.... *sigh*...
I am aware that Scotland has issues with their drinking culture. I am also aware that much of Britain, Ireland, Russia, parts of America - the list goes on, I'm sure - also has various such issues.
But my personal interaction with drinking in Scotland has been... well, memorable.
Story #1:
[X] kept getting pissed off (by which I mean angry) whenever she would get carded (or passported, technically) in Glasgow pubs. I was actually kind of thrilled. Yes, it means that they have reason to doubt we were under 18 when we were actually 20. And probably because she assumes that alcohol is loosely handed out in Scotland (see above article for why this is NOT EXACTLY TRUE). BUT being carded is part of being an adult. Yay for what's going to happen to me every time I order a drink until my hair turns grey!
Story #2
It was our last full night in Edinburgh and we were watching a Manchester United versus Barcelona soccer - I mean football - I mean calcio - I mean that sport where they kick that black-and-white ball around - in the pub in the basement of our hostel. I was hanging out with [No-Mr-Darcy] and [bromandawg] while [X] was drinking way too much hard cider with [one-complicated-lesbian] upstairs. It was rather noisy as some DJ started playing weird electronic music after the game ended so the three of us headed out to the patio to get some fresh air and to hear ourselves think. Outside was a group of British chaps dressed in hunting gear. Ridiculous turn-of-the-century clothes and false mustaches and such. And one guy was dressed like a stereotype of an Italian chef. Now, let me set this up properly. They were staying in the hostel as well, as [X] and I had seen them at breakfast, eating their beans and toast and eggs and usual English/Scottish breakfast fare. Except that they were accompanying their meals with gin and tonics. Solid. By this point in the evening, they were totally hammered. One man in hunting gear started insulting some woman who came outside, calling her a fat cow. She started yelling insults back. Then he... *ahem*... revealed himself to her. She was flabbergasted and returned inside. Til this point, the man had had his back to me. But he continued to keep his crown jewels out in the open, displaying them for the world. I saw them in all their glory as he announced, "You know what I love... is that my bollocks are so pure." [bromandawg] and [No-Mr-Darcy] were embarrassed beyond belief and tried to over-chivalrously apologize. Meanwhile, I was trying not to die laughing. Needless to say it was a bit awkward when I saw him in the breakfast line the next morning. Perhaps God took mercy on him and he didn't remember a thing.
But for every humorous story like that, there's twenty more like this...
Story #3
Our last night in Scotland, a group of us were staying in Glasgow again for the night. On our way back from getting groceries at Tesco, one of our compatriots, Sean, ran into a little debacle with another one of travelers. They were passing by a pub they saw a woman sitting by the curb, bleeding. They then realized that her teeth were scattered across the ground. Apparently she had fallen and hit her face against the curb (I can't remember if they actually saw her fall or if they just saw the aftermath and put it together; thus I will just present the latter). They went up to her to help when her daughter came out with a little girl at her side, yelling and cussing at them, telling them to stay the fuck away. They tried to explain their good intentions but she was having none of it and when she got overly hostile, they regretfully left. Sean told this angrily over dinner, fuming and infuriated at the last harsh memory Glasgow had given him.
I love Scotland. I really, really do. Especially Glasgow. It was a big culture shock for the start of the trip, but it is an incredibly unique city and I really learned to love it (especially when the touristiness of Edinburgh became a tad too much). However, Glasgow is known for being one of Scotland's roughest, toughest cities - for good reason, as Sean can tell you. It's beautiful, but also a bit tragic.
Can anyone say Byronic hero?
I feel like that's a common theme in Scotland - beautifully tragic, tragically beautiful. Ah, fuck it, now I've got this Kelly Clarkson song in my head. Sorry.
Sappy, sickly tangent, I know. Mea culpa. My point is, there's a lot of grief that Scotland's got stored up. And now that I've tried to explain that I'm trying not to be another smarmy American talking about an issue I don't understand, I'm going to tie this all together.
With two quick disclaimers.
1) I AM AN AMERICAN. As much as I might know from traveling, from reading, from hearing first-hand accounts of British-Scottish-Irish drinking culture, I WILL NEVER COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND IT. I don't live there. I'm not British-Scottish-Irish. End of story.
2) I HAVE NEVER BEEN DRUNK. Seriously. I don't know what it's like to be overly intoxicated. I don't know what alcoholism is like. I don't even completely understand how American culture can diagnose alcoholism in people over 40 but college students who have the same traits are "just living the lifestyle of their age group." We talked about that in culture psychology. It's true and yet... it's like saying getting shit-faced every weekend and blacking out and stuff is just something college kids will grow out of.
Because what if it's not?
I'M NOT SAYING that college kids should stop drinking and all go to AA or any of that shit because that's obviously not going to happen. And it would suck for all parties involved. I just think that MAYBE parents/people/whoever shouldn't turn a complete blind eye to alcohol abuse in youth. College drinking? Okay, cool, I'll gladly take part (seriously, after some of these lectures, a Strongbow would be a nice panacea). But beer pong, beer bongs, let's-see-how-much-alcohol-I-can-get-in-my-bloodstream-before-I-pass-out? Not a fan. Probably because, personally, I fear total loss of control. Also why I hate getting the flu (think about it...)
People keep telling me that Europe (often referring to the French and the apparently low alcoholism rates) has this entire attitude towards liquor that's far more mature than America's. This is because they don't hide alcohol from their kids, they don't act like it's some devil substance. They don't scare you to death that if you get drunk, that it will instantly kill you and make you some hellspawn. Americans still have this embedded in culture, partly because of the Puritans and partly because of a little something called Prohibition. Which totally backfired and MAJORLY SUCKED FOR EVERYONE. (By the way, the famous/infamous/I'm-confused-as-to-how-I-should-feel-about-this-guy Ken Burns has a new PBS documentary about Prohibition. Anyone know if it's any good? Any history majors loathe it?)
 |
| Pure bollocks... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll be serious now. |
FOR GOD'S SAKE, BRITAIN, DON'T MAKE OUR MISTAKE. DON'T DO PROHIBITION.
Because your drinking problem is something more. It's not just because booze are cheap and easily accessible. May I refer you to another cultural critique - namely Craig Ferguson.
Yes, I know, I know, it seems to appear I'm stalking the guy. I'M NOT. I PROMISE.*
* fingers crossed :D
No, seriously, I'm not. I mentioned before how all of my interests intertwine into one six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon thing. Case and point.
There's this great fictional book by him that basically changed my life - Between the Bridge and the River. If you want a great critique of American culture without the sometimes-difficult-to-deal-with academia jargon that I have to put up with, then READ THIS BOOK. It's a fascinating sort-of Impressionist, sort-of Surrealist look at modern life. It's pretty fantastic.
And Carl Jung is a character. WIN.
Anyway, there's a great section that applies to what I've been jabbering about. It's describing a character named T-Bo who's great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Musinga, was a slave, and how Musing's rage at his situation built up so strongly it was stored in his DNA.
Back the BBC article - restricting alcohol, making it harder to to buy spirits, so on and so forth - this might all work as a quick fix, help eliminate some problems. But it won't solve it. Changing the drinking age from 18 to 21 did nothing in America - in fact, it probably made under-aged drinking increase. It isn't about laws or restrictions or only about alcohol at all. It's about culture and about people. Something about college campuses leads some people to want to binge drink. Something about the culture of countries like Ireland and Scotland leads to higher alcohol consumption.
Why? A good question. A very good question indeed. Unfortunately, I don't think there's ever going to be a nice, simple answer. But maybe, just maybe, we could begin to understand how complex this how issue is... maybe then we'd begin to work towards an answer.
And Carl Jung is a character. WIN.
Anyway, there's a great section that applies to what I've been jabbering about. It's describing a character named T-Bo who's great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Musinga, was a slave, and how Musing's rage at his situation built up so strongly it was stored in his DNA.
The experience of the slave ship was so intense, so brutal and unjustified, so heartbreaking and agonizing that it was stored in Musinga's DNA as rage. Science has not yet identified that DNA can store rage or any other memory because the scientists, the grown-up geeks from Astronomy Club, are too busy proving that genetics store really important stuff like the propensity to be overweight or lactose intolerant.
But in Musinga's DNA the rage was strong... Musinga's rage spread out through the slave population, mixing with the rage of other captured warriors, both male and female.
The rage fueled war, crime, and brilliance. In some decedents it produced a nobility and drive that beggars belief; in some descendants it produced the desire for justice and equality, for reparation and forgiveness. For other descendants it produced despair and self-hatred, alcoholism, addiction and depression, the rage turning inward and killing the host body, as rage is wont to do. (It seems that alcoholism and addiction are highly present among present-day African-Americans, Native Americans, Aborigines, and Celts, people who are not without a certain amount of justified rage.) (pages 105-106)When I first read this, my mind was utterly blown. It makes a lot of sense to me. One of my friends from high school has a lot of issues with her father, namely because of his anger problems and short temper. He also happens to Irish-American. As far as I know, there's not anything in his life that made him angry - he's... just angry.
Back the BBC article - restricting alcohol, making it harder to to buy spirits, so on and so forth - this might all work as a quick fix, help eliminate some problems. But it won't solve it. Changing the drinking age from 18 to 21 did nothing in America - in fact, it probably made under-aged drinking increase. It isn't about laws or restrictions or only about alcohol at all. It's about culture and about people. Something about college campuses leads some people to want to binge drink. Something about the culture of countries like Ireland and Scotland leads to higher alcohol consumption.
Why? A good question. A very good question indeed. Unfortunately, I don't think there's ever going to be a nice, simple answer. But maybe, just maybe, we could begin to understand how complex this how issue is... maybe then we'd begin to work towards an answer.
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