In recent years, the controversy around Critical Race Theory (CRT) has sparked fierce political debates across America. On the education front, surrounding issues of teaching history, the country is divided.
CRT is an academic theory that is taught in college-level courses. It supports an analysis that posits that racism is an integral part of the country’s legal, political and social institutions. While educators argue that CRT itself is not taught to schoolchildren, it has largely influenced how the younger generation thinks about race.
Layered under Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) agendas, this reflective assessment views “whiteness” as an essential part of the power structure that pervades the fabric of our society. On June 25, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a far-reaching executive order to promote diversity training for federal hiring. Under the sign of diversity and inclusion, companies set up DEI training and schools organize diversity steering committees.
The spread of DEI has created a right-wing reaction. From the Republican Governor of Tennessee to the Florida Senate, lawmakers in many states have passed bills banning the teaching of structural racism in public schools.
As legislative efforts for and against DEI programs fuel a growing culture war, a call for a ceasefire is emerging on the internet. The invention of Bitcoin offers us a peaceful alternative to tackle social justice issues.
Racial Equity
The goals of DEI initiatives are allegedly to cultivate awareness of difference, such as race, gender, religion, and sexual orientation, and to create equity.
The DEI plan is centered on a notion of equity. Earlier, on Jan. 26, 2021, the president signed executive orders on “advancing racial equity and supporting underserved communities through the federal government.” In his speech, Biden explained his administration’s systemic approach:
“I believe this nation and this government needs to change their whole approach to racial equality – to fairness. We must open the promise of America to every American. And that means we need to make the issue of racial equity not just an issue for one government department; it must be the business of the whole government.
Defining the term “equity” as “the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals,” the White House outlined concrete steps to increase racial justice.
This includes setting up working groups that would collect data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, disability, income and sexual and gender identity, etc. By identifying and assessing barriers for people of color and other underserved groups, agencies are encouraged to develop policies and programs to allocate federal resources and close the wage and housing gap.
Here, equity is measured by equal outcomes, such as equal pay and distribution of wealth. In the words of Vice President Kamala Harris, “Fair treatment means we all end up in the same place.” With a motto of “No person of color left behind,” the administration is pushing the equity mandate to achieve justice in the form of creating an equitable economy.
The value of freedom
While some take this approach, many do not quite agree with this government’s racial justice agenda. Some opponents of DEI argue that contrary to their stated goals, the initiatives would generate “reverse racism”, creating injustice towards white people.
One critic called the CRT underlying these programs a “divisive, discriminatory ideology” that puts race at the center – instead of viewing each person as an individual. The argument has been made that in the “CRT Victimization Log”, every white person is labeled a racist and all people of color a victim. Some critics argue that this top-down systemic approach reinforces group identity and destroys the agency of individuals.
Here we must critically examine the idea of social justice. When we talk about equity and equality, what do we really mean by that?
In the words of Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, “All men are created equal.” For framers of the Constitution such as Jefferson, the idea of equality is deeply linked to the ideal of liberty. This freedom is based on a principle of consensus: a moral standard that no one is good enough to govern others without their consent. This principle was a necessary basis that could guarantee (and protect) “certain inalienable rights” which include “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.
From the outset, this principle of consensus has been flagrantly violated within the American constitutional republic. The oligarchic class, which controls the money supply, has created a system of enslavement to enrich itself. Their exclusive economy denied the rights of the indigenous population, women and people of color, as shown by the dark history of slavery, segregation and delinquency against blacks and other minority groups.
Consensus algorithm
The impetus for the social justice movement that was built in this country was deeply rooted in the American people’s yearning for equal freedom. From women’s suffrage to the civil rights movement, ordinary people have fought to realize the ideal of equality in the form of equal rights, but not for equality of outcome as the government is now pushing under the slogan of racial equity.
It is with his attachment to this freedom of each individual that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared his dream of one day living in a nation where his grandchildren will not be judged on the color of their skin but on the content of their character. .
Now, as the state’s racial equity policy increasingly threatens civil liberty, Bitcoin offers a new approach to addressing the issue of justice. The heart of the invention is a consensus algorithm known as proof of work. It places freedom at the heart of its value to ensure equality, guaranteeing the rights of all.
The core of Bitcoin is mining – a process involved in creating money and settling transactions. In a transparent, decentralized network where the rules are applied to everyone equally, computers around the world (called miners) compete to find the next Bitcoin block.
The game has clear and strict rule sets, including the total amount of bitcoin that can ever be created (the code caps the monetary base at 21 million bitcoin), a predictable issue rate, and automatic adjustment for difficulty of mining. In order to successfully compete in mining blocks, all participants must follow the rules of the network and use their precious resources to get the job done. Incentives that reward honesty, aligning everyone’s interests, enforce the rules of consensus without forcing anyone to act against their will.
Empowerment Protocol
By relying on cryptographic proof rather than trust in a central authority to eliminate counterparty risk in a transaction, Bitcoin solved the problem of the built-in unfairness of the existing fiat system.
Bitcoin is the most inclusive financial network of all time. It is borderless, welcoming everyone regardless of culture, nationality, gender and religion. Unlike the US dollar supremacy monetary system which creates an unfair advantage for those close to the money printers, Bitcoin allows for a level playing field.
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Bitcoin’s open-source protocol ensures fairness through a merit-based system that recognizes each person’s differences, skills, talents, and contributions. The network that self-regulates through algorithms operates without bias or favouritism. In this system, in which one participates voluntarily, each is judged on the content of his character; be rewarded for playing by the rules and be punished for trying to cut corners.
Now, with increased inflation tearing the economy apart, the Cantillionaires are trying to kickstart stakeholder capitalism to maintain their control behind the scenes.
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While the state-sponsored divisive racism implicit in CRT initiatives separates a nation, Bitcoin is rekindling the momentum for the social justice movement. Technology brings together people from diverse backgrounds.
Bitcoin’s decentralized public ledger is beginning to dismantle the oppressive mechanism that separates us from each other. By providing people with a tool to empower themselves, the coders who manage the development of this protocol ensure that no one is left behind.
This innovative monetary system, which guarantees everyone’s freedom, delivers justice for all. Through sovereign individuals associating with each other on the basis of equality, a new economy can be built that cultivates the uniqueness of each person to enrich all of society.
This is a guest post by Nozomi Hayase. The opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc. or Bitcoin Magazine.