Krugman was a proponent of mass inflation, aka. helicopters of money, as a solution to the credit crisis. Bitcoin makes it basically impossible to manipulate the money supply the way the Fed has done to navigate the 2008 crisis.
Krugman sees Bitcoin as a threat to the central banks ability to stabilize the economy.
What you refer to as "dickwaving" is them attempting to understand your eye for detail. Great hackers often have fantastic eyes for detail. You might have one, but you missed your chance to demonstrate it by interpreting this so negatively.
Please read the Hacker School Manual for a look at how seriously they take treating people with decency and respect: https://www.hackerschool.com/manual
From someone who's organized multiple meetups in NYC, Hack And Tell being the most well-known, I would say just start the meetup. There's a high probability of lots of people in NYC thinking in the same direction you're thinking, but what you want to do is start letting them know there is a place they can find like-minded people.
Further, meetup will help get eyes on the event. They've been very helpful for my meetups. They're even willing to host them and buy beer / pizza for the attendees.
You'll know within a few months if it's not speaking to people, but more importantly, you'll know if the opposite is true.
I think it could work in theory, but the risks appear to be higher. I speculate that it's easier to build a successful TV series than it is to build a popular record.
I'm no expert in the music industry, but I've played in multiple bands, gone on national tours, and have friends who are legit rock stars so I know a thing or two. But like I said, the above is speculation and I'm no expert.
https://twitter.com/rabois/status/426157931239714816