Bitcoin doesn’t have a marketing department. It has you. And sometimes… we’re giving cult.
We forget how to “unknow” what we know when we’re talking to someone brand new.
So we say things like: “Stay poor.” “Not your keys, not your coins.” “It’s inevitable.” “You’ll understand if you put in the work.” “You get Bitcoin at the price you deserve.” “It’s an open, permissionless, decentralized, secure protocol bounded by energy that can’t be changed by governments.”
Sound familiar? (*raises hand*).
Take a step back, and it's not hard to see why newbies might think we’re recruiting for the next Scientology.
Not that these turns of phrase are wrong (duh!). They’re just often used at the wrong time, with the wrong person, in the wrong tone.
My hunch: most beginners aren't rejecting Bitcoin. They’re rejecting the social energy around it.
They feel:
*Talked down to
*Preached at
*Pressured to "get it"
*Judged if they don’t
*“Sold to”
*They’re being recruited into a worldview
And once someone’s nervous system flags “cult-y,” they’re done.
The good news?
My next Substack (Proof of Self): "How to talk about Bitcoin without sounding like a cult recruiter."
A guide for those of us who get… a little intense - and need a gentle reminder about what life was like before we fell down the Satoshi rabbit hole.
Coming next week.
