I do feel for the OP. But this points out a MAJOR flaw in bitcoin..... the fact that it's leading supporters / proponents / educators are currently a merry band of inbred idiots. Here's why I say this....
All over this site, I see people screaming in fear about the dangers of not using exchanges to hold your Bitcoin. If you don't hold your private keys, you don't really have your bitcoin. So here you have this schmuck that goes out and dumps a bunch of bitcoin into a situation that he really has no discipline / technological maturity, or understanding, of what he is doing - and he loses his money/bitcoin. The reason this happened is because he probably listened to the advice of a bunch of idealistic morons on here - and ultimately he got over his technological head.
Which is SO DARN IRONICALLY AMUSING - because everyone here crows about how Bitcoin is a global currency, and yet they don't have the brains or wisdom to understand that the global population is NOT technologically savy to the degree that they can be trusted not to screw up their bitcoin.
This thread really is the best advertisement in the world for why people should put their money into a "Professional Fiat Bitcoin" style Exchange (Circle, Coinbase, etc). Because your money is not only protected better from thieves (they have much better security than the average citizen), but more importantly, loss of an individuals money is best protected from THEMSELVES - their own stupidity.
And yeah, the big money running the exchanges.... they are greedy, evil, part of the system, basically the same people that are migrating over from running the fiat banks etc etc yatta yatta yatta.
But lets be perfectly clear.... ANY TIME that a person on this board makes reccomendations to people (who they have no idea what their technological maturity level is) that they need to be in charge of their digital money..... is basically just as evil as the banksters..... because ultimately you cause innocent people to lose their hard earned money.
Ohh, and PS.... I hate bankers more than any of you, and at least I have put a few in prison, more than I guess any of you posting here can say..... But reality and wisdom trumps paranoid teenage-minded anarchistic views any day. Bitcoin needs to grow up if it is to enter the mainstream, become a global currency etc.
A bit strong. You make some points in between the vitriol and they are valid but its hard not to look past the vehemence.
I stand with those that submit that users can be their own bank and that it is a very desirable aspect to be in control of your own destiny. I also agree with you, that it is irresponsible to say that everyone needs to be in charge of their own money when they are not technically competent enough to use the tools to achieve it.
What I don't agree with is that people are stupid just because they can't use technical tools any more than my wife is stupid for not knowing how to ride a motorbike like me. The issue is we, as a community, are supplying the tools that enable
us to use the system
easily and not for others to use the system
safely. From that point of view Bitcoin it is not ready for general consumption IMO, because the very bright, tech savvy people are engaged in defining what bitcoin is rather than thinking about how bitcoin is used. Until you get experienced developers who write applications - rather than programs - engaged en-mass, this is the way it will stay.
There are signs, though. Signs that usability is being thought about. They are disparate and disjointed, but they are there and the website seems to be one of them along with USB drive keys, wallet clients and so on.