You may have gotten into an argument with someone on Twitter, or seen a salty nocoiner say something about bitcoin, and then a large group of laser-eyed accounts left hundreds of responses with the acronym H.F.S.P. Sometimes, someone will just leave you an ‘H' and be done with it.
What does HSFP mean?
Much like taking an ‘L', receiving an ‘H' from someone isn't exactly good news.
HFSP means Have Fun Staying Poor.
When you tell someone to “Have Fun Staying Poor”, it's basically a way to dismiss their financial decisions, emphasizing that they can do whatever the hell they want to do, but you think it's a bad idea. It's like seeing your best friend spend $200 on something you think is a waste of money, but what are you going to do about it – you aren't their financial advisor, after all.
In the context of bitcoin, HFSP is often used on altcoiners who buy into ridiculous narratives like high yielding DeFi tokens or NFTs, but it can also be used on salty nocoiners who continually FUD bitcoin and don't own any bitcoin despite plenty of evidence that they should.
Even after lengthy explanations and reasonable responses, some people still can't be helped, so you just kind of have to move on with your life and let them make their own decisions. You accept that they'll figure it out on their own, but just to leave the conversation with a bit of flare, you tell them to have fun staying poor. Well, some people just skip straight to the HFSP part and it's one of the reasons why many bitcoiners are accused of being toxic maximalists.
Regardless of whether or not you agree with the tactic, the message is clear and has merit. The message is that bitcoin is good money – great money, in fact. You should be saving at least some of your money in bitcoin. If you haven't taken the time to do your own research and aren't interested in doing it, then, well, you do you and I'll keep buying bitcoin.
Have Fun Staying Poor
The Origins Of Have Fun Staying Poor
There are actually a number of times the exact phrase “have fun staying poor” was used on Twitter before its association with the crypto world, and I assume that no single person coined the phrase. Similar, although not exactly the same, is the meme of Stop Being Poor, made famous by the photoshopped image of Paris Hilton wearing a shirt with that exact phrase.
Its use was popularized in crypto before it was adopted by bitcoiners, but what really got the meme moving was the popular crypto Twitter personality Udi Werthermer, who, for whatever reason, really memed this phrase into existence through consistency and humor. For a while, there was even a website and a Telegram group, though neither seem to be active these days.
The meme culminated in songs, printed mugs and T's, and even a few people saying it on live television.
HFSP In Context
Have Fun Staying Poor as a meme doesn't actually target poor people. It's a way of saying that someone is making a bad financial decision, namely that they don't own bitcoin. For example, we all know that Warren Buffet is not poor, and yet, here's someone saying that he should have fun staying poor. Why?
His comment that “cryptocurrencies will end badly” is not the worst thing he's said about bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, so it's no secret that he's not a fan. Telling him to have fun staying poor basically means that he's just going to have to find out for himself that he's wrong. Good luck with your Coca-Cola stock buddy!
Below is another exchange that demonstrates how to use HSFP to simply disagree with someone's investment choice. In this context, Barry Silbert is adding ZCash to his fund, against the advice of his Twitter followers, and then he taunts them by purchasing more.
The response? You guessed it.
Have Fun Staying Poor Memes & Jokes
Of course, once something hits the meme machine, it turns into all other types of jokes. The funny thing about many Bitcoin Twitter jokes and memes is that many normies outside of the circle can't really tell the difference between what's real and what's a joke.
Anyway, here's a pretty good one about a dad telling his kids to have fun staying poor for Christmas.
Not Everyone Likes Telling People To Have Fun Staying Poor
As I mentioned, some people end up not getting it. There are plenty of people who are upset about the meme, saying that it's rude, immature, and doesn't help grow the bitcoin community to be more inclusive.
What's interesting about these comments is that these people seem to not understand that HFSP is not supposed to be targeted at people who are actually poor and uneducated about bitcoin. It's targeting smart people who refuse to see what's right in front of them, despite patient explanations and evidence.
It's OK to be ignorant, but when you're presented with the information, what else am I supposed to do? I can't just keep holding your hand and rubbing your back and making you feel OK with bitcoin maximalism.
John Carvalho [source 43:15]
Bitcoin is not a company or an organization. When you interact with random people online, you are going to meet all types of personalities. My advice to someone offended by hearing HFSP is to just move on and then talk to someone kinder. Don't let a mean person online stop you from learning about Bitcoin.
Final Thoughts: Is It Still A Good Meme?
As of 2022, the meme of HFSP is kind of a dead meme. You don't hear it very much, although once in a while the opportunity pops up for a good zinger. Personally, I've had plenty of conversations about bitcoin with my friends over the years that have just left me exhausted to the point of just giving up and saying, “You know what, if you really want to figure it out, you'll do the research”, and that's the end of the conversation.
I never actually told them to have fun staying poor, but I think it's OK to just give people the tools they need and answer the immediate questions they have, and they'll figure out bitcoin when it becomes interesting or useful to them. Even the shitcoiners will figure it out one of these days. If they don't, well, good luck to them and their investments, but they may not get an invite to the citadel.
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