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WTF Crypto-Anarchy??

Crypto-anarchism is a political ideology that advocates the use of cryptography and other technologies to protect individual privacy, freedom, and autonomy from state interference. Crypto-anarchists believe that by encrypting their communications and transactions, we can create a decentralized and voluntary society that is immune to censorship, surveillance, and taxation. The term crypto-anarchism was coined by Timothy C. May in his 1988 "Crypto Anarchist Manifesto", where he declared: "Crypto Anarchy is the cyberspatial realization of anarchism, transcending national boundaries and freeing individuals to make the economic arrangements they wish, consensually." May was one of the founders of the cypherpunk movement, a group of activists and hackers who promoted the use of cryptography and digital currencies to challenge the authority of governments and corporations. The cypherpunks were influenced by libertarian and anarchist thinkers such as Murray Rothbard, David
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Finding Your Voice




Here we go again. Another article I’m writing because of a situation that happened recently. I swear, I have some half finished stuff and other ideas that are just sitting in my docs. Maybe this is just how the format will go. Something happens, and I come here to vent. Hey, it's cheaper than therapy.

Anyway, I went out to the bar the other night with my wife around 10 p.m. Something we rarely do anymore. I’m the guy who leaves the bar way before 10. But my wife wanted to see a friend she hasn't seen in a while. We get there and local pod. is all over the bar. It doesn't take long for my wife to say something to her friend akin to, “oh, my husband hates the police.” I'll give you 3 guesses what happens next, but you probably one need one. Yes, my wife’s friend starts up a conversation with one of the cops. Well, after a little awkwardness, we enjoyed the rest of night and got home way too late.

This stuff happens all the time to me. I have a bunch of family and friends in the business of violating rights. Lots of awkward moments. I never shy away from the topic of liberty, but I found that I’d become more reserved. Sometimes, I got angry with myself for not being more assertive. I use to think I was a fraud.


I constantly think of the repercussions of my conversations. Will this person never speak to me again? Will that person no longer be friends with my wife because of me? How will this affect my job? If remaining quiet at every turn makes me a fraud, can I accept that? The answer is no, but can I balance my personality with my beliefs and views?

Maybe I was a fraud, or maybe a better word is scared. Not just on this topic either. On many of the staples of libertarianism. I felt like I flew my flag in secret sometimes because I wasn't starting arguments every chance I got. To be fair I sometimes even hid my views. People made me think I was an extremist, crazy, or wanted to see the world burn. I was always in fear of being judged for my political views instead of being judged for who I am as a person; and fearing what type of impact that would have on my life both socially, and professionally.

As I came into my own, I became more outraged with the way things are and I started to speak up. Started to find my voice. I realized my style was more of the low key, lets talk about it type. A friend recently told me its best sometimes to give the statists their steak in bite size pieces until they are ready to sit down for dinner.

This style isn't for everyone - we need people to be out front and yelling, but I also feel like we need people like me. I try and argue the simple points, the most obvious points. If I can get them to see things from a new angle, then maybe they’ll come back for more. I fly my flag proudly now, and I'll talk to anyone (who wants to listen) about human rights issues. But I do it in my own style, and I no longer feel like the fraud I once thought I was.


When preaching the cause of liberty, my go to argument is this:

I don’t believe in crimes that don't have victims. I believe they are unconstitutional. I believe that people who choose an occupation violating these rights, are choosing to do just that. This makes them as bad as the laws they’re enforcing. By some accounts, the police are the criminals, and we are the victim of their extortion.

That’s just my icebreaker. An opener. What I really want to say has more to do with killing dogs, domestic violence rates and shooting innocent people. My hope is that my initial comment is that first bite of steak, and maybe, it will be good enough to make the statists want to sit down for dinner.


~Marcelo

Side note: Little Brother is a great book by Corey Doctorow which has similar concepts going on. His main character Marcus Yallow, struggles with doing and saying what he believes in and the consequences that my come with it. It involves much more exciting and extreme shit, but still it's a great read and I recommend it. In the same series I would also recommend a follow up book called Homeland.


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