this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2024
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[–] [email protected] 141 points 3 months ago (4 children)

but getting blind drunk in the street every night for them is fine. Ridiculous.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 3 months ago (1 children)

There's a reason why countries with proper transit infrastructure view alcoholism as a novelty.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

I'm honestly not sure what you're saying. Countries like the US with poor public transit infrastructure think alcoholism is serious solely because of people who drink and drive?

[–] ngwoo 31 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I was shocked at how often you just see people laying passed out on the sidewalk or sleeping on a bench. Japan is an insanely different place after the bars start closing. Was genuinely uneasy with how many people everywhere just had zero control of themselves.

[–] xenoclast 24 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Like smoking, alcohol is a huge industry in Japan. It's "normal" for Japanese companies to addict their employees to their products and because the companies ARE the government, they enact incredibly protectionist laws like this to prevent external competition.

Their economy depends on it. It's super gross. Like America and guns, or Sweden and flatpak furniture (the last one is a half joke)

If Japan starts being a cannabis producer, they'll 180 so fast you'll get vertigo.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I bet they'd produce some bomb ass bud though. It would also look pretty as fuck as each nug is meticulously sculpted into a tiny little bonsai.

[–] xenoclast 1 points 3 months ago

One hundred percent.

[–] undergroundoverground 9 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Honestly, i think the reason is that just the right amount of alcohol dependency is amazing for capitalism. Dont get me wrong, I'm not judging anyone. I understand and I enjoy a drink myself. I just think we need to be honest with ourselves about it.

It keeps you consuming and it makes you forget all the bullshit you had to put up with all day. It dulls your your problem solving, your creativity and (most importantly) your empathy, so supervisors, middle managers, department managers and execs are less disinclined not to beat down on those below them.

I'm not saying its some grand conspiracy. I'm saying, those in power have known exactly the right drugs to administer to the masses in order to placate them. The Romans knew to give wine and not cannabis. The British army knew to give rum & brandy but not weed.

In fact, all of them were legal. Then, capitalism really took off and, totally unrelated in sure, every drug other than alcohol suddenly became illegal.