Lors de la soirée Guy Fawkes, rappelez-vous que Bitcoin est une vendetta moderne contre l’establishment

This is an opinion editorial by Alex Lielacher, founder and CEO of Rise Up Media, a content marketing firm for Bitcoin startups.

Le masque de Guy Fawkes — popularisé par le film « V pour Vendetta » — est devenu un symbole de résistance contre l'État, porté par les manifestants antigouvernementaux de toutes les factions. Bitcoiners have also picked up the mask, highlighting Bitcoin’s own struggle against the powers that be who control and benefit from the corrupt fiat currency monetary system.

Now that it is the fifth of November, here’s a reminder that Bitcoin is more than number-go-up technology. At its core, it’s a monetary revolution that has the potential to change the world forever.

Pourquoi la Grande-Bretagne célèbre-t-elle le XNUMX novembre ?

« Souviens-toi, souviens-toi, le XNUMX novembre. Trahison de poudre à canon et complot. Je ne vois aucune raison pour laquelle la trahison de la poudre à canon devrait jamais être oubliée.

Ask anyone in the U.K. about Guy Fawkes, and they’ll most likely quote you ce poème. Le XNUMX novembre est un jour où l'on se souvient de l'un des actes de rébellion les plus notoires contre l'État sur le sol européen. Sur 5 novembre 1605, un groupe d'adeptes de l'Église catholique romaine a tenté de faire sauter le Parlement et de tuer le roi James I. Le chef du complot, Robert Catesby, avec ses quatre co-conspirateurs - Thomas Winter, Thomas Percy, John Wright et l'infâme Guy Fawkes - ont été irrités par le refus du roi James d'accorder plus de tolérance religieuse aux catholiques.

Par ce complot, ils espéraient que la confusion qui suivrait l'assassinat du roi, de ses ministres et des membres du Parlement donnerait l'occasion aux catholiques anglais de s'emparer du pays.

However, their plan didn’t work.

Ils ont été capturés puis pendus pour trahison. Leur action a entraîné encore plus de punition contre l'Église catholique. Dans Janvier 1606, le Parlement britannique a établi le 5 novembre comme jour d'action de grâce publique.

Aujourd'hui, nous célébrons le 5 novembre sous le nom de Guy Fawkes Night ou Bonfire Night en allumant des feux de joie, en déclenchant des feux d'artifice et en transportant des « gars » dans les rues portant le masque toujours aussi célèbre de Guy Fawkes.

Le symbolisme changeant du Guy Fawkes Masque taille M/L

La bande dessinée et, plus tard, le film "V pour Vendetta" ont transformé le masque de Guy Fawkes en un symbole aux multiples significations.

It’s no longer only memorabilia for the fifth of November, but a symbol against power, corruption and the state apparatus, as well as a means to protect your identity during a time of omnipresent surveillance.

L'un des symboles les plus évidents du masque est le soulèvement contre le pouvoir en place.

Throughout the film “V For Vendetta,” the character V’s identity is never revealed. There was no need to know who he was. The meaning in the graphic novel actually goes a step further and utilizes V’s facelessness to promote anarchy in the hopes of creating a new world order without leaders.

Cette vision est également celle que partagent de nombreux manifestants ou anarchistes. Qu'il s'agisse de collectifs hacktivistes comme Témoignages, qui tient à dévoiler la corruption et les abus de pouvoir, ou les manifestants contre la tyrannie étatique au Venezuela, en Inde, à Bahreïn ou au Nigeria. Une fois qu'ils ont mis le masque, ils deviennent non seulement un manifestant contre le pouvoir, mais aussi un symbole pour que les autres suivent leur exemple. Une personne seule avec le masque sur le visage n'a pas de sens, mais une fois qu'un collectif met le masque, il devient le symbole contre la tyrannie.

Obviously, it’s a guard to protect one’s privacy as well, which is why you see so many Guy Fawkes masks at protests. And this blends into online culture as well.

Satoshi Nakamoto est sans doute l'un des militants anonymes les plus célèbres de ces 20 dernières années. En fait, l'une des versions les plus représentées de Nakamoto est celle d'une personne portant un masque et un sweat à capuche de Guy Fawkes. Comme V dans le film, c'est Nakamoto qui a lancé une vendetta avec le monde financier.

They didn’t seek vengeance by hacking the legacy financial system, but rather by creating a system in which everyone is able to transact freely. Once the project was big enough and able to live on its own, Nakamoto left, never to return, thereby nurturing the idea of a movement without any leaders — a leaderless resistance against the fiat monetary system.

One of the main aspects of Bitcoin is its ability to separate money from the State. This separation is what unites Bitcoiners with protesters on the streets in Venezuela, hacktivists online and Guy Fawkes back in 1605. All of them had or have the goal of dethroning powerful institutions for a better and freer society.

Why Anon Bitcoiners Wear The Guy Fawkes Mask

The Guy Fawkes mask is not only a symbol against tyranny but also a shield of protection to hide your identity. And anonymity is a big part of Bitcoin culture.

Anon Bitcoiners want to protect themselves from the establishment, and the possible repercussions of having their identity linked with a technology that has the potential to topple existing monetary structures that benefit the few in power.

While Bitcoin is s'intègre lentement into the legacy financial system, adding to its legitimacy in the eyes of governments, regulators and big banking, the potential for a ban — as Bitcoin is a way to circumvent the coming central bank digital currency (CBDC) surveillance apparatus — remains a threat.

L'histoire ne se répète pas, mais elle rime souvent.

Si vous regardez ce qui s'est passé avec or aux États-Unis en 1933, where citizens were essentially robbed of their gold possessions, it would be foolish to think that similar plans don’t also exist for Bitcoin.

Now, one could say as long as you have your private keys and secure your wallet in a multisig structure, not much can happen. That might be true for your bitcoin. But the fact that your identity is linked to a potentially soon-to-be-banned technology poses a risk.

Anons are able to opt out of that dystopia by wearing a metaphorical Guy Fawkes mask and remaining anonymous. They cut off their real-life personas from their online personas, allowing them to continue to remain unlinked to Bitcoin by name.

Bear in mind, in the future, CBDCs will exist and will likely emerge as the main tool of surveillance for the establishment. That is another reason why the mask became a symbol against the establishment, whether that be in the Bitcoin space or in activist groups like Anonymous.

Tous ces différents groupes sont prêts à se dresser contre la tyrannie en « mettant le masque ».

Symbols are only effective if enough people stand up for them. A single Guy Fawkes mask is worthless. However, if thousands of people wear them at protests or have them on in their profile pictures online, they’re able to put pressure on the establishment.

Statements like “Bitcoin is a peaceful revolution” or “Fix the money, fix the world” have the goal of peaceful anarchy or revolution within them. They don’t want to kill or destroy innocent lives. That’s what the establishment is doing with its endless proxy wars. The goal is to inform citizens and give power back to the individual.

Is Bitcoin The Fiat Monetary System’s Gunpowder Plot?

La réponse simple à cette question est oui, absolument.

However, Bitcoiners don’t plan to blow up parliament. Although I am sure there are Bitcoiners living under truly tyrannical state rule who may be working on overthrowing their governments, Bitcoiners want to change the world peacefully, without bloodshed or physical harm to anyone.

In “V For Vendetta” and the gunpowder plot of 1605, the goal was to topple the existing power structure at all costs. The characters were willing to sacrifice human lives to see the change they envisioned. This is very different from Bitcoin.

Bitcoin doesn’t need a violent uprising. Bitcoin is the uprising. Bitcoin itself is a peaceful revolution. There is no need to physically occupy Wall Street or hold bank employees hostage in a robbery. All anyone has to do to take part in the Bitcoin revolution is to become part of the Bitcoin network by running a node and spreading awareness of the power that Bitcoin holds to change the world.

Bitcoin is antifragile, hard to change and secure by design. These qualities are the gunpowder of Bitcoin. There were many attempts to change its fundamentals — the Guerres de taille de bloc, par exemple - mais aucun des attaquants n'a réussi dans ses tentatives.

Bitcoin’s core of believers stuck to Nakamoto’s vision, one that is still alive today. Everyone on earth has the opportunity to take part in the Bitcoin network, benefitting from its ability to enable anyone to store, send and receive value without censorship or needing to ask for approval. That’s why the establishment fears it.

The establishment doesn’t want you to own anything. Its members are the ones telling you what to eat, drink and spend your hard-earned money on. If you don’t obey, it will enforce new rules or shut you off by controlling your bank account. This is why CBDCs are so dangerous, as they can, in theory, give this establishment complete control over all your financial transactions.

Just by owning and using bitcoin, you don’t have to follow these rules. You have the option to opt out.

If there is one thing the gunpowder plot or “V For Vendetta” has taught us, it’s the power of collective minds. The establishment is afraid of more public support for Bitcoin because it knows that once we hit a certain threshold, there won’t be any going back.

The establishment can’t turn Bitcoin off like a server.

Without realizing it, it has built a monster. It was because of bad financial incentive structures in the past that Nakamoto created Bitcoin. The greed of the establishment was what led us here.

One by one, from the bottom up, we’ve risen and continue to give people hope, courage and a vision for a better tomorrow.

Remember, Remember, What Bitcoin Could Really Accomplish

In the third act of “V For Vendetta,” the character Evey has overcome her fear of death. She knows there won’t be any going back, and the plotted revolution on the fifth of November is unavoidable, regardless of her own life.

Dans le monde réel, l'establishment en est arrivé là où il est aujourd'hui parce qu'il a pu corrompre le système avec de la monnaie fiduciaire. S'il en avait besoin de plus, il était capable de l'imprimer. Jusqu'à aujourd'hui, c'était un peu réussi. Mais son temps est compté.

Vous ne pouvez imprimer qu'une certaine quantité d'argent avant qu'il ne commence à gonfler. Le résultat de ces dépenses rigoureuses est maintenant visible.

Figureheads like Christine Lagarde of the European Central Bank or Andrew Bailey of the Bank of England don’t know how to stop inflation. They don’t see any other solution but to print more money and to throw more money at the problem. As we know, however, that doesn’t work.

Bitcoin corrige cela.

Bitcoin’s limited supply, combined with its disinflationary monetary policy, enables holders to protect themselves from the long-term effects of inflation. But that’s not all.

Bitcoin is also freedom money. It allows anyone in the world to participate in a new monetary system free of the chains of the fiat currency apparatus. No ruler, no regulator and no bank can lock you out of your bitcoin as long as you hold your own keys.

That is the true power of Bitcoin. It provides us with financial sovereignty and the power to choose our own destiny.

This is a guest post by Andrew Lielacher. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.