My Thoughts On The Crypto Critics Situation
Paranoia, Conspiracy or Objective Fact ?
The crypto critics corner is probably the most popular crypto podcast, the reason it has such influence is because the hosts Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancy are critical of the crypto landscape, bringing to light many lies, falsehoods and dangers that infest cryptocurrencies.
Both Bennet and Cas work for a Crypto news outlet named Protos. Which advertises to be an informed crypto news outlet that allows independent journalism to cover the entire crypto industry. The Protos masthead, by my own interpretation, takes a pro crypto stance overall. This is not to say they don't also publish critical crypto news, because they do but the overall attitude of Protos to cryptocurrency is a positive one.
Ever since the beginning of the Lunar - Terra collapse, I became regular listeners of both Bennett and Cas on the Crypto Critics Corner (CCC) Podcast and have since enjoyed almost all of the content they have produced. It was a refreshing discovery, when i first found their podcast, because if you try to find anything critical to cryptocurrencies, your search results will be flooded with loud, morally corrupt pro crypto voices, who only want to convince you to buy into the same ponzi they have. As for the CCC they don't do that but talk about topics, which come across as well researched and thought out.
I never really questioned the content of either Bennett or Cas but one fellow critic did. Sal Bayat. I have only recently discovered Sal's work through a podcast he co-hosts with Adam, IO Radio. A podcast which is open to any voice, for or against crypto, blockchain or web3. The episodes I have listened too are very entertaining but at the same time to the point and presented with evidence. This all culminates in another source of information one can use to make your own conclusions about blockchain and crypto.
As a critic myself, I have found myself being skeptical of pro bitcoin or blockchain viewpoints and have been challenged by the very small audience who I have reached. So I don't think it's outside reasonable expectation that an individual or even a group like the CCC podcast, who have a much larger reach, should be immune from criticism. This is exactly what Sal proposed in his latest blog post.
Sal questioned the founders behind Protos and their motives, asking if this has any influence on Bennet and Cas' reporting. Especially since they both seem to see a potential for Blockchain and Bitcoin, in what capacity that is yet to be known. Bennett especially has said he finds Proof of Work (PoW) wasteful but has also been in favor of the Bitcoin Spot ETP and pushed back on a BBC report which cited a peer reviewed study. This report uncovered the huge amounts of resources Bitcoin mining required. While that was corrected, this took some time and was done quietly. Personally that logic doesn't track and it has made me curious too.
Unfortunately the response from all questioned parties has been less than ideal. Bennet has made a brief response, refusing to elaborate, to help provide context and nuance to his opinions. Cas has been very defensive and at times unprofessional in his behaviour. Though they both have iterated that thier opinions and thoughts on the issues, that fellow critics have posed to them, are all contained within thier podcast episodes. I find that to be lazy and a defelective response. I would expect the pair, who are professional journalists, to have a better understanding of why one would want to clarify a quote or stance someone has made. What Bennet has provided is succinct but open to interpretation, which is why his failure to elaborate is dissapointing. As for Cas, I can understand why he might feel attacked but critiquing the critics should be something one should be open too. It's the only course of action their audience has to ensure they are indeed critical and not influenced by outside forces. Such as if their employer makes a profit through Bitcoin, which is used to pay its employees. Even if this is an indirect connection, its disclosure is important to understand.
I'll end the post with a quote from Cas Piancy himself:
"To say I’m disappointed with many people — the sheer amount of glossy-eyed naivety and lack of questioning how things work — is to put it mildly. I had a lot of dumb faith for no good reason, and if anyone’s learned a lesson, more so than the people reading my articles or trading, it’s probably me.
Stay skeptical, friends."
Comments
Post a Comment