Whether or not Bitcoin is going to become the "currency of the future" is certainly highly debatable (debatable in the sense that, is it likely to happen, or is it even a good idea for society), but the argument against it, is not going to boil down to "digital beanie babies"... Retail and retail adoption is not going to shape the future of Bitcoin, not past this point in history.

Do you remember seeing institutional-grade analysts and advisers issuing guidance about beanie babies? Pointing out that corporate treasuries or sovereign nations might consider a small allocation to beanie babies as a hedge against future-whatever? This is hardly the only such report, though it's a recent one looking at 2021 trends in review: https://www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/articles/2021-trends-i...

I am not saying Bitcoin is destined to win or to make anyone rich, but clearly this has moved far beyond the realm of beanie baby speculation. I mean, good or bad, it's at least reached the level of institutional speculation (see exhibits: dot-com crash, 2008 financial crisis, etc.), and at least it should be taken proportionally as seriously as other institutional financial instruments (i.e. do you take bonds seriously? gold as a financial commodity to be traded? well Bitcoin is X% of those by marketcap, so maybe deserves X% of your attention).