thanks for high quality OP and discussion! It is very worthwile even if it just helps a number of people feeling that they are not alone with similar doubts and ethical considerations. A perfect thread to start "BTC self-help group" with - any professional therapists around to moderate such thread? After initial adrenaline shot, I started reflective thinking and experienced a state of semi-permanent thinkaholic awareness shock for a few weeks in a row, somewhat resembling Neo's awakening scene from the Matrix. I believe that anyone should be mindful not to just exclusively focus on negative scenarios, as these are based on the premise that following initial negative development no appropriate communal or governmental reaction is achieved. But wait, humanity - however difficult and disturbing it was - adopted to the spread of christianity, to vasca da gama and columbus "discoveries", to the emergence of nuclear energy a.s.o. it is therefore likely that distributed currencies will represent major challenges and cause major changes. The more of these challenges and changes can be shared with and managed in co-ordination with national democratic majorities and existing influential NGOs, the better the outlook will become. My hope is that potential debasement of G20 currencies against cryptos can be somehow "managed" over long-time period, without creating major political and social disruptions like civil wars. E.g. could the world governments and central banks decide at some point to build up substantial BTC reserves to smoothen the redistribution effect in rather acceptable for the society way? And, indeed, if significant part of early adopters recognizes their ethical obligation to support philantropic causes, then the future might become not as bleak as feared during sleepless nights...

And for pessimistic folks, please try smiling efortfully from time to time, this might help in shifting focus to somewhat better aspects and opprotunities