somebody send @mallardshead some sats

that mallardshead comment is mostly accurate, but i was under the impression that the privacy profile of monero isn't just about delinking your identity to a transaction, but as much about not being able to correlate that transaction to other transactions in the blockchain so as to keep your other activity private from whoever you transact with, and to inhibit their ability to estimate any monero balance you may have.

as for darkweb marketplaces, i find his comment hard to believe (i don't use them so i can't say for sure), and the sanction violations thing is a facet of Bitcoin's transparency on chain, isn't it ? i mean, i would imagine it's harder to create a monero sanctions list in the first place ?

anyway...

Thanks, I started writing some of my thoughts last night. Many align with this comment.

Good link, thanks.... Now I have a new favorite quote (borrowed from "The Bitcoin Executioner") about separation of money and state: "...Well, FED is a private company..." lol Now, there you have it :-)

In most real world payments you're operating on the white market, making permissioned transactions, so why use Bitcoin at all? Fiat is better in that case if you're asking permission anyway.

The only real use case Bitcoin has is on darknet markets, a subset of black markets, and that is getting taken over by Monero

Let's consider a few counterpoints:

"In most real world payments that go to companies, your blockchain's privacy doesn't matter." Privacy isn't just for illicit activities; it's a fundamental right. The argument that privacy doesn't matter for everyday transactions overlooks the importance of financial privacy in a free society. Even legitimate transactions can reveal sensitive information about a person's life, beliefs, and associations.

"On the darkweb, most of the top marketplaces are BITCOIN ONLY... Most sanction violations are in BITCOIN" Regarding criminal usage, it's worth noting that any valuable, transferable asset will inevitably be used by some bad actors. This applies to cash, art, and even Bitcoin. It's not a fair criticism of the technology itself. The prevalence of Bitcoin in these scenarios may be more due to its wider adoption and liquidity rather than its superiority for privacy.

"If its good enough for the criminals who require the most privacy, why isn't it good enough for you?" Bitcoin's transparency, while useful in some contexts, is also a significant drawback for personal finance. Every transaction being traceable means your entire financial history is potentially exposed. Monero solves this issue with its robust privacy features, providing a level of confidentiality that Bitcoin simply cannot match.

"You see, with bitcoin we're trying to separate money from state." The "separation of money from state" argument actually favors Monero. True financial freedom requires not just decentralization, but also privacy. Without privacy, decentralization alone doesn't protect against surveillance or financial censorship. Monero's design inherently provides this separation more effectively than Bitcoin's transparent ledger.

"Don't allow the Monero shills to tell you their anonymity is the key to anything but a low-volume protocol with a chart telling the sad story of a coin that in the most recent bull market couldn't even eclipse its previous high." Monero's price stability could be viewed as a positive attribute for a currency. Wild price swings aren't ideal for day-to-day transactions. The focus on price performance overlooks Monero's utility as a medium of exchange and store of value with privacy features.

"And since it's been dropped by almost every exchange, it literally relies on bitcoin for its liquidity via atomic swaps and DEX's." The fact that some exchanges have delisted Monero due to its strong privacy features could be seen as a testament to its effectiveness, not a drawback. The development of atomic swaps and DEX support actually enhances Monero's resilience and accessibility.

"Lastly, their block subsidy ended so they rolled out a polite sounding scheme called "emissions", where they've removed the fixed coin limit to pay the security budget for mining." Monero's emission schedule is designed to ensure long-term network security, addressing concerns about the sustainability of Bitcoin's model once block rewards diminish significantly. This approach aims to maintain a balance between network security and monetary policy.

"Do you know anybody that saves money in Monero? That accepts it as payment? That has a Monero wallet app on their iPhone?" Adoption takes time, especially for technologies that challenge the status quo. Monero is still relatively young, and its user base is growing among those who prioritize privacy. The lack of widespread adoption doesn't negate its value proposition or potential for future growth.

"Any Monero miners making industrial attachments to energy grids? Any companies like Intel producing mining chips, or companies like Exxon capping gas flares with bitcoin mining rigs?" The lack of industrial mining for Monero is by design, promoting decentralization and resistance to ASIC dominance. This approach aligns with Monero's philosophy of maintaining a more distributed and accessible network, rather than concentrating mining power in the hands of a few large operators.