Chasing value itself is not worthy of admiration and cannot bring true satisfaction.
Author: Kualta
Translation: Deep Tide TechFlow
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Stratus and Snats for their meticulous proofreading of this article.
Preface
Whether in the crypto community or other groups, people have long been accustomed to creating a false sense of unity through superficial signals rather than based on shared values or goals.
Once, memes were tools for spreading culture, but now they are mistaken for culture itself.
The community is losing its direction and has lost its true identity. We have replaced deep mutual understanding with shallow signals of belonging.
This phenomenon, which was originally just a "small problem" within the crypto circle, has now spread to a broader society, and it can even be said that this pathology has reached an "incurable" level.
You Have No Culture
Don't say "gm" (good morning) to me. I am not your "fren" (friend).
When people blindly imitate certain behavioral patterns just to show a sense of belonging, it disgusts me. These behaviors are merely hollow substitutes for real interpersonal relationships.
While I don't want to give too much positive evaluation to this behavior, the subconscious motivation behind it is simple: to commodify everything, even the sense of belonging.
The crypto circle is a typical case of cultural decline. It was originally a revolution based on principles of security, decentralization, and resistance to corporate monopolies, but now it has degenerated into an echo chamber that fakes authenticity.
The original spirit of the crypto circle has not only been diluted but has even been replaced by its own "virtual replicas."
Today's crypto circle is no longer a true community but a desperate attempt to piece together identity in an increasingly meaningless world. Ironically, as the levels of abstraction increase, this sense of identity appears increasingly hypocritical.
Do you remember that the word "crypto" comes from "cryptography"? Or have today's memes completely replaced substantive content?
At best, you are just a "useful fool"; at worst, you are merely a "liquidity exit" being exploited.
However, the crypto circle is just a microcosm of the entire world. This phenomenon extends far beyond that.
In every aspect of modern life, we can see the same process: real cultural elements are discovered, commodified, and then mass-produced until they are completely disconnected from their original meaning.
Whether it's gambling culture (Gamblecore), meme tokens, or exit polls—these are just manifestations of the same pathology. Humans are fed packaged viewpoints, trapped in echo chambers, gradually losing the motivation to explore more possibilities.
And why do you allow this to happen? Because it fills the void within you—you have no culture.
Human Connection
Humans need connection. However, this is a paradox of contemporary society: in an instant and highly interconnected era, we are experiencing an overflow of superficial relationships.
It's easy to criticize behaviors that resemble "herd mentality"—like the daily "gm" greetings, recycled memes, and those hollow interactions. But behind these behaviors lies a deeper truth: humans crave connection, and in the absence of genuine ties, we may even accept a poor imitation of a community.
We pride ourselves on scientific discussions and rational debates. We hope to engage in fact-based discussions and logical reasoning. Yet, people spend millions of hours on social media expressing opinions and seeking validation. Why is that?
Setting aside those addictive platforms and algorithms, the core issue is that in the scientific community, we neither value nor allow people to satisfy their emotional needs without negating their arguments.
We are emotional beings trying to find direction in an increasingly abstract world.
The more we deny this fact, the shallower our society becomes.
When we neglect emotional connections between humans in pursuit of "pure facts," this need does not disappear—it only gets suppressed, ultimately manifesting in distorted forms. The popularity of meme culture is not the root of the problem but a manifestation of our failure to meet this basic human need.
Humans need connection. We need communities that can accommodate rigorous thinking while embracing genuine emotions. Otherwise, we will continue to waste time in the current absurd phenomenon.
Immune System
In addition to the obvious symptoms, this "cultural disease" has some malicious propagators.
Those who have not become victims but instead profit from these environments are a thought-provoking phenomenon. We find that a society lacking in emotion not only accepts someone completely detached from reality but also willingly follows them.
If you haven't been paying attention to politics (which is a good thing), the way people build trust has changed significantly in recent years.
People can not only manipulate current public opinion but also rewrite history in the public's perception and easily escape punishment—simply by catering to human emotional needs rather than intellectual ones.
This illustrates how strong our desire for connection is. Identifying those who exploit our emotions is the first step toward societal recovery. It is truly heartbreaking to see these individuals rise so quickly.
Those who despise you, enslave you, control your life, and tell you what to do, what to think, and what to feel—do not compromise with them.
The real tragedy lies not only in the hollowness of these behaviors; it also obstructs the formation of genuine culture. As long as you participate, even if only by tacitly allowing its existence, this "cultural disease" will continue to spread.
One must take pride in their culture. However, this has never been an easy task.
True culture stems from shared values, which are not merely superficial identifications. Genuine culture is built on principles that guide and constrain our decisions.
When we accept those shallow cultural substitutes, we are not only weakening the cohesion of the community—we are also sacrificing the possibility of creating anything meaningful.
Some mistakenly believe that everyone has the right to express their opinions. This is not the case. If you cannot clearly articulate the beliefs you hold, you cannot claim they belong to you. If you only have slogans and hollow viewpoints—you do not deserve attention.
Interactions through short videos and fragmented content only exacerbate this issue. Do not mistake it for something else; it is merely a marketing tool.
Remember, what distinguishes humans from animals is our ability to create and protect our culture.
If a person has no culture, I cannot respect them.
Key Points
Our cultural standards need to be continuously elevated, not repeatedly lowered. Wavering standards will only keep us stagnant while allowing those who seek to exploit us to profit.
We should encourage those who dare to explore, debate, and maintain rational thinking, but we must also be wary of treating rationality as the sole truth.
We cannot tolerate degenerate behaviors; we should also hold a critical attitude toward those who condone degeneration.
Do not easily accept those viewpoints that seem tailored for you but are merely catering to your emotions. Be wary of those who exploit your feelings for personal gain.
Chasing value itself is not worthy of admiration and cannot bring true satisfaction.
Everyone should take pride in their independent thinking and understanding abilities.
Stand confidently with like-minded individuals and jointly defend our culture and values.
免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。
