On Becoming a ‘Token’

Tokens are bits of code that represent physical or financial things.

Like a coin…

Or a painting…

Or a house...

Or you...

You... Think about that... owned, bought and sold, an asset in a portfolio. Look at the definition above one more time and notice the phrase “code[s] that represent”. Now look at this image of a face.

This is an image of a face made of pixels. Each pixel is a bit of code.

You can and are being represented by code whenever you are verified by facial ID.

On Sunday I was admitted into the US at JFK airport by a facial scan. No passport. Just a digital image of my face in that ‘box’ we’ve all come to recognize.

I got to thinking...

Have I become a token in the eyes of the government? Maybe not, but could I? Could someone own me, buy and sell me? Can my government own me? Does the US think that it owns its citizens... that we are property? Sometimes governments behave as if we are assets in need of control; assets that require inputs and that generate outputs. We are not regarded as souls... people who experience love and wonder… who have intelligence. We are just assets. The implications of reducing humans and everything else on earth to tokens are profound. Have you considered them? What rights, protections, or value does a token have? And from whence do those rights and values arise? From God? The government? The WEF? Blackrock? All-of-the-above? Whom might a person complain to when a token has a problem? What is the purpose of a token’s existence? Can a soul be tokenized?

It goes on.

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To me the most profound questions are these: Do people want this digitization of meaning, possession, and value in our world? Were we, the people, asked for our permission as our existence is digitized? Who benefits from tokenization? Who loses? Does tokenization stand to improve our world or might it destroy us?

If we are tokenized, will we have happy, peaceful, and fulfilling lives? Can we ‘opt out’ of this system? Can we leave of our own free will?

I did not need a physical passport when I returned to the US because I now have a digital one… based only on my Face.

I’ll admit the experience was vastly superior to the hours-long wait and crabby staff that used to greet travelers entering the US through JFK. Yes, it was easy and fast. That’s how the technology is sold to the public – as convenience. What we don’t see is the net that is forming around us…

but…

It sure is easy to get through passport control. So convenient! Just... ‘Smile for the camera!’

P.S. I wonder what would have happened had my face been rejected...

P.P.S. Organizations like the WEF have plans to tokenize everything. All trees. All land. All animals. The sky. All assets of any kind. Everything. Everything on earth is scheduled to be represented by bits of code capable of being owned, rented, and traded. Imagine how degrading that is. And what about those data centers required for the computation needs of AI and its tokenization of Gaia that are cropping up everywhere and will soon consume more CO2 than all the cow farts on earth. They are the heartbeat of the digital universe and we’ve heard NOTHING from NGO’s, from the NEWS… not from AOC, or Bernie, or Extinction Rebellion. Yet, if CO2 production is an existential threat to our tokenized future then we should assume that these data centers are going to kill us all... dead... in a hurry. Where are the glue-handed protesters? Where is Greta!!??

Forgive the digression.

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Below is a painting about watching your own life on a screen (or in a book).

It seemed appropriate to write satirical lyrics for a hillbilly song about this topic. It’s called Dij-it ID.

Here goes…

Here's a Pre-log...
There was a midget named Bridget that would fidgit
with her legit-ly rigid widget and then...
she got married...
to an idgit.
To wit...
Dijit ID...
Well... It's a dij-it world for me... It's a idjit world ya see
Let's blame it on them AI-lovin' hipster-hicks
Fer empty halls in shoppin malls, an' things that cease ta be
Fer VR-towns with plastic clowns all snappin' selfie pics!
I went down to the barber... to get mah hairs a-cut
Went to the skin guy... fer the pimples on my butt.
Went down to the church... fer mah soul ta git on fire
Went down to the job-joint... but they said they wouldn't hire.
Oh woe is me... with technology... I gots ta git off-line
Cuz if I don't, I'll break the code, n' shirley pay the fine.
This cyber world is gettin' rough... the gummint's on my back
If Amie Zon keeps carryin' on... I'll drown in all mah crap.
It's a dij-it world for me... It's a idjit world ya see
I buy mah jeans from tiny screens while I gits mah Netflix kicks
All pumped with power the new cell tower's loaded with five-gee
Don't know how, but I got cut by a cyber-rose's pixel pricks.
Down th' road in mah Tesla... 14 cams and all
Went to the 'I hate Trump' rally... had mahself a ball.
Went to the schools to see... to see what I could learn
Saw a buncha coconuts... ID theyselves as ferns.
The cop he read my number... from my digi-license-plate
Someone saw my profile... asked me on a date.
Went to plop my money... but the bank it turned me down
Tried a to use the smiley face but it turned into a frown.
It's a dij-it world for me... It's a idjit world ya see
Mah job's gone cyber-missin'... That AI sure is slick.
But the Zoom-bile trolls in wireless malls are makin luv ta me
And avatar's look like super stars when AI plays its tricks.
This roller coaster on-line-life... is gittin' way too 'smart'
Spies on ev'ry thing I do... like my life's on insta cart.
Pretty soon my data's done... I'll be checkin' out and then...
I'll prob'ly get free shippin'... I cain't be sure just when.
While sinners play the lotto... Jesus wants to save
But the cyber-wicked winners... He'll put 'em in the grave.
So put me on a horse to ride... n take me where I git
Cain't take no more govern-menticide... I pray that I can quit!
It's a dij-it world for me... It's a idjit world ya see
Where all the guys are supersized trans-human cyber-chicks
Virtue-harlots with i-phone wallets... makin' WhatsApp's calls fer free
'Sup-scribe n' like 'and then repost... the algae-rhythm needs lots of clicks!
There's a ID number for the trees and bugs and all what's in the zoo
There's one fer Tom and one for Sue and one fer me and one fer you.
Cain't tell what's properganda... ner what stuff's friggin real
Cain't tell if I am still alive... or if my verification's on appeal.
System software's outta date... Verizon's on my ass
Reception gettin' kinda late... download's slow as grass.
But lemme tell ya sumpin'... what's a-gosh-darn friggin' shame
Dijit-ID's on the loose... an' they got's my friggin name!
Oh... It's a dij-it world fer me... It's a idjit world ya see
I'm a-countin' all the never-ways to keep me ever free
I'm trapped on the info highway way down in Tenn-ass-ee
With an injecto-nano-techie-ID-card... just a-sittin' inside o...
Splittin' inside o...
Gittin' inside o...
Me-heeee!
Yee-Haw!

Copyright Mark Hopkins March 05, 2026