this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2025
77 points (98.7% liked)
The Deprogram Podcast
928 readers
149 users here now
International Anti-Capitalist podcast run by an American, Slav and an Arab.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
They aren't super fond of alcohol either as far as i've seen. Have any opinion you want, but why presume you can make a better choice for China than the Chinese themselves made? I personally do not do drugs, and that includes alcohol, at all. For me a policy like China's is better. For you a different policy is better. This is because different people in different places need different policies. So what i am saying is it is best to only try to advocate for changes in your own home, and not to try to decide what is best everywhere else.
The Chinese? It's a different drinking culture to the west but they definitely enjoy alcohol. Have a Chinese dinner and watch them slam beers and baijiu.
Maybe just the ones i talked to then. They seemed to really like that i didnt drink.
Look, like most people I have a lot of opinions, and very little power to make meaningful change in my own country, let alone in another. I don't smoke weed either, though I have in the past, and I know a lot of people who do. In my opinion (couldn't force it on China if I tried!), Chinese policy could improve in this area. I just can't see a rational reason why cannabis should be prohibited, but not alcohol or tobacco. That's it. That's all I'm saying. I've been to China, and I look forward to visiting again. Someone did try to sell me hashish in Shanghai. I declined.
Why is it perfectly legal in the US to slaughter a pig or cow for meat, but a dog or a cat is illegal to do the same? That is not rational either. They are both animals. It's a matter of public opinion. Thats the reason. The same goes for which substances are legal or illegal.
That's a pretty good analogy, I will give you that. As a vegan myself though, I'll just answer that there is a difference between killing animals and smoking cannabis. People (irrationally) think it's cruel to kill pet animals because they have learned to identify them as beings deserving of life. I think people should extend this empathy to all animals. I know that they won't, but I advocate for it anyway.