I keep a fairly ironclad Chinese firewall — beautiful mixing of metaphors... — between my personal and professional life. When I close my screen and go into the real world, I like to be just another guy in the village
I don't lie, technically and overwhelmingly: if asked, honestly and seriously, I talk about bitcoin and my otherwise controversial/unpopular opinions and principles (#1583743) — but I don't generally bring them up either.
Hughes 1:4 states = "Privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world."
Am I dishonest if I don't immediately reveal myself to others?
Selectively means I choose. It means I determine how much I "reveal" and to whom and at what time.
I had a similar reflection/realization about tattoos today. I recently got a new one, and while I don't hide it, I do choose the moments when someone may see it; if pointed out, I will talk to that person about it and answer whatever questions that might arise. But I can easily conceal it and thus choose the moment where such a convo may arise.
There are a couple of levels one might take:
- Direct confrontational: this is who I am, here's the full package. Get it (right now!) or forget it! Very rash, very loud, very American.
- Another approach is more gentle: don't bring it up immediately, but in due time you'll talk to friends and family about your savings and stash and unpopular opinions.
- My approach is a more ruthlessly extreme version of the gentle where only a handful of my friends and family have a clue what I do or what I'm passionate about.
It's not exactly hidden — a short googling of my name will reveal most stuff — but nobody does that. Ever. And I don't talk about my articles or bitcoin in social life.
Separation of church and state, etc.
Interesting post... I like the gentle approach, and if the topic comes up, I'll address it, but I don't like to talk about it unless it's with friends or trusted people who share my interest in BTC.
Not dishonest at all. Privacy is not lying, it's boundaries.
I'm the same way here in Nigeria — if you ask me seriously I'll tell you the truth about Bitcoin, but I don't walk into the village square announcing it. Separation of church and state is survival, not deception.
I’m the same. I enjoy talking about all of these things but only with the right people. Most are not the right people.
No, it is not dishonest at all. The world where we are compelled to introduce bitcoin into every conversation, every relationship, is not one that I'd like to live in (and one in which I probably wouldn't have any friends beyond SN).
I have noticed that I'm more likely to bring bitcoin up these days than I was maybe a year ago. Perhaps because the treasury furor has died down or because I'm thinking a lot about how to introduce SN to normies, but whatever the case, most of the time when I have brought it up lately, it's resulted in a fun conversation (or just a momentary doubletake from the person across from me).
Mostly, though, I think you should bring it up just exactly as much as you feel like. It is most certainly not dishonest to never mention it at all.
that's a good, arbitrary, cut-off!
Not at all, it's called precaution. Personally, I only talk about Bitcoin with people I trust irl.
I will always want to be dishonest in staying in the dark because that's where my privacy counts