Gold and gems can't be instantaneously and safely transacted over the internet.

Name-calling cryptocurrencies "primitive" when they're clearly not doesn't lend a lot of weight to your argument.

Yes, bitcoin is better than gold in that it's virtual and can be transferred over the internet. But that doesn't change the fact that it's a store of value like gold is, and not a currency.

> Name-calling cryptocurrencies "primitive"

I called gold primitive as a currency. And made an argument for bitcoin (specifically) being similar to gold.

Edit: btw, gold 500 years ago had the same exact property of bitcoin today: it was immediately transferable to anybody you were in contact with and could buy goods from. That didn't make it better.

BTC cannot be instantaneously transacted at all, over the internet or otherwise.

It's closer to a commodity than a currency: fixed supply. In fact, the IRS is treating BTC as a commodity, to be valued, for tax purposes.

You should probably at some point recognize that everyone doesn't live in America

Oh sure, US was just demonstrative: I think commodity is the right mindset, both as a user and as a community. Banning it's not going to happen, taxing it will be tricky, and it may be premature to rework anybody's tax system just for BTC.