Cardano and Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson has shared his thoughts on the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. He believes that the long-term solution lies in the principles of crypto, such as disintermediation, decentralization, resilience, and integrity.
Yesterday, Trump was targeted in an assassination attempt. The bullets narrowly missed him, grazing his right ear. If he hadn’t moved his head at that precise moment, he might have been killed. Unfortunately, a person behind Trump was killed, and two others were injured. The shooter was also killed during the attempt to stop him. Credits: BBC
Charles said that what happened, while shocking, is not entirely surprising given the current state of American politics. He believes that the political discourse in the United States has gone from legitimate differences of opinion to a mentality where those who disagree are seen as enemies that must be destroyed. This radicalization of opinions leads to political violence.
Charles also discussed the role of social media in this incident. He mentioned that some of the first reactions on social media were not thoughts and prayers but comments expressing disappointment that the shooter missed. He said, “It’s pretty sad that people wish for the death of those that they disagree with.”
Charles believes that social media and instant communication have led to people viewing others not as human beings but as characters to either love or hate. This dehumanization makes it impossible for meaningful political change to occur. He said: “We must take a moment of reflection if we ever hope to get out of all of this and realize that while we can be divisive at times, we should never lose sight of our common shared humanity.”
According to Charles, the next 48 to 72 hours are gonna be very important for American history. He believes that the lack of trust in centralized institutions, including political ones, is a major problem. He added that: “We’ve gotten to a point where no matter who leads, no matter what they do, what they accomplish, we are unable to fully trust them for a variety of reasons. Politics is no different. In fact, it’s the epicenter of all such things.”
Regardless of the election outcome, Charles predicts that there will be bitter division moving forward. He urges people to consider the benefits of decentralization, which does not rely on individual leaders who can be targeted or demonized. He stated, “There’s no one to shoot. There’s no one to demonize. There’s no one to canonize.”
