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Because like trustlessness and claims to remove middlemen they’re true but only in a very specific context. Every time you see a grandiose crypto claim that doesn’t make sense just add “for a technicality” to the end.

The blockchain database doesn't have an owner. Users (public keys) can only modify very specific things related to them, and no node can arbitrarily modify it.

I will answer your question with another question: would a more traditional DHT with a built-in p2p consensus mechanism stop being decentralized because it has said consensus mechanism?

I use the BitTorrent DHT all the time but I don't expect it to be consistent, not even eventually. With money you need something that is 100% accurate 100% of the time. Miners compete to calculate the one true blockchain. That smacks of centralization to me.

Which is why I said

> DHT with a built-in p2p consensus mechanism

The notion that a p2p network stops being decentralized because it has consensus is silly.

Blockchain is like scientific research. Anyone can announce anything, but only verifiable findings are trusted.