[BubRoss]

I think the answer here is that LuaJIT is fast, and that well written native programs would still be faster, not that C "isn't well matched to CPUs". Modern optimizations are more about memory access patterns than anything else, with SIMD and concurrency beyond that. Focusing on assembly is really not the apex is used to be. For starters CPUs have multiple integer and floating point units, and they get scheduled in an out of order CPU. Out of order execution is as much about keeping the various units busy as it is about doing loads as soon as possible to avoid stalling.

I think if you are going to claim that C or C derivatives aren't actually fast and the idea that they are is due to "propaganda" then you should back that up with something concrete, because it goes against a lot of established expertise.