> Had those young men simply decided to do nothing rather than join, the world would have been a better place.
Words cannot express how disappointed I am with people who say things like this.
Assuming you believe that your country's political system is not worth overthrowing, then serving your country is an honorable act, and people who have served should not be criticized for taking on the burden that is service. Quite the opposite.
Now if your political system is beyond repair and unsalvageable through reform, then sure, service is not honorable.
It's unfortunate that so many of my fellow citizens seem to take the intellectually lazy way out: Criticize the choice to serve, but be unwilling to reform/overthrow their government. This line of thinking is so widespread, it's truly disheartening.
> when you can't use contracts and the legal system to ensure trust between the parties
what about transmitting value over the internet without relying on an external system? You know, like digital cash (but actually cash, not airline points that require a central actor to approve the transaction).
This is what stablecoins are for, such as USDT, TUSD, etc.
I'm sure you'll bring up the point that you still need exchanges for USD -> stablecoin. You can alternatively use crypto ATMs, or trade with someone you know.
Stablecoins rely on the trust of the company to float the value of the USD or whatever currency with the coin that is generated. USDT is owned and operated by a single, foreign company that hasn't had an audit yet and has no insurance protections what-so-ever. I'm not going to trust them with my money or business.
This about the worst of all cases: they pretend to be a blockchain, but they're really just a standard old bank operating without any regulatory behavior what-so-ever.
There is significant competition growing against Tether. The following three stablecoins have $500M+ in circulation all backed by US regulated companies: USDC, TUSD, and GUSD.
That means they aren't actually cryptocoins. That means those are banks, which are backed by the court system and the ability to sue those banks for your money if they mess up.
Words cannot express how disappointed I am with people who say things like this.
Assuming you believe that your country's political system is not worth overthrowing, then serving your country is an honorable act, and people who have served should not be criticized for taking on the burden that is service. Quite the opposite.
Now if your political system is beyond repair and unsalvageable through reform, then sure, service is not honorable.
It's unfortunate that so many of my fellow citizens seem to take the intellectually lazy way out: Criticize the choice to serve, but be unwilling to reform/overthrow their government. This line of thinking is so widespread, it's truly disheartening.