The #XRParmy

If you’ve ever gazed on Twitter, you may have seen the hashtags #XRParmy or #XRPthestandard. These come from fans of the XRP token who believe that this is the ultimate cryptocurrency. Whether they are right or wrong is certainly up for debate, but you can’t help but admire their passion (or delusion).

Bitcoin maximalists are the most derogatory towards these Ripplenites. As I have discussed before, Ripple, despite sitting in second in terms of cryptocurrency market cap value, is not everyone’s cup of tea. Bitcoin itself is no stranger to being criticised either. You only need to look at the subreddit r/Buttcoin to find that they also have many detractors. Bitcoiners largely ignore such criticism, and the #XRParmy is no different.

How such a culture was cultivated I am still unsure of. Sure, XRP has been around for many years now, but the sheer passion of the #XRParmy still has me relatively baffled. News of a bullish kind is treated with a fervent fever. Bearish news is treated with the upmost denial. Whether such tactics are useful for a constructive debate is a question the #XRParmy should be asking itself. Engaging with criticism in a constructive manner compared to flat out denial would appear to be the right path, except it’s rarely seen. David Schwartz, the Jesus-like figure of the #XRParmy, to his credit is the most active in taking criticism on board and rebuking it as he sees fit.

To be fair, it isn’t a surprise to see the #XRParmy so defensive. We see the same attitude with many in Bitcoin. Those who do not believe in the project or criticise are often viewed as uneducated or haters. This doesn’t help to build a wider community in either space. Yet, in their eyes, once you see higher levels of adoption, the world will come around anyway. The key question then becomes when will XRP truly become “the standard”, if ever. Sure, there have been many news stories over the years of Ripple and XRP working with major banks. However, as of yet there has been no concrete evidence of it ever reaching the mainstream.

Herein lies the issue that many have with the #XRParmy. Their blind faith. One day, they may be proven right. Until then though, I will carry on respecting their passion within the space, even if I don’t agree with it myself.