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I always think of this quote from the movie, "Body of Lies": "Our enemy has realized that they are fighting guys from the future. Now, ahem, it is as brilliant

I always think of this quote from the movie, "Body of Lies": "Our enemy has realized that they are fighting guys from the future. Now, ahem, it is as brilliant as it is infuriating. If you live like it's the past, and you behave like it's the past then guys from the future find it very hard to see you. If you throw away your cell phone, shut down your e-mail pass all your instructions face-to-face, hand-to-hand turn your back on technology and just disappear into the crowd"

matt4077 9y ago
Your supposed "enemy", has barely even noticed you. If the big bad government wants to shut down your little cryptobubble, it can do so anytime it wants with the stroke of a pen. But yes: please walk into a forest and "life as if you don't exist". I suppose that includes not posting conspiracy fanfic online, right?
- Karunamon 9y ago
  >If the big bad government wants to shut down your little cryptobubble, it can do so anytime it wants with the stroke of a pen. Let's think this through. How well has government prohibition of what private citizens do in their own homes worked in practice for anything else it's been tried on? Then consider that we're talking about data rather than physical objects, which are even slipperier. All such an action would do is drive it underground. Anyone who wants to use bitcoin still will.
- grandalf 9y ago
  Why the vitriol. The comment was meant to allegorically offer a conceptual approach to fighting the dystopian onslaught of oppressive technology. By oppressive technology I am referring to the kind of tech that obviously oppressive governments would have built decades ago if it had been possible, and that the US will gradually arrive at soon enough without explicitly seeking to do so.
mattmanser 9y ago
Only works until they have facial recognition everywhere.
JumpCrisscross 9y ago
> If you throw away your cell phone, shut down your e-mail pass all your instructions face-to-face, hand-to-hand turn your back on technology and just disappear into the crowd Except we've been fighting tax evasion for as long as there have been taxes.

matt4077 9y ago

Your supposed "enemy", has barely even noticed you. If the big bad government wants to shut down your little cryptobubble, it can do so anytime it wants with the stroke of a pen. But yes: please walk into a forest and "life as if you don't exist". I suppose that includes not posting conspiracy fanfic online, right?

Karunamon 9y ago
>If the big bad government wants to shut down your little cryptobubble, it can do so anytime it wants with the stroke of a pen. Let's think this through. How well has government prohibition of what private citizens do in their own homes worked in practice for anything else it's been tried on? Then consider that we're talking about data rather than physical objects, which are even slipperier. All such an action would do is drive it underground. Anyone who wants to use bitcoin still will.
grandalf 9y ago
Why the vitriol. The comment was meant to allegorically offer a conceptual approach to fighting the dystopian onslaught of oppressive technology. By oppressive technology I am referring to the kind of tech that obviously oppressive governments would have built decades ago if it had been possible, and that the US will gradually arrive at soon enough without explicitly seeking to do so.

mattmanser 9y ago

Only works until they have facial recognition everywhere.

JumpCrisscross 9y ago

> If you throw away your cell phone, shut down your e-mail pass all your instructions face-to-face, hand-to-hand turn your back on technology and just disappear into the crowd Except we've been fighting tax evasion for as long as there have been taxes.