atrocities notwithstanding, an online drug supply chain could assist in crime reduction. When end users ordered online, they could order direct from a large-scale dealer in Europe or North America, cutting out many of the middlemen usually involved before drugs arrived to the final customer in a face-to-face transaction.
What’s more, anonymous online transactions completely eradicated any threat of violence from a drug deal. ‘Some, especially the cartels, are basically a defacto violent power hungry state, and surely would love nothing more than to take control of a national government, but your average joe pot dealer, who wouldn’t hurt a fly, that guy became my hero,’ DPR said. (An academic study by two scholars that analysed Silk Road in retrospect some years later entitled ‘Not an “eBay for drugs”’, also cited the inherent inability to commit drug-related violence as a reason for the site’s popularity. ‘The anonymity that the cryptomarket provides reduces or eliminates the need – or even the ability – to resort to violence,’ the study said.)
His utopian system would also contribute to harm reduction. Inconsistency in quality and content could lead to overdoses and unexpected reactions. The user in a face-to-face transaction rarely knew what purity their pill or powder contained, but with Silk Road’s feedback system, the vendor’s desire for repeat business and the lively discussion forums, the online purchaser could be comparatively confident about what they were ingesting.
The discussion forums were something else that DPR deliberately fostered, providing a support network for drug takers. He took his role of mentor, tutor and benevolent dictator seriously and nurtured and guided contributors to create the type of community he wanted. One of the most popular forums on the site was dedicated to drug safety. Users provided advice on the safest methods of taking and mixing drugs, as well as support and counseling for those who wished to quit using.
Drug safety and responsible use were ‘incredibly important’ to DPR and his team, he claimed in one interview. ‘I care very much about the community of people that surround Silk Road,’ he said. ‘Many of the substances sold on Silk Road are quite powerful and if not used responsibly could lead to addiction, injury or even death. Not surprisingly, most people don’t want these things for themselves.’
For the Dread Pirate Roberts, Silk Road was not merely a commercial enterprise: it was a revolution. DPR was determined to teach his followers his philosophy:
Anything you do that is outside the control of the state is agorist, so in some sense we are all agorists whether we know it or not. Some people just take those actions because of the personal gain they can obtain, which is perfectly fine, but some do it as a conscientious objection and act of rebellion against the state as well.
I’m out to turn unconscious agorists into conscious active ones. :)
By early 2012, Silk Road was firmly on the radar of authorities in the United States, Europe and Oceania. And everybody – law enforcement, journalists and followers alike – was curious about the charismatic founder.
Why, he was asked, was he able to remain anonymous despite manhunts by authorities, journalists and tenacious internet sleuths?
‘Because my life, liberty and mission are more important to me than fame, convenience or comfort,’ Roberts said.
Here’s another thing that doesn’t get said enough: I love you. This is the most fun I’ve ever had and I feel closer to the people I have met here than the vast majority of people I have to hide all of this from in real life. Stay light, have fun, and please take this on as more than a way to score drugs. Stand by me as we stand up for ourselves.
– Dread Pirate Roberts forum post, 11 January 2012
You’ve Got Mail
T he occasional media article that emerged within the year or so of Silk Road’s opening was often met with
What’s more, anonymous online transactions completely eradicated any threat of violence from a drug deal. ‘Some, especially the cartels, are basically a defacto violent power hungry state, and surely would love nothing more than to take control of a national government, but your average joe pot dealer, who wouldn’t hurt a fly, that guy became my hero,’ DPR said. (An academic study by two scholars that analysed Silk Road in retrospect some years later entitled ‘Not an “eBay for drugs”’, also cited the inherent inability to commit drug-related violence as a reason for the site’s popularity. ‘The anonymity that the cryptomarket provides reduces or eliminates the need – or even the ability – to resort to violence,’ the study said.)
His utopian system would also contribute to harm reduction. Inconsistency in quality and content could lead to overdoses and unexpected reactions. The user in a face-to-face transaction rarely knew what purity their pill or powder contained, but with Silk Road’s feedback system, the vendor’s desire for repeat business and the lively discussion forums, the online purchaser could be comparatively confident about what they were ingesting.
The discussion forums were something else that DPR deliberately fostered, providing a support network for drug takers. He took his role of mentor, tutor and benevolent dictator seriously and nurtured and guided contributors to create the type of community he wanted. One of the most popular forums on the site was dedicated to drug safety. Users provided advice on the safest methods of taking and mixing drugs, as well as support and counseling for those who wished to quit using.
Drug safety and responsible use were ‘incredibly important’ to DPR and his team, he claimed in one interview. ‘I care very much about the community of people that surround Silk Road,’ he said. ‘Many of the substances sold on Silk Road are quite powerful and if not used responsibly could lead to addiction, injury or even death. Not surprisingly, most people don’t want these things for themselves.’
For the Dread Pirate Roberts, Silk Road was not merely a commercial enterprise: it was a revolution. DPR was determined to teach his followers his philosophy:
Anything you do that is outside the control of the state is agorist, so in some sense we are all agorists whether we know it or not. Some people just take those actions because of the personal gain they can obtain, which is perfectly fine, but some do it as a conscientious objection and act of rebellion against the state as well.
I’m out to turn unconscious agorists into conscious active ones. :)
By early 2012, Silk Road was firmly on the radar of authorities in the United States, Europe and Oceania. And everybody – law enforcement, journalists and followers alike – was curious about the charismatic founder.
Why, he was asked, was he able to remain anonymous despite manhunts by authorities, journalists and tenacious internet sleuths?
‘Because my life, liberty and mission are more important to me than fame, convenience or comfort,’ Roberts said.
Here’s another thing that doesn’t get said enough: I love you. This is the most fun I’ve ever had and I feel closer to the people I have met here than the vast majority of people I have to hide all of this from in real life. Stay light, have fun, and please take this on as more than a way to score drugs. Stand by me as we stand up for ourselves.
– Dread Pirate Roberts forum post, 11 January 2012
You’ve Got Mail
T he occasional media article that emerged within the year or so of Silk Road’s opening was often met with
Similar Books
