The question of where crypto culture stands on the political spectrum has not yet begun to be widely discussed in media outlets. However, I think this is an important question since the economy and politics cannot be considered separately.
I think the most appropriate word to use to describe crypto culture is 'anarchist'. Anarchism is the only political movement that has never come to power, perhaps because it is too idealistic. And just as the industrial revolution created the economic infrastructure of the capitalist order, the crypto movement that has developed in the last 10 years makes anarchism finally stand out as a significant political alternative.
I would like to explain why I associate crypto culture with anarchism with a quote from Kropotkin. Let us read how Peter Kropotkin, the great thinker of anarchism described anarchism in his article in 1910:
>Anarchism is the name given to the principle or theory of life and management in which society is designed without a state. In such a society, harmony will be achieved not by submitting to the law or submitting to any authority, but by free contracts between various territorial and professional communities freely established for production and consumption as well as the fulfillment of the infinite variety of needs and aspirations of a civilized entity. In a society that will evolve on this structure, voluntary units that will begin to cover the whole of humanitarian activity areas will gain even greater spread to take up all the functions of the state.
> They will be used to commemorate an intertwined network of local, regional, national, and international, all sizes and levels, groups and federations, which are either transient or very short-term. They can come together for all possible purposes: production, consumption, change, communication, health arrangements, education, mutual protection, field defense, and more. On the other hand, they will also work to fulfill the ever-increasing scientific, artistic, and social requirements. Moreover, such a society will not represent anything that does not change. On the contrary – generally as seen in organic life — it will be due to the constant changing regulation and rearrangement of the balance between the powers and the effects, and it will be easier to maintain this arrangement because no power is under private protected.
[Source: Marxists.org](https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/kropotkin-peter/1910/britannica.htm)
While reading this description, it's possible to get the impression that Kropotkin is describing crypto communities organized around specific interests. Moreover, in his description, he emphasizes scientific, artistic, and social needs as well as economic necessities.
Although crypto culture bears similarities to anarchist ideals on a theoretical level, we cannot claim that all those who are interested in crypto share these ideals. The interest in crypto – at least in Turkey – stems from pragmatic reasons. There is a saying in Turkish, "Eat the grapes, don't ask about the vineyard". As long as prices rise, people can sympathize with cryptocurrencies regardless of where they stand on the political spectrum. In periods when prices fall rapidly, they will quickly leave the environment due to their pragmatic approach.
It may also be a suitable method to describe the place of crypto in the political spectrum through its opponents. Those with authoritarian tendencies are most opposed to crypto, both at the individual and national levels. Young people who want to change the established order, for example, approach crypto more warmly. As of now, China still carries the flag when it comes to anti-crypto. A Russian central bank official expressed an opinion that Russia should also participate in the bans imposed by China yesterday. Bitcoin mining activities banned by China have largely moved to the United States in recent months.
The ideals envisioned by the crypto world fit most with the liberal right across the current political spectrum. Therefore, the USA stands out as the country where the crypto movement expresses itself best, although it has not fully embraced crypto. The tax regulation already implies that crypto is a valid and accepted concept for the American government.
Cryptocurrencies strengthen the hands of the rich by making it harder for capital to be overseen by the public authority. Whether a weakening of state control over capital is a good thing depends on the point of view. The funds required for welfare state practices are provided by high-rate taxes collected from large companies and wealthy individuals. It is not difficult to predict that the unlimited financial freedom that crypto promises will further disrupt the income distribution.
The use of taxes on crypto income for social transfers could solve the problem I described above. Or maybe the crypto movement could try to solve income inequality without including the government in the equation. Although crypto is shown as the magic solution to many problems, how it will contribute to society on social issues is currently unclear. While those working in traditional finance can take a weekend break, this is not the case for crypto. We do not know what kind of promises the crypto world has to individuals on issues such as education, health, and retirement. It can be argued that issues such as education, health, and retirement will be solved by individuals' planning, thanks to the high returns that crypto will provide. I think that this is not a realistic assessment, considering that large masses of people live in debt spirals even in developed western countries where income levels are relatively high.
By the way, it would be a mistake to think that the crypto world is also politically uniform. My impression is that Bitcoin is being embraced more by liberal right-wingers. The Ethereum community, on the other hand, gives more left-wing messages through Vitalik Buterin, its spokesperson.
I think that it is not right to oppose up to prohibition or to attribute perfection and impunity to crypto. Since infrastructure investments and social transfers must be made by someone, it would be appropriate that all countries would decide on the taxation issues. It also seems reasonable to me that the public authority oversees whether crypto communities are truly decentralized. Seeking regulation that goes beyond this could undermine the experimental nature of crypto.
We live in an era where people are moving from working for money to volunteer-based work, and the boundaries between work and fun are beginning to blur. In such an environment, crypto promises us creativity and prosperity, and the results show that these promises are not in vain. Whatever the problems or potential drawbacks, I think good things are happening in the crypto space.
Thank you for reading.
**Image Source:** https://unsplash.com/photos/IoQioGLrz3Y
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