What does it mean to orange-pill someone – Bitcoin Magazine
This is an opinion editorial by Mark Maraia, an entrepreneur, author of “Rainmaking Made Simple” and Bitcoiner.
If you’ve been in bitcoin long enough or been around someone who is a strong proponent of bitcoin, eventually you’ll have heard this phrase: “I’ve got my orange pill (friend/brother/mom/dad, etc.).” I’ve never been very fond of the phrase, although I agree with the sentiment it expresses. In the long term, our goal is to gather as many people as possible on the monetary lifeboat called bitcoin. How we get there is the real issue that we don’t discuss often enough. For example, why doesn’t Bitcoin Magazine have a regular column that lets regular plebs share their favorite orange pill story? This will give readers advice on how to approach friends and family.
As I began to reflect on what “orange pill” means, I realized that it can mean many things to different people. This article will attempt to discuss some of the common meanings and question whether this is the best strategy for bitcoin.
Means orange pill:
- Convince someone to buy bitcoin?
- Help someone see the brilliance of bitcoin?
- Create curiosity about bitcoin?
- Show someone how messed up our fiat money system is?
- Teach someone about bitcoin?
Or all of the above? Or none of the above?
Obviously, there are many interpretations of what it means to take some orange pills.
What I think many in the space miss is that friends and family won’t see bitcoin as a solution if they don’t have a solid understanding of the problem. And it’s safe to assume that most people have no idea about the problem. The simple fact is that most people are so overwhelmed and barely coping that not only do they not have a solid understanding of the problem, they have no desire to hear you tell them about the problem!
So in many respects, if the person you’re orange-pilling doesn’t understand the problem, you’re highly unlikely to succeed. Does that mean you shouldn’t even try? I can’t answer that for you. It is entirely your choice for how you use your life energy. However, in a recent Bitcoin Magazine podcast, Michael Saylor explained his approach to Aleks Svetski, and I think it’s worth sharing:
The world is going through an unprecedented financial crisis. The biggest in our life. The financial world is in crisis. And the political world is in the greatest turmoil of our lifetime. It’s just a lot of turmoil. Lots of sound and fury. Very strong passion. Lots of noise and turbulence. Bitcoin is a good thing. There are a thousand problems that distract people. Most people don’t see the brilliance of bitcoin as new money or as digital energy or as a new form of property or a better ideology […] as a catalyst for good in the world. Most people don’t recognize it. So you have limited minutes left in your life. When you meet a person you only have a few minutes to talk to them and convey something. What is the highest form of good you can give them?
I am of the opinion that it is best to approach every conversation constructively and cheerfully when educating people. Remove the fear, deal with the doubt, deal with the uncertainty. Teaching them that bitcoin is a great technology. The greatest monetary technology in world history. It can improve your life, the life of your friends, the life of your company and the life of your fellow citizens. It can improve everything it touches if they understand and understand it. I think it is the highest, best use of time and energy.
There is always a temptation to be drawn into other discussions and other debates. I’m not going to tell you how to spend your life, but in terms of professional focus […] the focus is to educate the world about how each person can improve their lives. When you do it you have to do it in the language they speak. You have to use the metaphors they understand. You have to appeal to the values they hold, and sometimes you may not even share those values. Find out what they want, how they talk, how they communicate, how they want to be communicated to, and communicate as much insight about bitcoin as possible. This is how we spread the entire network. That’s how we improve the world. Avoid being lured and distracted and drawn into negativity. Some people just enjoy and want conflict.
Until they have compelling claims, they will be dismissive. Tell them how bitcoin solves their problem. In sales, do you want to know why each person will benefit from what I have to offer? And then I explain the benefit to them in the most concise format I can. Either you make the sale or you don’t. If you make the sale, great. If you don’t, thank them for their time. No point in making them angry or calling them an idiot. Make many friends and no enemies. You will learn a lot from listening.
If I have a scorecard, the scorecard is: “who did you convince to join the network?” and the way you join the network is you convert your money into another asset into bitcoin. The more energy you attract to the network, the faster the world becomes better. It’s the ultimate utility feature.
My approach is similar to Saylor’s, only I can go a step further. My job is to educate people and do my best to understand how concerned the person I am orange-pilling is about his or her situation. No pain points, no buy-in to the Bitcoin network. Talking to a boomer or retiree will require a completely different approach than a millennial who has been shut out of the real estate market. The amazing thing about bitcoin is that it has many facets that make it attractive to many different people. It seems that many in this room take a holistic approach to persuasion. Or worse, they assume that what they found compelling about bitcoin will be the same thing that others will find compelling. At best it’s naive, and at worst it shows a level of arrogance that is highly repulsive. Offensive, really. We are not going to insult our way to success.
Our job as bitcoiners is to listen and ask questions that show we care more about the person and have zero investment in whether they decide to buy bitcoin. Figure out a way to take that approach and adoption will skyrocket.
One of my favorite statements to my peers who have done well in the fiat world and enjoy significant net worth is: “you probably don’t need bitcoin.” This disarms them and tends to make them far more curious and open. Telling them what to do can work if the person has complete trust in you and your opinion of what to do. But it is very rare.
There is no right way to do this. More importantly, I suggest that you approach the conversation with all people in such a way that they trust you and appreciate your genuine interest in their well-being. My goal with each conversation is to educate those who seem open and listen to the problem that drives them to find bitcoin as a solution. Ideally, you have piqued their curiosity. When the conversation is over, I hope the relationship is stronger than it was before we had the conversation. What never works is dismissing them or getting angry or frustrated that they can’t see the brilliance of bitcoin or any number of other scary behaviors that benefit no one.
Do you care enough about your friends and neighbors to educate them patiently and slowly for as long as it takes? For some, it can be years. Awesome, that means it requires patience from you. If you are so sure that you are right, then it is better to keep your mouth shut. At a recent bitcoin meetup, I spoke with a young mother who “gets” bitcoin, and she expressed her frustration that her sister, an attorney at a large NYC firm, doesn’t get it. I suggested that she wait for her sister to show curiosity about bitcoin before trying to orange pill her. She had already pushed her often enough that she was growing increasingly frustrated with her sister. My advice to her was to just love and accept her sister just the way she is, even if she never gets bitcoin. Don’t make bitcoin the reason you feel estranged from your sister. She mellowed when she realized that bitcoin is patient and will wait for her sister to see the shine.
Everyone in the room talks about low time preference and gets so irritated, impatient and pissed off at those they care about when they don’t get it. Low time preference means you look at things in the long term. Think in terms of years and decades, not minutes, hours, days or weeks. The only thing that makes us irritated, impatient and angry is our own fear or immaturity. Grow up.
What I have long advised clients to do when they want to become a rainmaker is to first think like a rainmaker. Same with bitcoin: start thinking like a person who has already seen the brilliance of bitcoin and knows it has won. That doesn’t give you license to be arrogant and dismissive of those who don’t get it. I would love nothing more than to retire from using the phrase “have fun being poor.” Talk about arrogant and entitled and immature. For me, bitcoin is not about poverty or wealth, it is about freedom and liberation from the shackles of fiat. It’s about having an alternative to the US dollar or other fiat currency. It’s about saying no to debt slavery and taking greater responsibility for my wealth.
There are some in space who are happily reporting that bitcoin has already won. Bravo to those who take that approach!! It is not widely understood yet in our culture. Relax, many will come around when they are ready. Give Jay Powell and our rulers enough time and rope and they will hang themselves.
“Acquiring” bitcoin is a two-step process:
Step One: Realize the major flaws and injustices in our current system. If the person you’re talking to can’t or won’t see these holes, that’s your starting point. Close that gap slowly, patiently, carefully. If they are not open to admitting how unfair the current system is, your job is to “zip it” and wait for the right moment. The teachable moment.
Step Two: Once they understand how unfair our current monetary system is, will they—and only then—be interested in a solution. You don’t convince an alcoholic to stop drinking until he admits he has a problem.
One of the things I like so much about the bitcoin community is that they have a much deeper understanding of the problems and shortcomings of our current system. These issues are very hard to miss if you look for them, but most people aren’t looking for them! Most are a product of education and upbringing and have not learned anything about our monetary system. It is not taught in school. Or worse, they’ve bought into the propaganda they’ve been fed their whole lives, making them less likely to ever see the problem. That said, the last thing we need are true believers who are only too eager to tell you that you’re dumb as shit, and unless you take full possession of your private keys, you’re a tool of the state.
So my call to action to the reader is this: Educate others, don’t attack them as ignorant or evil. Don’t waste your precious time on Twitter if you’re looking for wider adoption. Most people who need to learn about money and bitcoin are not on Twitter or Telegram. And most importantly, set a goal for yourself about the number of people you want to help get off zero each year and do your best to achieve that number. Bitcoin has infinite patience. Start thinking and acting as if it is true. And when one of your friends or family asks you about the latest altcoin, say, as Nik Bhatia says, “it’s not an investment class I’m putting money or energy into.”
This is a guest post by Mark Maraia. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc. or Bitcoin Magazine.
