In Part 1 of the Pplpleasr interview, we learned about the birth of PleasrDAO and how charitable giving became a cornerstone of their identity; how it became a part of Pplpleasr’s. In this continuation, we dig deeper into philosophical questions around Web3 at large and understand better her unique perspective.
Rami: Thank you. It’s been spectacular. I really appreciate you taking the time. I’ve been hoping to get a chance to speak with you. Maybe tell me a little bit about your passion for what’s going on here?
Pplpleasr: You mean specifically this event? I mean, other than the fact that they’re displaying the Edward Snowden piece and Doge, I’ve also personally just never been to Prague before.
Rami: Oh, just like me. Did you see the balcony?
Photo Credit: Rami Al-Sabeq
Pplpleasr: I did. It was amazing. Yeah. Beautiful. Seriously, I feel so blessed to be here. Honestly, I don’t think my parents could even understand-
Rami: I mean, if I call my parents and tell them I’m in Prague Castle, they would say that sounds like a nice restaurant.
Pplpleasr: Yeah, honestly. So it was just that I’ve never been to Prague before. I feel blessed that I have this opportunity. I came here and met some friends that I’ve known before and new cool people like yourself. And I feel like this exchange of ideas is what’s most valuable at these events, right? And it shouldn’t stop there. The conversations we should be having, especially in such privileged situations as we are now, should be philosophical ones.
Rami: Definitely. And in regard to NFTs, what do you think is the biggest philosophical question coming up?
Pplpleasr: I think the low-hanging fruit, which is a lot of what we’re seeing right now, is the concept of flexing. Yeah, this is something that’s been known to man ever since they’ve existed, right. And so, as we move towards a digital realm, that’s totally natural. That this is literally the natural progression of humanity. Our previous conversation was a very positive and wholesome one. But at the end of the day, humans do shit, you know, they’re not perfect, right?
There are flaws in humanity, but that’s what makes it beautiful. Well, because otherwise, we would all be robots operating in a perfect world, and that’s not interesting. And so, to me, NFTs and what the technology allows them to do is just literally translating everything that we’ve known previously because, in the previous world, we have so many different currencies, languages, even forms of video; it’s all digital- but half digital, right? It’s not been on the blockchain yet. Even digital assets with Blizzard games and Riot Games, you can’t trade those assets. But we all understand the concept of flexing. And so I feel like, with blockchain and NFTs, it takes all of that and it migrates it into the digital realm. And it’s able to be almost transcribed. Let’s say, if you’re an alien coming in, you’re trying to understand Earth, right? Like, [blockchain] will transcribe it better. Aliens would be able to read the blockchain and understand people’s flags and the exchange of values and goods.
Rami: It’s so funny you say that because five years ago, nobody would have thought aliens could come and just look at the blockchain. But now, you can expect that with the blockchain looking like this very verifiable source of data.
Pplpleasr: It’s kind of like, sure maybe you could argue math didn’t exist before humans existed. But I’m sure as an alien, even if you weren’t previously familiar with the concept of math, but you came to Earth, and somebody taught it to you, you’d be like, “alright, that makes sense.” It’s kind of just like learning another language. And so I see it as the same. Blockchain is obviously not universal or transcendent. I’m just saying if any aliens were to learn how it is and why it is, they’d be like, “oh, yeah, that totally makes sense, and I understand that.” And then it’s like a legible- it’s literally a transcript of humanity starting from the digital era.
Rami: I agree. And to your point about flexing, I think it’s human nature. You can look at how well Rolexes and Audemars sell; because people want to show those off, but for different reasons. Somebody like me may just want to associate with a community. Somebody else might just feel really lucky that they were able to be part of one for different reasons. You can’t judge anyone because of that, but it’s definitely a phenomenon going on, and it’ll continue.
Pplpleasr: I hope so, and I hope we keep having conversations like this, that it doesn’t just die on, “what did you trade your Bored Ape for?” Or “I traded this NFT for this amount of ETH.” That’s just the surface level, touching on what we’ve actually discovered here. Or not discovered, that’s part of the beauty of it. It’s not really discovered; it’s like we’re also creating it, making it. Discovering and making at the same time, and we’ll see where it goes.
Photo Credit: Rami Al-Sabeq
Rami: I think it’s going to go in a positive place because, just like you said, these things are being reinvented. I think people are trying to reinvent things with the mindset of sharing them from the beginning.
Pplpleasr: Now look, I didn’t invent the concept of Web3. Where does this idea of sharing come from? You know, it preceded me. I’m glad that I’m able to inspire others. That’s how I hope to use my voice. But, it’s not from me, right? Other people have already been in this mindset.
Rami: Yeah. They have been. But maybe they didn’t understand meme culture.
Pplpleasr: Sure. I’m just a messenger- and I barely came adopted it, like I regurgitated culture in a way that’s understandable and transferable to value.
Rami: And it’s worked out phenomenally. I’m so happy for you and all your success, and I wish you all the continued best.
Pplpleasr: That was a lovely conversation. And I hope you keep doing what you’re doing. And anything I can do to help, I’m happy to.
Rami: I’m just happy to meet you and tell your story. You know, going around here and meeting all these people, I realized: these are the people that are going to likely be in the NFT space for the next 20, 30 years.
Pplpleasr: Yeah, these are the people that are going to be shaping the space.
Rami: And there’ll be more events like this. I don’t know how many castles there are going to be, but this is a good one.
Pplpleasr: This was a great one. It exceeded my expectations on all levels. Yeah, it
really did.
Rami: Yeah, it really did. I’ve been to fancy events in the Middle East, but it’s just so extra.
Pplpleasr: Yeah, it doesn’t feel genuine. And not to get philosophical again, but I think it’s part of what maybe makes people intrigued about my story. And I’m also a proponent of: everything in the universe is related. It’s also related to certain memes like this one, for example, the Doge. It’s like, there’s that level of genuine serendipity that you cannot artificially forge.
That’s what makes it so valuable, and might also be that element of luck that we talked about, you know, everything is connected. And, it’s kind of a far stretch from what we were just talking about, but it’s like you said, like the Middle East: everything is so artificially constructed. That’s because it’s missing that element of serendipity. And not just the Middle East; take Vancouver as a city, right? It’s a very new city, and it’s missing that layer of charm, which it will have in the future. But right now, it doesn’t feel that way. Why? Because it’s lacking that little bit of serendipity. This is, I think, the secret element to why the Doge meme is a success or why any meme is a success. Why people can be intrigued by my story, or why this party feels better than a Middle Eastern one.
Photo Credit: Rami Al-Sabeq
Rami: Because it’s natural, it’s organic. Like it was meant to happen, but only when all of these really strange conditions all happened at the same time.
Pplpleasr: Correct. And that’s something that is very intriguing. You know, and because we can’t get our grasp on that, it keeps us curious and keeps us from becoming like robots, I think. Because we humans are unpredictable. We never know what the next mega meme or Doge meme is going to be. I mean, who would have thought like this image of a dog would be so important. That’s what I’m talking about.
Rami: It does give you a renewed appreciation for it.
Pplpleasr: Sure. It’s ridiculous, but at the same time, it’s a real thing.
Rami: Everyone here is really cool, extremely high calibre.
Pplpleasr: Yeah, I call it “idea sex.”
Rami: Yeah! Because How many people here have had ideas and like, what’s your idea, here’s my idea, and a new idea’s born.
Pplpleasr: Yeah! Because just tonight, just at this event, how many new ideas are being born? It’s literally this “idea sex.” Because I can think things in my room alone by myself, you know, but sometimes without sharing with others first, just sharing with others literally spreading seeds. But at the same time, when you have conversations, and they have different ideas, they intertwine. And then that’s when interesting, new ideas start to be born, and that’s just not something that I could do, sitting by myself in a room.
Rami: That’s true. And that introduces that element of serendipity because we each have a truly unique perspective, enabling us to come up with something different.
Pplpleasr: Yeah! And humanity as a whole is literally the intertwined-ness of all of the different and unique perspectives coming together.
Rami: Each one is unique.
Pplpleasr: It is! Like obviously, there are similarities, differences, but each one is unique. And for all of it to intertwine, that’s the level of serendipity that keeps humanity running.
Rami: Yeah, because you end up with these ‘coincidences.’ Sure. And you’re like, “that’s crazy.” But you think back at it, and maybe it’s not a coincidence. Maybe serendipity is actually an element of the universe. And it’s just present in these differences. I’ve seen a lot of it today.
Pplpleasr: I think that’s probably this conversation alone.
Rami: I’ve loved it. You’re really cool! I enjoy having philosophical discussions about NFTs because it’s not so often we can do it, and I’ve had a hard time doing it anytime before today because, for me, this is the first physical event I’ve been to. But I’ve never really spoken like this to people that I didn’t know before. Going up to people like, “Oh, I know you like Ntfs; we can probably talk.” It’s been absolutely incredible. I think that’s why you’ll have all that idea sex because none of these people have ever really discussed their ideas with anyone else IRL.
Pplpleasr: Yeah, absolutely! And they’re all dying to. And that’s what unifies us in the beginning. That magic will be lost more and more as crypto becomes more mainstream, but that’s a good thing, right? Because in the end, that is what we’re all moving towards. If there can be voices like mine, that helps steer it in a good direction, in a humanitarian way. Like, that’s literally my heart.
Rami: Amazing. Because people can be using it for self-enrichment. So it’s good to remind people that this is an opportunity for you to actually do something good. So, what are you going to do? Are you going to use it just for you? Just for yourself? Really?
Pplpleasr: Because you can use it for yourself. But it doesn’t have to be like the previous mindset, that it’s either me or them. Now it’s like, no, you can have both.
Rami: Yeah. And you see, and that’s why you have community creation. Because if you have a PFP project, and everybody’s really representing it hard, just by that, just by people coming into that Discord and saying good morning, every morning-
Pplpleasr: It gives people a sense of purpose and meaning. It’s not self-serving. We’re all humans at the end of the day, and looking for community and recognition and something that we can all relate to, on an emotional and philosophical level.
Rami: Yeah. And I think we’ve found it.
Pplpleasr: Hopefully, we’ll see.
Photo Credit: Rami Al-Sabeq
Rami: We’ll see. I was talking with William Sr., and I said that I’m really happy that he’s endorsed NFTs and is using his background in the traditional art space to validate it, and vice versa. He said, “Well, we’re not endorsing it; we’re endorsing the conversation around it.” But they’re having these discussions so that they can get experts from the traditional world and the virtual world and combine all of that. So it’s great that they facilitate the conversation. And I think it’s been really cool of them to do it.
Pplpleasr: But we’ll see where it goes.
Rami: Exactly.
Pplpleasr: Yeah, there’s no guaranteeing what they’re doing, what I’m doing, what you’re doing. We all don’t know. But we’ll see where it goes.
Rami: Yeah. And it just so happens you’re in places like this, it just so happens we’re sitting in front of this meme-
Pplpleasr: Yeah, that’s all sort of intentional, also coincidental, I don’t know- there’s a lot of layers to it.
Rami: Yeah, it’s something to think about. It’s something where I’ll probably be like, “Wow, that’s some crazy stuff that happened.”
Pplpleasr: Yeah, I mean, I hope this recording lives on. We should NFT this recording, not for any monetary reason, but just for the purpose of documenting humanity at this moment in time.
Rami: I mean, that’s a great point. And I fully endorse projects that are willing to put things on the blockchain, not to monetize but share publicly, hoping enough people do that. If only there was a way to incentivize people to do that.
Pplpleasr: I’m trying my best
Rami: I wish you all the best with it!
Pplpleasr: Yeah, no, it was lovely. I don’t know if I’m taking up all the space on your phone. But we should connect.
Rami: Yeah, of course! I’m on Telegram @bitnifty.
Pplpleasr: Perfect. All right. Now we’re connected. Awesome. Super lovely chatting,
Rami: It really was. I really appreciate you taking the time. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night, and we’ll be connected with each other, at future castles and future NFT events!
It was a pleasure and a privilege to take a peek into Pplpleasr’s mind and to release it in this publication. She did immense work to establish charitable giving as a cornerstone of Web3 and yet remains incredibly humble. Follow Pplpleasr on Twitter and Instagram, take a look at her beautiful website, and keep an eye out for all that she contributes to Web3. It’ll be good.
