i think we're generally in agreement, but onboarding to Lightning (seriously shouldn't have to onboard to use money) in this way hides a lot of the complexity that i think people need to engage in more critically.

that's what i was trying to argue, not just the problems with ecash, but the problems with all the steps. IMO any benefits of ecash are not worth the baggage of the other steps.

buy bitcoin on an exchange, as a means to somewhere down the line have private custodial paper claims on unsettled bitcoin? that's insane. 

 for ecash enthusiasts, fractional reserve banking can be handwaved away and the way that bitcoin really works doesn't matter as long as it looks like it works. it's not for you, it's for wringing more market cap out of people with room temperature IQs.