Everyone has their own unique sense of style, but if you are wearing Bitcoin merch like the shirt in the X post below out in public — you should probably stop doing so.
This Bitcoin shirt is cringe as fuck.
Have fun getting 7 dollar wrench attacked. pic.twitter.com/zRlT2CFrIg
— Breadman (@BTCBreadMan) January 11, 2025
I agree with this post in that this shirt is cringe as fuck and will only bring unwanted attention.
Most people don’t understand Bitcoin and the lingo adjacent to it. If you’re wearing this out in public, the majority of people are not even going to understand it and will move on with their day, completely forgetting about it. So if you’re wearing the shirt, you’re not really flexing as hard as you think.
But some who will see you wearing it will know what it means, and this may lead to bad consequences.
Wearing a shirt that broadcasts to everyone that you own a full bitcoin (or basically $100,000, at the time of writing, in the form of a bearer asset) will likely just put a target on your back.
Don’t believe me?
This past November, the CEO of the Canadian company WonderFi was kidnapped and held for ransom. And more recently, a Pakistani crypto trader was kidnapped and forced to pay $340,000 to the kidnappers from his Binance account.
I’m not trying to scare anyone, but these things can happen, and you should at least avoid putting yourself in such a situation.
These criminals may or may not know how Bitcoin works, and it’s probably worse if they don’t. Because they might think you have it all on one exchange, or that you have your private keys located in one place that is easy to obtain, therefore thinking you are probably an easy target. And if you tell them you physically cannot give up your coins, and they don’t believe you, things could get ugly quick.
I’m not saying to never talk to anyone about Bitcoin ever or to be 100% secretive about it — I mean, I’m a public figure in this space and have thought through how to best limit the chances of something bad like this happening to me. The security of your bitcoin is important, but also is your personal security. Luckily for me, I am an American and have my second amendment rights. Protecting my Bitcoin from a potential $5 wrench attack is a lot easier with a firearm.
Upgraded my bitcoin security today by buying a Glock 19
— Nikolaus (@nikcantmine) December 26, 2020
If you are a proud owner of one full bitcoin, it’s fine to celebrate it, as that is a feat that most people on the planet will never be able to achieve.
My advice to you, though, is to celebrate it in a way that is more private, like with no one more than your family and very close friends that you trust. You can post online on X or Reddit anonymously about it if you really want to have a deeper conversation about it or to get the dopamine from all the other anons congratulating you on the accomplishment.
Don’t tell people how much bitcoin you own, and definitely don’t wear shirts that disclose it. Just stay humble and stack more bitcoin.
This article is a Take. Opinions expressed are entirely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
