2. One would think they came up with a new currency system so theft could be prevented. No,
BC gets stolen all the time.
Why couldn't they "disable" the serial numbers of the currency that was stolen? Thats the kind of system that should have been designed.
Ultimately I think this may prevent Bitcoin from being widely adopted. That doesn't mean it can't continue to exist as a niche system. But, the average person is willing to pay a certain amount, to a credit card for example, in order to be able to have customer support (i.e., insurance) in the event of theft.
What makes you think that "the average person" (whoever that is) is willing to pay extra? I see constant examples (even here) where people have no idea how expensive credit cards are and how every customers pays more for every item in a store that is accepting credit card payments. On top of that people are constantly in pursuit of "free" services where the only price you pay is that the provider spies on you can sells the information to advertising companies. While its a perfectly fine way to finance something, I dont think most people using a service like google are aware of the price they pay.
With all that being said I think bitcoin is actually capable of enabling a service to provide transparent insurance of your coins (for an extra ofc). E.g. some of the treasurers for the board secure a part of its funds for a fee.