NFTease

I'm humble enough to admit that I don't understand NFTs - neither how they work nor even what they are (consider the part in the video about "deliberate obfuscation" - 8:36-9:12). But I'm open-minded enough to have given them the benefit of the doubt, while networking with artists on Twitter. And I'm future-minded enough to buy (although not literally) into the promise of change, because the system we've got right now - it's not working.

But I'm also not dumb, and I can tell you that NFTs have never passed my own personal sniff test, and they're not something I ever felt compelled to mess with. I also just watched the Wolf of Wall Street, so the idea that people can make millions of dollars scamming the gullible and the diseased (i.e., suffering from gambling addiction) by selling the IDEA of something that is in fact worthless - well, that's real.

It's also a poetic irony that the artists I was networking with on Twitter sold this shimmering idea of an artist's retreat where creatives would meet and collaborate, and it seemed like it could be the first time I'd ever have any real world contact with another human being involved in the controversial niche I've dedicated my life to - nude photography. So much so, that I canceled my summer vacation plans (this was two summers ago) to leave my schedule open, and then in the weeks leading up to the trip, the retreat evaporated into thin air with barely a mention. At that point, the community organically dissolved. The artists are still out there, but the camaraderie I thought we had simply vanished.

I think it's valuable to cultivate the ability to consider both sides of any issue (and if there are any issues I sound one-sided on, then you need to think long and hard about why that is). I get why people WANT to believe in NFTs. Aside from the "get rich quick" scheme which is never anything more than a scam, I heard a lot of talk about decentralization, and taking power out of the hands of the establishment. But seduction is a form of manipulation. It doesn't mean the ideals are flawed. But you have to be careful that you're not being strung along - and for who's benefit? Not your own.

So I also feel gratified listening to what sounds like a competent takedown of the whole phenomenon. I'm hesitant to sign onto anything that could be labeled close-minded or regressive. But what can you say about a concept that literally nobody is able to explain in a way that's simple and makes intuitive sense? It's almost humorous - if it weren't so alarming - how common the mantra "I don't really understand NFTs, I just want to get in on the ground floor" was among the artists I interacted with.

For better or worse, when I don't really understand something, I try to keep an open mind, but I'll take a step back and lurk more. Do my research. Maybe that approach isn't really better - I'm fairly risk-averse, and I will never be successful because in order to reach the top you have to take a leap of faith that will lead nine out of ten people into the gutter. But caution and rational examination of a situation - these are useful skills, too. They could even save your life someday.