Quote from: Roger_Murdock on July 10, 2012, 05:25:04 PM

Quote from: ColdHardMetal on July 10, 2012, 11:27:29 AM

Quote from: Vladimir on July 10, 2012, 10:19:36 AM

Indeed it seems Bitcoin somehow very often intuitively disturbs many people. It often inspires modern day Luddism.

It's true. There's some kind of visceral response to the concept that I just don't really understand.

Money, like religion, is one of those subjects that makes many people uncomfortable because it can trigger some very deep-seated anxieties. I've seen the visceral reaction to Bitcoin you're referring to and my theory is that it's a fear response. They're afraid to invest because they're afraid of losing their money and even worse, feeling like suckers for taking a bath on "fake digital money." But they're also afraid not to invest and missing out on an absolutely huge opportunity. If the first fear wins out, cognitive dissonance makes it important to convince themselves they've made the right decision - to keep the second fear at bay. That cognitive dissonance can make them react in what seems like a weirdly-hostile manner to pro-Bitcoin arguments.

this is probably the most sensible answer to the question, though i think there is more to it. as i said, i find myself rather surprised that all of these people in a 'disruption' industry would be so fearful and queasy about something disruptive: it's not as though people in that industry haven't tried to disrupt money before.