As a Chicago-based fintech analyst raised in the South Side’s jazz-and-street-art ethos, I’ve watched stablecoins evolve from technical artifacts into cultural anchors—silent, liquid, and deeply privatized. This isn’t just about USDT or USDC—it’s about who controls money when the state steps back. The real cost? Not transaction fees. It’s the erosion of monetary sovereignty. Here’s what no one’s saying aloud: if your money is coded by an algorithm owned by a private firm, are you still sovereign?