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Everyone has their own unique sense of style, but if you’re wearing Bitcoin merch like the shirt in the X post below out in public – you should probably stop doing it.
This Bitcoin shirt is for the hell of it.
Have fun getting attacked with a $7 wrench. pic.twitter.com/zRlT2CFrIg
— Breadman (@BTCBreadMan) 11 January 2025
I agree with this post that this jersey is scary and will only bring unwanted attention.
Most people do not understand Bitcoin and the language adjacent to it. If you wear this out in public, most people won’t even understand and will go about their day and forget about it entirely. So if you have the shirt on, you’re not really bending as hard as you think.
But some who will see you wearing it will know what it means and it can lead to bad consequences.
Wearing a shirt that broadcasts to everyone that you own an entire bitcoin (or essentially $100,000, at the time of writing, in the form of a bearer asset) will probably just put a target on your back.
Don’t you believe me?
Last November, the CEO of the Canadian company WonderFi was kidnapped and held for ransom. And 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 not know how Bitcoin works, and it’s probably worse if they don’t. Because they might think you have it all in one central location, or that you have your private keys in one easy-to-reach place, and therefore think you’re probably an easy target. And if you tell them you physically can’t give up your coins and they don’t believe you, things can get ugly quickly.
I’m not saying I should never talk to anyone about Bitcoin ever or be 100% secretive about it – I mean, I’m a public figure in this space and have thought through how best to limit the chances of something bad like this happens to me. The security of your bitcoin is important, but so is your personal security. Fortunately for me, I am an American and have my second amendment rights. Protecting my Bitcoin from a potential $5 wrench attack is much easier with a firearm.
Upgraded my bitcoin security today by buying a Glock 19
— Nikolaus (@nikcantmine) 26 December 2020
If you are the proud owner of one full bitcoin, it’s fine to celebrate as it’s an achievement that most people on the planet will never be able to achieve.
However, my advice to you is to celebrate 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 achievement.
Don’t tell people how much bitcoin you own, and definitely don’t wear shirts that reveal it. Just be humble and stack more bitcoin.
This article is one Take. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.