Given recent events I take it we're no longer emphasizing stability and security as features of bitcoin. I jest, clearly decentralization is the new killer feature. Money quote:
"Bitcoin makes it feasible to pay for internet relays that anonymize or reroute traffic - that is, it makes it easier to remove central control and fight censorship"
And who doesn't want to fight censorship amirite? Surely there are no negative repercussions to letting people reroute traffic anonymously.
Given recent events I take it we're no longer emphasizing stability and security as features of bitcoin.
I understand where such a snarky statement comes from, but let's take a step back. Bitcoin has generate such enormous debate because it is not clear to anyone---security researchers, economists, or otherwise---what Bitcoin entails. It has some desirable properties, some undesirable properties, and has, imho, made people think a lot about the concept of fiat currency and how to go about extending the advantages paper currency has to the "digital domain" (and I use that phrase loosely).
I think it is great that lot of people are looking at Bitcoin in many different angles and since this is the first of its kind, I am sure people and society (including governments) will learn from pitfalls (security, economics or otherwise) to build a better system tomorrow. So let's not attack people who are trying to explore what Bitcoin gives us and what it doesn't.
"Bitcoin makes it feasible to pay for internet relays that anonymize or reroute traffic - that is, it makes it easier to remove central control and fight censorship"
And who doesn't want to fight censorship amirite? Surely there are no negative repercussions to letting people reroute traffic anonymously.