Re:Cheap and They Don't Snitch: Drones Are the New Drug Mules
by bequanna on Friday January 05, 2024 @01:32PM
(#38882686)
A more apt comparison would be alcohol vs illegal drugs.
Coffee vs meth or heroin does even come close to ringing true. What are the individual or societal costs to consuming coffee? Both approach zero.
Re:Cheap and They Don't Snitch: Drones Are the New Drug Mules
by ttt11199907 on Friday January 05, 2024 @02:16PM
(#38883366)
There may not be societal costs in the consuming country, but there are certainly negative externalities to the people/countries that produce the coffee beans
Re:Cheap and They Don't Snitch: Drones Are the New Drug Mules
by rootusrootus on Friday January 05, 2024 @03:07PM
(#38884127)
I don't know, the guy in Kona running the coffee farm seemed pretty happy. And the coffee was great (and I typically dislike coffee! It was that good...)
In any case, legal production can be regulated in ways that illegal crops cannot. It's hard to draw a legitimate comparison.
Re:Cheap and They Don't Snitch: Drones Are the New Drug Mules
by bequanna on Friday January 05, 2024 @02:33PM
(#38883634)
I guess I don't consider this a legit argument. You could point to negative externalities that are the result of literally everything humans produce/consume.
But if we want to use that metric, OK. I would venture a guess that the production of coffee yields a heck of a lot less suffering than the production of cocaine, heroin or meth. Any far fewer people consume the latter.
Re:Cheap and They Don't Snitch: Drones Are the New Drug Mules
by bb88 on Friday January 05, 2024 @02:46PM
(#38883833)
Also to further your point: consider blood diamonds, mining of toxic substances, lead batteries, plastic in the oceans, etc.
Re:Cheap and They Don't Snitch: Drones Are the New Drug Mules
by ttt11199907 on Saturday January 06, 2024 @08:13AM
(#38891164)
Yes! These are all things that rely on the subjugation and abuse of other human and are bad for our earth-spaceship
Re:Cheap and They Don't Snitch: Drones Are the New Drug Mules
by dleink on Friday January 05, 2024 @03:26PM
(#38884404)
Alcohol would be a great comparison. Alcohol causes more deaths (and presumably human suffering) than illegal drugs. Only recently has the Opioid crisis caused a dent in these stats.
Re:Cheap and They Don't Snitch: Drones Are the New Drug Mules
by paulddraper on Friday January 05, 2024 @03:37PM
(#38884554)
Even sugar would be a better comparison than coffee.
But the older I get, the more I realize this habit isn't necessary. It's not beneficial to society, and if someone feels the need for coffee, they should really reconsider their lifestyle and find something more productive to do.
If there was a way to completely eliminate the culture of coffee consumption, I'd support it. Might even take action myself if I could. I don't want my kids to grow up in a world obsessed with coffee.
There are so many better and healthier alternatives available. And yes, I understand not everyone has it easy. I certainly didn't, coming from a 3rd world country, but I still chose other options. That's no excuse, though. It's honestly quite demeaning and foolish when well-off people treat coffee drinking as something essential.