So I'd like to think this blog has been, all in all, pretty positive. I don't really like to say bad things about beers, even macros. The one time I went on the attack, I tried to be as positive about the whole experience as possible. As always, I want to highlight the positives of beer drinking and beer drinking culture.
But sometimes I forget that regular old drinking culture can be pretty awful. Before I get to the negatives, I want to say that I have had a really nice week in general. Saturday I had a Brooklyn Octoberfest at home and then went over to my friends' place where I had three Long Trail Blackberry Wheats (which I'm pretty sure are completely absent of alcohol). Then the lot of us went over to a bar next door to the Black Bear Lodge (Cooper something?) where I had 2 Sols (they came in a bucket man, and it was cheap). Perfectly nice evening with friends. Sunday, due to my cable company getting in a pissing match with Fox, I had to go to a bar to watch football. I had three Kelso Pilsners at Half Court while watch several of the games. Had a Brooklyn Octoberfest back in the apartment while watching more football. Outside of having to deal with rape-condoning Steelers fans (that is, all of them), a perfectly nice evening. Monday and Tuesday have very similar arcs. Both involved drinking 2 Octoberfests on the couch while reading/watching tv/hanging with the wife. Also, very nice. Wednesday night was a considerably nice night. I went out to drinks after class with a friend who just got married. I had a Speakeasy Prohibition Ale and a Yuengling Lager. Later that night was pub quiz with friends where I had a Harpoon Octoberfest and a Founders Ale.
See, that's what beer drinking and drinking in generally is supposed to be like. Having a few laughs with some friends. Relaxing on the couch after a long day. Hell, even making a vulgar joke or busting a ball or two. Fun, I think is the operable word. Beer drinking should enhance your day. Even after a thoroughly awful day, when you say to yourself, "Man, I need a beer," the point isn't to "drown your sorrows." The point should be, "I have had a day filled with doing things I do not enjoy doing. Drinking a tasty and refreshing beer is something that I do enjoy doing. I need a beer because for the X amount of time that it takes to drink it, I will be doing something that I like doing, and it's too easy to have days go by where you look back and say 'I didn't do a single thing that I actively wanted to do.' I am not obligated to drink this beer. I am drinking this beer because in a day/week/life where I have had to eat so much crow, as it were, this is something I am doing for me."
Let's visit Thursday night, now. Thursday night was the annual law school fall bash. I secretly (quite openly, actually) hate these things. They host them at some super douchey Manhattan clubs and then a bunch of entitled law students get dressed up and act like they're already making six figures while running around with six figure debt. In case you didn't know this, law students might be the worst people on earth. So why do I go? 20 dollar open bar and my law school friends are there. So despite the considerable negatives going into these things, I generally manage to have a pretty good time. And that was the by and large the case last night.
But let me tell you about two things that don't mix: an extreme sense of entitlement and being completely wasted. Unfortunately, those two things were present in copious amounts on Thursday. Without getting into too many details, drinking too many cheap well drinks apparently made a few people think that it was okay to talk to me and my wife in a way in which respectable people should not talk to one another. It got to the point Liz had to get security involved. I mean I get it. You're an idiot and decided to pay sticker price for a non-top 10 law school in the midst of the worst legal job market known to man. I get that you somehow came to believe that your very presence in law school entitles to a six-figure gig. I also get that you don't want to wait until you actually get that gig to act like you make six-figures. But here's what I don't get. Even IF you were what you acted like and were what you think you're entitled to be, you STILL don't get to treat people like that.
I get that times are sort of depressing. But you know what's not good to do if you're in a bad spot? Get super wasted. I said that I started this blog because I wanted to focus on the positives of drinking. Sometimes I think the American people get too hung up on the dangers of alcohol. Alcoholism is a real thing, but I think people are sometimes to quick to associate any and all alcohol consumption with something that is either dangerous or self-destructive. That's not the case. Hopefully I've somewhat demonstrated through this here blog that you can actually have a fun and responsible time imbibing. But when I go to things like this where the whole purpose of the evening is down as many well shots as possible to get as wasted as possible, I don't know why I get surprised when, guess what?, alcohol isn't always a positive for everyone. Not for me to be telling anyone how to live their life, but if drinking makes you forget to treat other people like human beings, you should probably stop drinking. I'm not talking about the random drunken fight between friends, because lord knows I've had a few of those (though none really this year, as I said beer = all positives for me this time around). I'm talking about forgetting that people you don't know are human beings, presumably just like you. And you're not just hurting yourself or the person you're directly attacking while you're being an ass. You're hurting all responsible alcohol consumers. You're confirming every moralist's view of alcohol bringing out the devil in people. You make it harder for people to believe that alcohol can be an amazing compliment to rewarding and responsible life. I didn't really mean to get on a soapbox here. Thursday night just really bothered me is all. But the moral of the story is, just be cool man. Have some drinks, have some fun, but if you feel compelled to scream at my wife and then try to expose yourself to her, uh, don't do that please.
Numbers and Friday/Saturday drinking will be posted later today.
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