“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you…” Most people think that the next step is winning, but they are sadly mistaken. This might have been true in Gandhi’s time, before the absolute deluge of fiat money in circulation. Back then, when we hit this stage, we either assassinated the people who spoke too much truth or let them starve themselves to death. The attacks were brutal and ruthless, and the best a revolutionary could hope for was that their martyrdom would carry their legacy.

Somewhere along the line, the powers that be lost their taste for this type of warfare. It became much more humane to destroy one’s reputation, especially if the powers were the ones to provide the public’s agreement of that reputation.

“I made you, I can destroy you.”

Assassinations and Reputation Smearing: A New Strategy In the US, assassinations peaked in the 1960s. We all know about JFK in 1963, Malcolm X in 1965, and RFK and MLK in 1968. After that, not so much. Something changed in 1971 that likely shifted how revolutions were handled—coinciding with the deluge of fiat money.

The “then they fight you” phase no longer includes overt murder, but that doesn’t mean that survival through it signifies victory. To think so would be a grave error. The modern attacks include reputation smearing, propaganda campaigns, deplatforming, and bankruptcy through litigation.

Then They Buy You The modern-day assassination is a highly effective cooperation between the state and the revolutionary. When attacks fail to compromise a rebel, they buy them.

I have no doubt the CIA regrets murdering its enemies when they could have simply bought off their rebellion.

It’s useful for the state to remind us they can kill anyone they want in plain sight and deny it for the next 70 years. But practically, it’s much easier—and cheaper—to buy a person, especially when they can print money to do so.

Willful Ignorance: The Cost of Compliance The price of willful ignorance depends on the sovereignty level of the target. Some people will settle for basic needs like food and shelter. For the wealthy, it’s more complicated—they may need blackmail or reputation destruction. Take Russell Brand, for example. Recent accusations and deplatforming illustrate how reputation attacks can be just as effective as physical attacks once were.

Satoshi’s Price: The Bitcoin Revolution With the state relying on fiat to buy compliance, Satoshi Nakamoto entered the scene with a different proposition: Bitcoin.

Instead of fiat’s willful ignorance, Bitcoin buys willful cooperation. By participating in the protocol, you honor its principles: decentralization, scarcity, and the 21 million cap. You can’t buy special privileges with Bitcoin. You’re bound to the same rules as everyone else.

Fiat money may continue to debase, but Bitcoin buys a new kind of allegiance—one grounded in truth, work, and value, not manipulation.

Conclusion: Everybody Has A Price Fiat money buys willful ignorance. Bitcoin buys willful cooperation.

Everybody has a price, but as the fiat system continues to decay, more people will choose Bitcoin’s truth over the lies of the old system.