Why do the stories told by Eastern and Western Crypto KOLs contradict each other? The underlying value logic behind meme images

A popular perspective in the crypto world is that Chinese Twitter lacks voices representing institutional viewpoints, mostly driven by individual media outlets setting the tone. But the core issue isn’t about a lack of people or expertise; it’s that the definitions of “key opinion leaders” differ fundamentally between the East and the West. After deep exposure to both Eastern and Western VCs, a truth emerges in meme-like form—the stories told are completely opposite, and their standards for success are diametrically different.

Different Approaches to Projects—Eastern Dissects Tactics, Western Weaves Stories

The contrast is stark when engaging with VCs from both sides. Eastern capital views projects like a business: how tactics are executed, token issuance strategies, business models, and capital flow logic. Every step must be clearly explained, every dollar accounted for. This is a typical “deconstructionist” mindset—breaking down complex things, identifying flaws, questioning every detail.

Western logic, on the other hand, is entirely different. They seek a grand story—a narrative that can inspire tenfold or hundredfold growth potential. It’s not about scrutinizing project details but standing on the shoulders of giants, targeting well-known industry problems, and claiming to solve them with new technologies or models. The story must be grand, the argument compelling; whether the details hold up isn’t crucial. As long as they can attract key capital, subsequent “infinite capital injection tactics” are used to breach potential bottlenecks and outcompete rivals intensively.

That’s why the most top-tier narratives, the strongest capital organizations, and the most high-brow stories all come from North America, told through Western VCs: high-performance L1, Restaking, Rollup, FHE, Hyperliquid… These project stories follow the same logic—start with a dream, then turn it into reality with capital.

Infinite Capital and Infinite Narratives—Western Success in Storytelling

Western VCs dare to play this way mainly because financing costs are nearly zero. North American institutional funds mainly come from passive capital sources like pensions, supported by a stable national financial system that provides a continuous flow of funds. With abundant capital, storytelling becomes the most economical approach. Every narrative becomes a large-scale capital gathering event.

There’s also a deeper cultural root. Western societies are relatively stable and prosperous, and their competitive mode is “harmonious.” The East, however, operates in a PVP (player versus player) market environment—only the best narratives and products ultimately face countless “unnatural deaths.” This brutal market culture forces Easterners to be more pragmatic, deconstructive, and less trusting of stories.

Therefore, what appears as “degeneration” in the Eastern crypto commentary scene is actually a different survival logic—what is spoken must withstand scrutiny and have practical value.

Eastern Practicality, Western Ideals—Why the Largest Business Flows Are in the East

Data tells stories. While the grandest narratives come from the West, the most profitable and largest-volume businesses are mostly in the East: CEXs, payment solutions, DEXs (PancakeSwap, Raydium), aggregators (Jupiter)… These projects may seem less glamorous, but they form the infrastructure of the entire ecosystem and provide the most stable cash flow.

The bigger the story told, the easier it is to attract capital. But the truly profitable businesses often hide in corners overshadowed by stories. Eastern capital, being more pragmatic and better at deconstruction, captures these opportunities. This isn’t low-end; it’s a different dimension of wisdom.

Smarter Than Them—How Eastern KOLs Should Communicate

This brings us back to the original question: how should the Eastern crypto community respond?

First, it’s clear that Easterners don’t need to imitate Western storytelling. Since they can’t be more like them, let them try to prove they understand themselves better through their own insights. The value of Eastern KOLs lies precisely in articulating things Westerners can’t deeply explore—not because they lack understanding, but because their social environment hasn’t honed that kind of insight.

The true power of speech lies in influencing others’ thinking at a fundamental level. Eastern KOLs should replace Western-style “less scrutinized” narratives with distinctive “value logic.” This requires more institutional voices, but not by copying Western story formulas—instead, by expressing Eastern wisdom—pragmatic, profound, and battle-ready.

When meme-like insights become a unified voice, and when Eastern KOLs step forward to speak, the narrative authority of the Chinese crypto world will truly be in our hands. This isn’t degeneration; it’s a redefinition of value logic.