[Emphasis added]

But that's still misunderstanding the problem with crypto/NFTs. No matter how many times you hit "like" on AOC's tweets, each one will still use the same (small) amount of energy as the prior time you did it. If Twitter worked like crypto, each "like" would use more energy than the prior one, so that by the time you hit like on the hundredth tweet or whatever, it would use an order of magnitude more energy than the first time you did it. Then multiply that by all the people hitting like on Twitter and you start to see the scale of the problem.

It's not just that it uses energy, it's not just that it wastes energy on something arguably frivolous, it's that it's pointlessly, extravagantly wasteful. In this analogy, it's only reason for being to make each new "like" more precious and special than the previous one, and it escalates without end.

It's really really dumb.

 

I'm guessing eating and having basic necessities like toilet paper aren't things that they enjoy.

 

I'm guessing that the reality of Venezuela is a little more complex than what you have been led to believe.

 

Like I've said before, it's the nihilist approach to any issue. "No one small thing matters so why do anything?"

"Why are NFTs so bad when we also drive cars? Why should the US take steps to improve it's energy grid when China exists?"

The goal is to muddy any conversation about steps that can be taken now by drowning everything in the "bigger picture." No one small step will solve the problem so that small step is worthless, never mind it's part of a plan that involves several small steps that add up to some kind of progress.

It's like having a neighbor who doesn't recycle because "What difference does it make if I don't?" forgetting that the only reason their singular choice doesn't have a great impact is because everyone around them is making the right choice.

Same goes for stuff like vaccinations and mask wearing. Sure *me* getting vaccinated individually doesn't end the pandemic, but me arguing that I don't have to because enough people who aren't me will is just acknowledging I know the helpful choice and willingly refuse to make it.

Same here: Stopping NFT production won't "solve" climate change. But it stops things from getting decidedly worse while we work on other steps to move back in the right direction. And we KNOW it makes things decidedly worse because the science surrounding the impact of crypto/NFTs compared to other PC usage is right there.

That's how crypto works in general since there's no regulatory body guaranteeing the value of that currency at any given time. Combined with it's volatility the general workflow is someone mines it or buys it when value is low, waits until value is high and hopes some sucker buys it before it dips yet again. At which point someone buys it and the cycle repeats itself.

 

Considering that I know people who are still there, it's doubtful.

 

could you expand upon this reality of Venezuela that contradicts everything said about the country in recent years? genuinely interested.

 

If I had to guess? Being an American ex-pat with middle class money makes you filthy rich by Venezuelan standards, so you can avoid most of the bad stuff.

 

It actually doesn’t matter what you think. There are explanations in this thread that explain why blockchain transactions continue to use more and more energy, while the basic functions of the internet run on fairly stable servers that with a focus on increasing efficiency and optimization.

 

Yes, the options are they work for the military there or they literally moved to a place to become the bourgeoisie.

 

thanks for the explanation Gepard. i obviously can't speak for everyone living there, but it certainly seems like a shit place.

 

At least there would then be consistency.

Just out of curiosity how much would a carbon credit cost to offset your post?

 

So, let’s Eliminate crypto and NFT’s. Is the world saved then?

 

....and look no further than how suddenly people are super concerned about the political situation in Venezuela as if that has anything to do with Hasbro producing Transformer NFTs.

Or comments like this...

Which demonstrate what I said earlier:

It's like complaining that we shouldn't ban smoking in bars because lots of things can cause cancer, or that there's no point in banning smoking in bars because people also drink alcohol and then go driving which can kill people.

 

“If the solution to a problem takes more than one (1) step, it is not worth doing.”

 

It'd be like if we didn't distribute vaccines because it didn't actually cure the disease. "Oh this step only mitigates the potential harm but doesn't stop it...might as well not bother."

 

Where did I say I thought it would save the world? I didn't, and I don't think you really think I meant that.

"Everyone dies eventually, so it doesn't matter if people get murdered."

 

While it’s a huge bummer to hear that you know people in Venezuela that are struggling, the same thing is happening around the world regardless of political economy.

 

No, but it keeps things from getting worse faster. But I know you believe a post on a forum requires the same power draw as a NFT.

 

Then, at the very minimum, you could already know why someone would love living in Venezuela. Further possible explanations would be that people aren't all going starving with unwiped asses (if they're coprophiles they solve both problems quite handily) or even simply that they learned to love the place in less troubled times.