Many online communities centered around Bitcoin trading are dominated by right-wing partisans. However, Mr. Jason Maier, instructor in math, has been inspired to write his new book, A Progressive Case for Bitcoin, because he believes that progressives can leverage the digital currency to advance social justice, equity, and world peace.
Mr. Maier seeks to dismantle misconceptions about Bitcoin that he has seen among liberal and left-leaning individuals. A Progressive Case for Bitcoin examines how cryptocurrency can be used to serve interests aligned with liberal and progressive values: one chapter of the book, for example, illustrates how Bitcoin can be used to address wealth inequality by providing an opportunity for economic independence; another chapter undermines the assumption that Bitcoin is bad for the environment, explaining how Bitcoin creators, or “miners,” have partnered organizations building new sources of renewable energy.
Initially, Mr. Maier launched a campaign on Kickstarter to self-publish his book. Within a few days, he surpassed his goal; a month later, he had exceeded it by 200%. At the end of 2022, he was offered a contract by “Bitcoin Magazine,” who will now publish A Progressive Case for Bitcoin.
Since he began writing, Mr. Maier has been invited to appear on a number of internationally recognised podcasts, including “The Breakdown,” “What Bitcoin Did with Peter McCormack,” and “The Weekly HODL with Shibs.” In his conversation with Peter McCormack, Mr. Maier discussed Democratic politicians’ misunderstandings about Bitcoin. Many left-leaning representatives think of Bitcoin users as people who “don’t care about the environment and [believe] climate change isn’t real.” However, Mr. Maier argues that many Bitcoin users are deeply engaged with environmental reform and see the potential for Bitcoin to “improve the environment, by [making] it more likely that other users of electricity are using green energy.” Mr. Maier is working to make his work available to progressive politicians; for example, pledges of $75 or more on his Kickstarter for the book provide a free copy to a sitting Democratic Senator.
Ultimately, Mr. Maier hopes his book will convince readers of all political backgrounds of the utility of Bitcoin. He said, “I think that it’s an important invention in terms of finance and money, not to [just] get rich or make money as an investment, but to use it as a tool to make things better for marginalized people from all around the world.”
