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this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2023
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Privacy
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Nice sticker, super cool! Hope people will look into Monero because of this, every time I try to explain to Monero to someone they think it's some cryptobro bullshit lol
Isn't Monero "some crypto bullshit"? Or is there a privacy related tool with the same name that I'm not aware of?
Monero is a cryptocurrency that actually offers the privacy that every other cryptocurrency claims to have.
So it’s cryptobro bullshit
Depends really. Many darknet transactions can only be done in Monero nowadays, so it has proven itself as a better currency than Bitcoin to the criminal underworld. But outside of that it very much is cryptobro bullshit to be avoided.
I like to tell socialists that before revolution Monero is the only tolerable crypto currency (even then it has very few uses), but after that it's just a liability to be rid of. Hell for most liberals (except the grifters) Monero is no different to other crypto grifts and thus useless.
I also like to compare it to the slogan (paraphrasing): "The gun can only be abolished by the gun." but they aren't really that comparable as the two are fundamentally different. But some similarities can be taken.
What would you suggest then as currency so as not to be involved with central banking? I don't mean in a socialist future, but the here and now.
Something people are willing to accept for daily trade already between themselves and it's realistic, hard cash. Otherwise if you want to really avoid the fed that bag for buying eggs you are out of luck, your choice is bartering or using teeny tiny pieces of gold. Monero would only make sense if you are performing huge transactions because of how hard it is to find a party willing to accept it. Then it's pretty clear what you are trying to avoid also if you are performing these transactions, either taxes or the law. The latter use making Monero that tiny bit useful if there turns out an idiot stupid enough exists that would sell revolutionaries what they want for this imaginary gold.
Going back, only bartering could really make sense for normal people, I know because I've done so many times. Either way people and corporations (who mind you own the means of production, that's really important here) do not even use Monero at a scale big enough for it to really be considered a serious payment method, period.
For how much I'd like it to be different it simply is not achievable for society now because of so many factors inhibiting Monero from being a sensible payment method. That's why if a better socialist future does come, and we don't die on nuclear flame, I'll be one of the first to promote GNU Taler as I see it having more sense and prospects for existing. And when currency is completely abolished in a communist/anarchist society, it's never going to make sense again.
So yeah, I've got nothing for a general "everything" currency that is free from central banking because it does not exist. Monero has its niche and that can be utilized, but the question I also would like to ask is:
Why is a currency disconnected from central banking necessary now, when clearly it provides no benefits to most people who have more pressing matters above them that Monero won't fix and in fact might worsen.
Never heard of GNU Taler, just looked into it. Looks like there's no way to use it without exchanging existing money into electronic money. I guess some form of crypto is still the next best thing. Someone pointed out that Ether is no longer mined but staked, which makes a huge difference from an environmental standpoint, something like over 99% reduction in emissions from its mining days. Unfortunately the privacy of Monero is not there. Bartering has its uses as well, but I would argue that bartering can take even more steps to actually get what you want than a common crypto exchange.
As far as your optimism of a socialist/communist/anarchist society coming about anytime soon, I wish you luck but I don't see that happening.
Until crypto gets serious about addressing its environmental impact I have a hard time jumping on board. As far as I know Monero is better than most, but still enthusiasts tend to hand wave away the energy concerns.
Monero is better than most in some ways, but it's proof-of-work so not really any better in that way. Ether is the one that doesn't waste energy, Monero is the one that offers privacy. There's at least one that tries to do both but even fewer people have heard of it.
Which one is that? I haven't really followed crypto in about 7-8 years but I am very familiar with Monero's background.
I'm sure there's probably more than one and I don't even remember which it was that I saw, but a quick search turns up GNO which is said to be privacy-focused although it isn't immediately clear how exactly it works.
Personally I'm rooting for something non-blockchain for the electronic payments system of the near-ish future: GNU Taler. It solves enough privacy problems to be useful, making it much better than what most of the world uses now, without immediately becoming the basis for a pyramid scheme, an instrument for pump-and-dump scams, a means of receiving big ransom payments, or a big flashing target for banking regulators.
Oh dear, a token. Again, I'm not following any cryptocurrencies but tokens seem to pop up in the bad news column often.