> anything we build on it is fundamentally unsafe and there are degrees to which things are better or worse and that’s it.

This doesn't mean C is an equally valid choice for a web backend as Common Lisp when you care about development speed and don't want to get pwned. It's justified(ish) if you are Fossil SCM but much less so if you are a random website. When you need high performance, it's more justified, especially if it's 2006. When you can afford to use bindings for your C libraries, it's less. Etc.

To shift your perspective, replace C with x86-64 assembly. AsmBB (https://board.asm32.info/) is undeniably a cool thing. Is it valid to develop an e-commerce site the same way?

There is a general pattern of "there are degrees, so basically anything goes". It's important to recognize it and resist its siren song.

> The Sophisticate: “The world isn’t black and white. No one does pure good or pure bad. It’s all gray. Therefore, no one is better than anyone else.”

> The Zetet: “Knowing only gray, you conclude that all grays are the same shade. You mock the simplicity of the two-color view, yet you replace it with a one-color view . . .”

> —Marc Stiegler, David’s Sling

https://www.greaterwrong.com/w/fallacy-of-gray

> Is it valid to develop an e-commerce site the same way?

Sure why not. If it can process my transaction cleanly and securely why not?