God, Germans really can't take a joke, can they?
To go wildly offtopic, I am actually listening to MMM again as I type. It's not as bad as I remember it, but my impressions are...some of the noises and textures are quite interesting (pleasant/abrasive/melancholic/whatever) but they aren't used in enough of a sustained or structured way to hold my attention or for this initial interest to develop. Too random for me. I can't imagine wanting to put it on again afterwards.
Anyone else?
I've not read all the links you posted to, and I don't doubt there's some weird and offensive attitudes expressed within them, but Nirpal Dhaliwal is pretty widely acknowledged to be a bit of a dick.
In fact, I think he's only famous because his (now ex-) fiancee had a column devoted to what a wanker he was.
Padraig, I agree that there are grime artists and such who seem to "get" hip-hop, and I agree that in the U.S. we have racists who are just more careful about what they say, but don't you think that the class system over here is just completely different than it is anywhere in western Europe? I mean I haven't been to the U.K., so maybe it's closer than I'm picking up on-- but everywhere else I have been in Europe, there was nothing like the abject poverty you see in the U.S., or the ghettoization of most of an entire ethnic population.
Right right...I think more and more things are changing everywhere due to immigrant populations in major cities, etc.
But what about institutionalized racism in the form of lack of social programs, minimum wage slavery, higher education being inaccessible to anyone who can't qualify for student loans (because of a felony conviction or because of lack of co-signer), etc. It doesn't seem like the drug war is the same everywhere to me, at all, even though drugs (some drugs) of course can be found almost anywhere.
Right now the U.S. is basically flooded with hard drugs that are exceptionally pure and exceptionally cheap, thanks to a lack of resources allotted to government programs (due to the war on terror, primarily), and due to the huge influx of immigrants from the major drug production centers in south and central America, throughout the U.S., not just in major urban centers...Drugs will go global, but for now I'd say the U.S. is hit harder than many, many other countries by the big three: meth, coke, heroin.
(doesn't Iran have a pretty bad problem with heroin?)
these are all fair points. one thing though - all those social programs/benefits (which are mostly from the post-WWII era yeah? someone correct me if I'm wrong) were in place before 1) the drug war was what it is now & 2) Western European countries were dealing with that large influx of immigrants from their former colonies. on the other side, of course institutional racism exists & is a mjor problem but I don't think some of those things you mentioned can be chalked up only to that, though it's true that poor people of color are often hit the hardest.
oh man that is a whole vast can of worms tied up with militarism, immigration policy or a lack thereof, tons of huge complex Issues. generally, sure, with a lot of reservations that it's much more complex than a paragraph or two could ever make it out to be. certainly the U.S. has more severe drug problems than Europe, though I'd reckon it's part to do with, as you mention, our proximity to where the drugs come from (doesn't Iran have a pretty bad problem with heroin?) & part just supply meeting demand. that bit about drugs "going global", I dunno, what does that mean?
that bit about drugs "going global", I dunno, what does that mean?
That means that you'll have a GLOBAL multi-billion dollar rehab industry in no time, if the world economy continues in decline.
there's one already surely? but I guess what you really mean is that you think it will grow by leaps & bounds.
not that I'm really disagreeing, just trying to follow your reasoning. so, it's that as more people lose their jobs/homes/etc., more despair, they'll do more drugs? that more people will turn to illicit sectors of the economy to make $, thus expanding the drug trade? that more people being displaced to urban slums will mean an increase in the # of drug users (uprooted from community support, hard to find work, etc.)? all of the above? none?
& when you talk about industry do you mean mainly private or public? here in the States like most of these things it obv. tends towards the former but I'd imagine it's the opposite in Europe. also you'd think that businessmen whose business is drugs are feeling the recession just like anyone but perhaps the drug trade plays by different rules (well of course but by different economic rules I mean). I dunno. your thoughts?
What I'm saying is that as the world economy continues to decline, it will become more and more lucrative to engage in the sale of black market goods like drugs. And not just street drugs--counterfeit antibiotics and other scripts are huge already and will only get more huge as adequate health care gets more and more expensive and out-of-reach for the average individual...
This plus the increase of depression...
Alcoholism is probably going to continue to get more prevalent, too, along with speed addiction and cocaine addiction...
"Treatment" for heroin addicts usually involves switching them from a drug that has few side effects to methadone or suboxone which will have your teeth falling out and give you hepatitis. But anything, anything to get those revenues in the private sector where they belong.
The problem is, the non-profit sector runs on charitable donations (aka tax sheltered slush funds) from the private sector, and as we've seen the non-profit sector is as vulnerable to ponzi schemes as anyone else.
...If we let the fucking corporations take control like they already have of health insurance, it'll be a disaster.
yeh, or you know maybe people will use less drugs cos they haven't got any $. I guess that just weeds out casual/recreational users though, not what you're talking about. you'd think eventually the US won't be the most lucrative market, but I that guess ties in to the globalization you mention. perhaps it's not directly related but in the long run I wonder - surely the international drug trade is just as dependent as anyone, if not more so, on cheap oil, both for transport & to run their factories. I dunno it just seems like a lot of this will became a moot point eventually. though by then there will probably larger, more immediate problems than drugs, like food & drinking water.
I don't really know enough about it to comment intelligently. never been myself. when I was first out on my own in the travelling punk community there was a big divide btwn the kids who did junk & those who didn't, the former scared me straight like no DARE officer ever could - 22 yr olds with no teeth & scars from abscesses & hep C. anyway, I don't doubt your description (reminds me of A Scanner Darkly) though I'd bet like any disastrous private industry there are plenty of well-meaning people mixed in.