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@ ItsDM
2025-05-12 17:08:20*For some people, Bitcoin is about saving for retirement. For others, it’s about eating tomorrow. __I first shared the idea of a “Bitcoin Privilege Curve” at the Plan B Forum 2025 in El Salvador. And it still guides how I see Bitcoin today—especially here in Uganda. __Bitcoin shows up differently depending on where you are in life. What it gives you depends on what you need most. __In Uganda, Bitcoin shows up as survival and uphill battle towards financial empowerment to the largely financially illiterate community. __Sometimes it’s food. Sometimes it’s school fees. Or even a skill. We receive Bitcoin donations that allow us to feed orphans, support teachers, and build small projects that teach these children how to farm, save, and think differently about money, __They’re learning how to live better. A child who knows how to grow food and save in sats is building wealth from the ground up. That’s what the lower end of the curve looks like: *Cheap transactions: Many of the people we work with don’t have bank accounts and the cost of accessing, setting up and maintaining a bank account is just unnecessary. Bitcoin lets them send and receive money within themselves almost at no fees, a better option than the exploitative fee structure by mobile money service providers and most banks. Cross-border remittances: We’ve seen Bitcoin move across borders in minutes with no forms, no gatekeepers. I can instantly and cheaply pay for a friend's grocery shopping in Kenya by sending Kenyan shillings into a Grocery Vendor's Mpesa straight from my Bitcoin wallet via Tando. Wealth multiplication: Even saving one sat creates a shift. It teaches patience. It grows over time. Bitcoin is a wealth multiplier for most underprivileged or privileged people, we taught Bitcoin and its principles to former students at Makerere University that have now entered the job market, from testimonials Bitcoin is helping them achieve their savings goals faster than their colleagues.
__Now go higher up the curve, and Bitcoin looks different. ****Wealth preservation: For someone with savings, Bitcoin protects that value over time, especially in regions with unstable currencies, the Argentina, Zimbabwe and Venezuala currency devaluation scandals always remind me that, you can do everything right and still end up losing all your hard earned value to mediocre goverment policies. Inflation hedge: Where governments keep printing money, Bitcoin holds its ground. It offers a stable alternative. The fallacy that inflation is a necessary evil no longer holds water, having a currency with a 21 Million coin hard cap enforceable by millions of Bitcoin network participants across the world guarantees no governement intervention. Censorship resistance: No one can freeze, reject or interfere with your Bitcoin and respective transactions. It's easy to assume because its a public ledger, you sacrifice privacy hence transaction integrity but this is far from the case, Bitcoin gives people freedom to transact without interference privately. Choice: Bitcoin doesn’t lock you into one system. You can move in and out of, save, or spend it however you see fit as long as your transactions obey the globally agreed upon, never changing network rules since 2009.
__So no, it’s not fair to compare someone struggling for a meal to someone saving for their retirement. But that’s the point. Bitcoin doesn’t need to be the same thing for everyone.
__With Gorilla Sats , our tourism project, we’re linking both ends of the curve. Bitcoiners from around the world visit our communities and spend their Bitcoin with local vendors. It’s not charity—it’s a circular economy. The people higher up the curve get meaningful experiences. Locals get income, exposure, and proof that their sats are valuable.
__In traditional finance, someone without a Visa machine can’t do business with someone carrying a card. The tourist who can't easily use mobile money and is hesistant because of exchange rates will spend comparably less but with Bitcoin, all you need is a phone even a basic button one because with now Machankura 8333, Bitcoin moves via USSD.
__Bitcoin offers privilege—but not the kind that excludes. It offers access, ownership, and freedom based on where you are in life. So no, it’s not fair to compare someone struggling for a meal with someone protecting their portfolio. But that’s the point.
__And if we build for everyone on the curve, we all move forward.
__If you’re building for Bitcoin adoption, think about the full curve. What’s it solving where you live? And who still needs a way in?