By all means, read the original article. Aside from Laurie Penny's writing style, this is a snapshot of 2018 technolibertarianism as cultural anthropology. Some choice excerpts:
By all means, read the original article. Aside from Laurie Penny's writing style, this is a snapshot of 2018 technolibertarianism as cultural anthropology.
Some choice excerpts:
John McAfee has never been convicted of rape and murder, but—crucially—not in the same way that you or I have never been convicted of rape or murder.
“Being a woman in blockchain,” she says, “is like riding a bicycle. Except the bicycle is on fire. And everything is on fire. And you are going to hell.”
This is not how blockchain events usually go. I know this because enough people who have made very different life choices tell me so within the space of the week that I believe them. But look, I’m new here. This is all I’ve got to go on. And this is the most unimaginative, boringly chauvinist take on techno-utopia I’ve ever been paid to have a terrible time at.
On most ideological bandwagons, there is usually a distinction between grifters and true believers. The grifters are in it for the fame and the money and will say any old bollocks to get either. The true believers accept the money and fame as an inevitable proof of their genius. And then there is a rare subset of incredibly dangerous sociopaths soaked in Dark Enlightenment nightmare libertarianism for whom grifting is true belief. For many of them, including not a few on this boat, screwing over other people for your own gain is not just a side effect of economic philosophy, or proof of concept. It is a sacred calling. To them, the presence of thieves and Ponzi scheme dealers means the new free market is thriving.
He then gives me a metal pin that represents “Metatron’s Cube,” the symbol of his “future of now family community,” he says, launching into a little explanation of sacred geometry. “It’s one of the most powerful symbols in existence. That’s the seed of light, that’s the genesis pattern of creation. Where all life comes from.”
This is no less bonkers and a lot more good-hearted than the five talks I’ve just sat through where people in suits declared, and I am barely paraphrasing, that bitcoin will go up forever, taking everyone in the room with it until we leave this mortal plane and ascend into the ionosphere where ICOs rain chocolate money and there is no death.
By all means, read the original article. Aside from Laurie Penny's writing style, this is a snapshot of 2018 technolibertarianism as cultural anthropology.
Some choice excerpts:
This is a delightful article. It is everything you'd imagine it would be by reading the title alone.
Fantastic read about a bunch of weirdos
Best thing I've read this week - good post. Almost made me miss Ibiza.