"What happens when the power goes out? How do you access your [cryptocurrency]? You people have never worked in a restaurant when the credit card reader goes down for hours, and it shows."
Even in a grid down situation, it should be possible to conduct crypto trades in a variety of ways:
Satellite:
https://blockstream.com/satellite/
Mesh network:
https://locha.io/
Ham radio:
https://www.wired.com/story/cypherpunks-bitcoin-ham-radio
Every currency has some downsides. Take precious metals, for example. What are you going to do if you have to flee country? How much gold can you sew into your clothes? What will happen when you try to go through a metal detector?
Did you know that it's illegal to transport more than $2.5 K in precious metals or $10 K in cash out of the US without declaring it?
https://www.nestmann.com/understand-the-rules-before-you-transport-precious-metals-overseas-part-ii
Whereas you can transport billions in crypto just by memorizing a 12 word passphrase.
There's also the issue of actually conducting trades. With gold and silver, you have to transport physical atoms (or use a hawala-like system). If the government bans private ownership of gold (as it has done in the past), then such transactions will be difficult to conduct without risk of arrest and/or confiscation.
Even in a grid down situation, it should be possible to conduct crypto trades in a variety of ways:
Satellite:
https://blockstream.com/satellite/
Mesh network:
https://locha.io/
Ham radio:
https://www.wired.com/story/cypherpunks-bitcoin-ham-radio
Every currency has some downsides. Take precious metals, for example. What are you going to do if you have to flee country? How much gold can you sew into your clothes? What will happen when you try to go through a metal detector?
Did you know that it's illegal to transport more than $2.5 K in precious metals or $10 K in cash out of the US without declaring it?
https://www.nestmann.com/understand-the-rules-before-you-transport-precious-metals-overseas-part-ii
Whereas you can transport billions in crypto just by memorizing a 12 word passphrase.
There's also the issue of actually conducting trades. With gold and silver, you have to transport physical atoms (or use a hawala-like system). If the government bans private ownership of gold (as it has done in the past), then such transactions will be difficult to conduct without risk of arrest and/or confiscation.