Re: Freemen and Serfs

[Anonymous <nobody@REPLAY.COM>]

This model of "sheeple" doomed to slavery while cypherpunks comfortably
live independent of the state is even less plausible than the original
idea of crypto anarchy.  It appeals to our elitist instincts and makes
us feel comfortably superior, but it has little connection to reality.

This idea overlooks the "fax effect", where the value of a technology
rises in proportion to the number of people who use it.  Cypherpunks will
have to set up a virtual Galt's Gulch, trading only with themselves,
and unlike in Rand's fantasy the limitations of such an economy will
soon be apparent.  Early cypherpunk experiments like "Magic Money"
showed how pointless a virtual cypherpunk bank would be.

Cypherpunk technologies create a protected boundary within which
transactions can be conducted free of third party surveillance and
tampering.  Only by extending this secure boundary to include the
masses will there be enough value generated within the secure region
to be worthwhile.  Cypherpunks who can only trade and work for each
other will not be able to generate sufficient economic growth to survive.

In an increasingly interdependent world economy, the only hope
for cypherpunk technologies to succeed is to extend them as far as
possible throughout society.  This includes reaching out to foreigners
and minorities, to the dismay of some cypherpunks.  We must oppose the
elitism and racism which some list members cling to, replacing it with
inclusion and openness to members of other cultures.  Making fun of
foreign accents and calling for the deaths of innocents does not move
us toward our goals.