Mad Max and Bitcoin

Having not seen the new Mad Max movie yet I couldn't say whether they use bitcoin in it or not. Judging by the previous films I would say not. Life, death, sex and gasoline are the only viable means of trade in this post apocalyptic world. Mad Max however is a fantasy, though quote pertinent with global warming, water and gasoline supplies inevitably hitting the wall at some stage. Russel Brand the popular delinquent puts it well in his Trews story. It is quite ironic that we enjoy watching a graphic depiction of a terrible future situation for which currently preventative decision are continuously put on the back burner.

Mad max certainly isn't going to accept a briefcase full of fresh Australian dollars in exchange for his Doom Tanker fully fitted with machine gun turret and rusty snow plow front guard. "That old government money is not worth anything around here boy" he'd say, kicking you in the nuts and lighting a fire with the paper bills to cook your testicles on. . . It is true that without government control, today's money is nearly useless.

There are a myriad of systems required to support and be maintained in order to retain the value of the current monetary system. Without those enforced the public will not support or accept it as payment. Not only because they wont want to, but because they can't, because the surrounding structures are vital part of the value equation. It simply doesn't work in time of scarcity and corruption like that in Mad Max. The natural real value of a dollar is zero. 

Bitcoin doesn't really claim any different, however if you want to be technical its the value equation is different. 

If V stands for real value, P stands for the belief of society or the perceived value, S stands for structure and T stands for levels of trust and organisational integrity. 

V=PxSxT

Bitcoin removes S and T from the equation. The formula is simply 

V=P

Value and perception will always be linked, but removing the extra components of the value equation can only reduce risk and make the intrinsic value stronger.

Society has come a long way, we don't live in a Mad Max world. Even though it looks cool to watch and it actually might happen, it's all just TV really. It should make some Fiat money at the box office and generate some Bitcoin trade on Streamium. The inspiring thing is that in this hypothetical Mad Max world bitcoin would still work. That's one less thing to worry about if you have them in your pocket.

The reason bitcoin works is because it is a trust-less system. No trust is required. There is no third party needed to maintain it, it maintains itself and no government required to guarantee it. Some goggle wearing leather clad sprite can even validate some printed paper bitcoin credits on an offline device in the back of there buggy. Some dusty old desktop computer left over from 2015 running on a motorcycle battery. If the spear wielding fiends had smart phones they could force a blue tooth transaction in the middle of the red dessert or else "cutcha". They would have no reason to doubt transaction on an app to app bitcoin transaction. It would be unforgeable and irreversible, just how they'd like it. Iron clad in math "3-1=2 Rockatanski, better pay! give me your f**ing digi"

Cypto-currencies are structured in a decentralised way and it is not the technicality of how the system works in adversity it is the psychological aspect of the trading mechanism that allow it to retain appeal in such cultural conditions. In a lawless world where no one can be trusted near of far, some interesting questions are posed. primitive human behaviors are a big part of it. hard resources are the first priority. Food Water and weapons are best. When moving around however those things do still get a bit heavy and a mechanism for trade is in demand. the better that you can physically hide it the better store it will be. If the system is run openly by anyone and simply out of self interest, the way bitcoin miners are, then there are no problems when everyone must fend for themselves.

What better token then one that you can send to an unknown address miles away with the flick of a thumb across a cracked screen whilst the villain still has the spear to your head. he now has nothing to still and now way to find it. 

One thing that we can always trust is math. 1+1 will always equal 2 even if the whole world is up side down andt there's a gun to your head. This makes bitcoin appealing in the Mad Max world. There are only 21 million bitcoins and people can understand this. People can judge the value on that fixed basis and on their experience with the tribe down the dusty path. This fundamental difference to our current money, where supply is continuously changing, is key to the trust issue. In a world where nobody can be trusted, you can only trust math. You can not trust an organisation or person producing valuable tokens at all. In a state of such persecution you simply coluldn't accept someone else having such an unjustified luxury.

With bitcoin every part of the code is publicly available. you need not trust anyone to its workings, you only need to look it up. Dessert bases could harbor bitcoin mines and Rockatanski, with an old Huawei phone in his pocket, might just be richer than you think!