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Comment by Animats | Hacker News Reader

Nor have we been lulled by Soma and subliminal brain programming into a hazy acquiescence to pervasive social hierarchies.

Oh? That's what legal marijuana legalization is for.

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Marijuana (as well as serotonergic psychedelics) generally makes people feel more united and similar in the positive sense, I don't know about any credible studies that would confirm this (although there probably are some) but I really doubt it can promote social hierarchization. Cocaine and alcohol, however, are known to stimulate aggressive-dominant behavior in individuals prone to it though cocaine will surely not stimulate obedience, it will stimulate people to resist propaganda/populism/nonsense and question more. The only well-known psychoactive substance that makes masses easier to manipulate is booze.

The opioid crisis is probably a more apt analogy, given its class dimensions and origination in the pharmaceutical industy. But see also corporate algorithms commodifying all social interaction into "followers" and "likes" as a way to reinforce hierarchy.

On reading that quote, I immediately wondered if Farrell drank his coffee before going out to vote in the American presidential election.

A less snidey thought is that humans always use various psychoactives for all kinds of social and asocial purposes.

Thank you. Finally there's someone else who sees this.

That's what FB is for.

We definitely have but it definitely isn't from legalized marijuana.

Not a very accurate opinion you have but I guess you're entitled to it

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