Recently, I’ve been reading about the foundations of the American Labor Movement. Specifically, the birth of the Industrial Workers of the World and a group called the Wobblies, a nickname given to IWW Members. At its peak, the IWW had over 150,000 members in 1917, with global memberships and significant power and influence. While the IWW was a socialist leaning organization in theory, many of its core values were intertwined into the DNA of the American Labor movement, and was undeniably pivotal to the development of organized labor and a strong working class following the industrial revolution. The parallels between some of the IWW’s origins and ideologies and Bitcoin are significant, and shall be demonstrated with quotes rather than boring you to death with in depth history.
All quotes are attributed to the book “Wobblies: A Graphic History of The Industrial Workers of the World (Buhle/Schulman.
Origins and Genesis
“No one can say exactly where the inspiration for the IWW came from. The origins are too numerous both in the U.S. and abroad…”
Similarly, the nickname of the Wobblies, has no clear origin. Naturally, some of the mythology around Bitcoin comes to mind, and while Bitcoin’s origins are clearly documented via white paper and email communications, its creator or creators is or are shrouded in mystery. As Bitcoin caught gained popularity, its growth was decentralized and organic. In another parallel, while the IWW and American Labor Movement had prior inspirations, it was a pioneer in the sense of organizing labor across ethnic, gender, religious and other demographic differences.
“After the Civil War, massive industry grew up faster than anyone could have imagined, with previously unthinkable wealth accruing to the bankers but with millions of desperately poor working people, employed at low wages or unemployed in the frequent economic recessions”
From the financial crisis, to post-covid wealth accumulation within the ranks of billionaires, to a current AI, robotics and self-automation boom underway, this story is all too familiar. However, recessions have been all but outlawed, replaced by government intervention, currently placing systems as large as Pensions and Social Security on the equivilant of government welfare and dependence.
Wobblies and Bitcoiners
“The Wobbly, male or female, Asian or Occidental, black, brown, red or white, was only an ordinary human being in physique”
We feel the same about Bitcoiners. We have all met some of the most inspiring people in our lives in this space. It is both the character, grit and determination that allows individuals to discover and understand Bitcoin, as well as the character building journey a Bitcoiner must take to fully grasp Bitcoin and share it with a world that rounds out what many of us believe is the most talented and motivated communities in the world.
“Their story was collaborative, collective, not reliant on any one hero or heroine-as heroic (or tragic) as individual Wobblies lives might be.”
Kill your heroes. Death to Ego. Bitcoin doesn’t need any of us.
Solidarity: A movement greater than the individual
“The world of the Wobblies was one realized in its best moments by solidarity across race, ethnic, gender and nationality lines”
The beauty of Bitcoin is it requires no trust between those who transact with each other. And in doing such, Bitcoin allows humans to deconstruct the daily head to toe analysis we perform on each other daily; an analysis that instinctually calls out our differences, with roots in paranoia and fear. While blind solidarity amongst Bitcoiners is the antithesis of “dont trust, verify,” there is a strong natural bond between Bitcoiners. I believe the future of Bitcoin, when facing its largest tests ahead, will very much depend upon a deepened solidarity between those who subscribe to Bitcoin’s Genesis, core values, and blind commitment to being honest, true and trustless.
AFL vs. Knights of Labor
“The earliest mass movement for an eight hour workday during 1885-86, highlighted the different roles of two kinds of labor movements. The American Federation of Labor, founded in 1883, sought to organize skilled workers (almost entirely white and male) only…whereas the Knights of Labor, founded in 1869 as a secret society..extended its membership to almost all workers (except Chinese), including African-Americans and women.”
The AFL and its exclusive country club brand of membership outlasted the ultimate demise of the Knights of Labor and still exists today as the AFL-CIO. In reading about the different philosophies of the AFL and Knights of Labor it brings up parallels within the Bitcoin community, frequently heard criticisms of Bitcoin Maxi’s, as well as Bitcoin v. Crypto. I leave you the reader to draw your own thoughts here, as parallels are in their nature loose affiliations at best.
The Movement
“In the industrially advanced United States, the working class had been prepared ready to assume control of society and to replace “politics” and the “State” with a government of direct rule. As Marx had pointed out about the Paris Commune (and Lenin would repeat for the Soviets), the existing government apparatus could not be infiltrated and taken over piece-meal; it had to be dissolved and repalced by a truly democratic, modern form of government”
There are two camps of thought in Bitcoin, one that calls for a full collapse of the current financial system, and migration to a Bitcoin Standard, and another that insists Bitcoin can co-exist with and even surpass the current financial system without the latters’ collapse. While money is not identical to government in this parallel, the amount in which money is entrenched in the legacy financial system, is prodigious, and this always sparks interesting debate between Bitcoiners.
“For the IWW..the familiar problem of the socialist movement being notoriously small in the US could be solved in a new way. ‘Educating’ workers into becoming socialists, through newspapers, speeches and election campaigns, was too passive and not very successful. Workers needed to educate themselves, in and through their own actions and self-organization.”
Some opposing parallels here. Immediately, I think of a core value of Bitcoiners, which is that, no one can walk this path for you. Proof of Work can not be sidestepped or bypassed. No individual or group can cheat the quest for knowledge, both about Bitcoin and the system it sits poised to replace. The Bitcoin journeys of individuals and membership-based orgs, absent continuous learning and education, often end up in loss or disappointment. Those who do the work, find that their knowledge of money blossoms, and few if any have ever turned back after coming to deeply understand Bitcoin.
Simultaneously, my mind shifts to the oligarchy’s attempts at no less than a 10 year negative media blitz on all things Bitcoin. It slowed the train but it did not work. The other day, I randomly asked people at the 3rd Street promenade in Santa Monica, to share their thoughts on Bitcoin. Overwhelmingly positive, and having some foundation in accuracy. The movement to dissuade people from finding Bitcoin was a delay of the inevitable at best. Because nothing can stop an idea whose time has come.
Conclusions
On this labor day, I gaze upon the deeply polarized two party political system of the dominant world power today. And as I see labor unions align with one party, at the expense of creating division within their ranks, I see a labor movement that has drifted from its original foundation. While the IWW rose and fell, its pinnacle represented an unwavering movement, a solidarity and commitment to the worker above everything else. And there is power in that. I see parallels today in Bitcoin.
The core principles of Bitcoin transcend our differences and are worth fighting for. At Proof of Workforce, our method of fighting for these values is through education-based Bitcoin adoption for workers, unions, pension funds and municipalities. And in doing so, we are sharing not just bitcoin the asset, or Bitcoin the Network, we are communicating the Genesis of Bitcoin and its values, so that they may not be lost in the progression of time.
Finally, Bitcoin is a natural evolution of the labor movement, sharing many similarities and parallels. However, unlike the labor movement, the worker can rely on Bitcoin, absent any allegiance to any political party, leader or oligarchy. And in this sense, Bitcoin and its system of values stands to be adopted by unions all over the world. And in doing so, unions around the world can become re-aligned to their Genesis Story. A story where solidarity comes above all, a story where workers come together to hold onto the very productive property dependent upon their labor. A story where, as many workers stand to be phased out of relevance due to automation and AI, the unions representing them look forward and claim ownership of the most accessible and promising productive property available to them today; Bitcoin.
This is a guest post by Dom Bei. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.