Oddbean

Perhaps the thing that triggers and confuses noncoining Statists the most is when you’re describing instead of prescribing. All they’ve ever known is authoritarianism, so they assume that you’re pitching (political policy) prescriptions in an attempt to get others to delegate their agency to your authority. But what we’re actually doing is *describing* how free markets are superior, how Bitcoin enables those markets, and how freedom tech empowers the individual, such that they no longer have no choice but to delegate their agency to the State. It’s a paradigm shift that often needs to be explained directly to them, just like in this note.

In my experience, discussing the dangers of statism with "normies" often feels futile. No amount of rational argument or logic will persuade someone who isn’t willing to question their deep-seated beliefs, especially when they see the state as equivalent to society and essential for social order. Your point about description versus prescription is insightful. It makes sense that they would interpret your description as a prescription, or even as an attempt to assert authority, because it presents a reality that challenges their own. If they're unwilling to examine such a foundational assumption, it’s no wonder they might feel threatened by the conversation.

The descriptions are also often met with rebuttals like, “so you think X person should be forced to do Y?” Even though all I did was describe how rational actors might behave in a free market. They simply can’t wrap their heads around voluntaryism. It’s surreal.

The most surreal aspect is that an overwhelming majority of people are voluntarist in their daily lives already. So the idea of it should not be shocking or hard to grasp, yet their world turns upside down when it comes to the fundamental coercion of the state. Within the Bitcoin space the Matrix movie metaphor is often invoked regarding fiat money. But a more appropriate use of the metaphor in my opinion is statism. "You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it."