It certainly hurts me when I see many people excited about the crypto market being green and earning more dollars from it. The same people aren't even interested in putting their crypto into the real-world economy but only in the price going up. And I think to myself, what's the point of so-called decentralization, a free market for the world, when in reality what people actually want is more dollars.
Of course, fiat money is needed and important in many ways that I couldn't describe here, as I would end up spending the entire article writing about them, but the decentralized industry is failing in many aspects. The industry isn't worried anymore about building a world where people can actually use decentralized currencies to acquire what they need the most. When an independent dev or builder comes up with a way to use cryptocurrency to buy real-world things, the acceptance is minor.
There was a time not long ago when true cypherpunks worked hard to deliver tools to make people use them in the real world. They believed in the ecosystem, and no matter what, they continued to challenge the barriers found in the sector. Many people were introduced to decentralized assets and received them with both hands, with the hope that they could replace debit cards, bank accounts, etc., but today everything has changed.
The MasterCards accepting crypto are the norm, and people aren't using crypto anymore in its true form: "peer-to-peer electronic cash.* They are gambling with their coins and betting that the number will go up and make them earn more from it. Most of the industry has turned itself into a giant gambling industry and nothing more.
Today, when you are trying to onboard someone into the ecosystem, you should keep in mind that they will ask you: why should I hold crypto and use it as peer-to-peer cash when I can just pay to get a card, load it using crypto, and pay for things with my card? That's a question that many aren't prepared to answer because they don't have a proper answer to it. "In fact," why should a person need crypto if they can use a card loaded using crypto to pay for their things?
For people who are carrying the Satoshi torch, that question can instantly be answered. People need crypto to use in peer-to-peer trading. Have it as their own bank, use it when necessary, anywhere in the world, because there are no borders for decentralized currencies. This is a cypherpunk answer.
A card loaded using crypto isn't a crypto card, as people are selling their assets to a company that pays them in dollars for them. When users sell that crypto, the provider behind it earns the crypto and gives the cardholder a plastic card funded with real dollars. They earn big while the seller loses. In a short time, users can believe they made a good deal, but when time passes and the same asset appreciates, they know that they made a big mistake.
So, if people can sell their crypto for those card providers to use their money, why don't they build a circular economy to direct their spending in a more convenient and peer-to-peer manner? Seriously. Why?
We have the power, we have the means, and we have a complete market depending on us. Somehow, we have become so lazy and prefer to give away our crypto to corporate money providers, who purchase it and give back worthless dollars. Don't you think this is something to take into consideration? Think...