradition and power, the
politicians and economists (mostly the latter), who do not register their
criticism with scholarly sobriety or respectful disagreement, preferring,
instead, to wage a rhetorical war – casting their calumnies in their weekly
columns – in which we, the supporters of Bitcoins, are either fools, political
cranks, anarchists, utopian propagandists or ignoramuses. We must respond to
these assaults before innuendo vanquishes virtue and malice defeats morals and
basic standards of decency. Our tactics must, however, be clear and resolute –
without a trace of ideological certitude or arrogant dismissal of our opponents.
To the public, we must quietly say: Eppur si muove ("And yet it moves.") Those
words are a metaphor for effective communications on behalf of the
popularization and increased acceptance of Bitcoins, because the phrase is a
reminder of the power of belief versus the entrenched forces of faith. Those
simple words, said to have been issued as a sotto voce reply by Galileo during
his Inquisition by the Catholic Church – that firm conviction on behalf of
science, confirmed by his own calculations and aligned by his own vision of the
heavens, is a study in the power of a message and the triumph of observable fact
(the heliocentric model of Earth's orbit) against the fiercest of enemies. The
point: If one man, nourished only by the accuracy of astronomy and the integrity
of mathematics, could, in the face of all the armaments and tools of coercion
possessed by Rome, preserve his beliefs and publicize the truth; if Galileo
could neutralize the mightiest of critics, if he could remain steadfast in the
shadow of the sword, then our goals are far easier and absolutely doable. Our
arguments can win the day, provided we choose to answer – as we must, as we
shall – the erroneous criticisms directed against us. Put a different way,
silence is not an option and self-confidence is not a shield from an onslaught
of vitriol. As our opponents raise their voices, and shamelessly try to
associate us with fringe political movements and figures of ill repute, our
response should be lucid, persuasive, intelligible and firm. In short, we must
learn the art of communications. Responding with Facts and Acting with
Integrity: Neutralizing Vicious Attacks My advice to users of Bitcoins is
simple: Never allow a major critic to own this debate, never cede (by inaction
or silence) intellectual territory to commentators or partisan writers, since
any such individual – and I include Paul Krugman in this category – wants to
politicize this discussion, to our everlasting detriment. The opposition, to
their credit, has a potent weapon at their disposal: The verbal device of
repetition, to unceasingly broadcast a message that portrays the proponents of
Bitcoins as disruptive, radical invaders with secret plans to dissolve national
borders, demolish the Federal Reserve, end the printing of fiat money, and amass
every dollar, euro, peso, yen, yuan, drachma and shekel into a financial funeral
pyre; its flames shooting skyward, as we encircle the neighboring grounds in
celebration of the arrival of the New World Disorder, while reading aloud choice
passages from the works of Ayn Rand. Yes, our most extreme opponents believe
this nonsense. Or, more cynically, they hope you believe this fiction; they
understand the power of fear, its ability to induce anxiety and a sort of
political psychosis, which is impenetrable to reason and immune from logic. The
only way, therefore, to prevent these events from happening is to be as
repetitious as our enemies – albeit with dignity, patience and an absolute
refusal to react with anger or personal attacks. If we reply with even the
slightest trace of rage, no matter how justifiable, critics will say: “I told
you so.” Rather than fall victim to such prodding, we should say – to the public
– some variation of the following statement: “Our opponents seek to personally
malign us, distort our ideas and slander the intellectual credibility of our
findings. “We support the use of Bitcoins as an alternative currency because of
the strength of the scientific method and the verifiable nature of mathematics.
“We are a community, freely assembled and diverse in our interests, without a
political agenda or the missionary zeal of our most aggressive critics. “We
welcome the chance to have a dialogue about these issues, since we believe, in
the words of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, ‘Sunlight is
said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient
policeman.’ “In this era of remarkable technology and the instantaneous delivery
of information, we choose to have this conversation with transparency and
decorum. We invite others to do likewise.” That proclamation is greater than any
shouting match or online confrontation. Repeat the facts, calmly and
professionally, so our message resonates louder than anything the opposition can
say or scream. Let us begin to communicate. Hayden Gill is the Founder of
Buzzdron Media, an innovative digital marketing and design agency. An expert
concerning the use of Bitcoins for online transactions and e-commerce, Hayden
can be reached at [email protected]. To send a tip directly to Hayden, his
Bitcoin Address is 1JTmgE84GUoepRW5Qyo5ZTBvnwjgahfRer
