Adoption has been facing a huge headwind of unwinding a euphoria/willy spike.
The experiment is still (relatively) young and untrusted, but what better way to engender trust than to just keep ticking? For years, in the face of scams, thefts, hacks, the protocol kept working. Lesser ideas would not have stopped around $200 per magic internet token.
agree entirely - the system worked fine at 10c per bitcoin and at $1000 per bitcoin and will at any future price. it will take some time for people to accept that without regulated exchanges etc gox like effects/problems will always happen but it is not a 'bitcoin effect/problem".
Same goes with drug dealers using it. Who cares - many more drug deals are being done every day with fiat than with bitcoin.
The $20 fiat bill in their pocket can be spent on groceries or drugs. Nobody cares either way.
Once more recognisable/traditional systems sit around the transaction process from person A to B, bitcoin will take off.