What Is A Pleb?
In Ancient Rome, the plebeians were the body of free citizens not part of the patrician, senatorial, or equestrian class; average working class citizens. In Bitcoin-speak, "pleb" is a self-proclaimed term for an ordinary person contributing to the Bitcoin network (ie. "stacking sats", "HODLing", running a node, educating, etc.).
Plebs are the white blood cells of the Bitcoin network, helping combat FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) by being a vocal participant; helping educate and on-board no-coiners. Most plebs are Bitcoin "maximalists", meaning they are proponents of supporting the adoption and growth of Bitcoin; not broader crypto.
A pleb's approach to buying, holding, and using bitcoin
- Fold+ Bitcoin rewards debit card — Earn sats on everyday spending, including gift card purchases and ACH bill pay (Bitcoin rewards on rent, credit card payments, etc.). It’s essentially everything you need from a USD checking account, with a Bitcoin balance serving as your long-term savings. Plus, insured Bitcoin deposits provide peace of mind before transitioning your funds to self-custody. If you want one place to buy bitcoin and hold it as savings along side a cash balance, Fold is the way to go.
- River’s Bitcoin interest on cash deposits — Want the low volatility of cash savings while earning Bitcoin? River’s interest is auto-converted to Bitcoin, letting you earn Bitcoin from cash savings. River is also celebrated as the best Bitcoin-only exchange because they built their own custodial service in-house, eliminating third-party custodian risk for your Bitcoin balance.
- Strike for Lightning Network and global remittance payments — Looking to send Bitcoin or pay a Lightning invoice? Strike is the apex predator in this space.
- A Bitcoin-only hardware wallet (signing device) — Take custody of your Bitcoin savings intended for “HODLing” with a Coldcard, or Trezor (bitcoin-only version), or Bitbox (bitcoin-only version). Self-custody is the most beautifully empowering aspect of bitcoin as a monetary asset, and it’s not as hard as you might think.
Bitcoin books by plebs, for plebs
The only way to truly grasp Bitcoin and understand the pleb movement is to embrace the “don’t trust, verify” ethos and put in the work yourself. Join Fold, earn rewards on an Amazon gift card, order these books, read them, and you can thank me for changing your life (@wotterdog)
- 21 Lessons — A quick read to prime you for Bitcoin
- Broken Money — Understanding the current monetary system and how f**ked it is
- Hidden Repression — Monetary colonialism within the current monetary system
- The Bitcoin Standard — Bitcoin explained by an Austrian economist
- Inventing Bitcoin — A quick read on the technical side of why Bitcoin works
- A Progressive’s Case for Bitcoin — Why the left needs Bitcoin
- Thank God for Bitcoin — Why Bitcoin is morally superior
