

oh yeah for sure could be a reaction to the opium wars
It’s never the drugs that make a society erode; it’s a symptom. If you have a big drug problem in a country, most likely it’s related to much bigger issues at the core. Like in the Opium Wars, it was the British Empire that basically drugged China as a means to get what they want. It’s not like they discovered drugs and then just stopped doing anything else; we humans had drugs and used drugs since we know about them.
Some argue this tactic is still very much in use today, hence the fentanyl crisis, which seems to be fueled by China. It’s a destabilizing tactic. That’s also part of why China and other Asian countries are so strict because they know firsthand the effectiveness of literally drugging your foe to gain an advantage. This does not mean China and co do not have their own drug market; they have a pretty vivid drug scene.
Also, as an example, Japan or China, yeah, sure, you can’t buy weed; they will basically curb-stop you legally. But you can drink as much alcohol as you want, smoke as much tobacco as you want, and drink as many caffeine drinks as you want. These are all recreational drugs with a much higher impact on society than weed, yet they are totally legal and accepted by everyone or are even traditional.


In my opinion, you maybe should first deliver something before you go giving empty promises and sign a contract. But hey, that’s Musk’s motto: overpromise, underdeliver.
Old fart companies, lol. Oh, you mean the old farts who are more or less on budget and time and delivered what they promised?
If SpaceX, i.e., Musk’s rhetoric, is not one of the reasons Artemis (3) mission will get delayed significantly, I’m gonna eat a shoe. As someone who has done budget calculations for global projects, I can tell you the biggest factor in calculating the cost is time. Since the timeline is off, the money needs to be off as well, as these two are connected.
No need to say we are way off this timeline, and one of the reasons is the absolutely bullshit timeline Musk seems to think is reasonable but is actually unobtainable for the company SpaceX. I don’t know why he does this every time; eventually, he has to backpedal anyway.
Some not very deep examples:
Etc., etc.
Musk’s track record is not great, and at this point, we definitely should not give him the benefit of the doubt.