Subject: RE: I'm telling mom!
From: L. Manning Vines (lmanningvines@hotmail.com)
Date: Sat Aug 11 2001 - 18:26:10 GMT
Pete said:
<< Tobacco farmers and the crop itself was a historical staple to making
the country as wealthy and powerful as it is today. Does that mean we all
must smoke and just thank our fore-fathers? "Significant aspects of
culture" mean nothing. If you want to absolve drinking for that reason, you
must also throw in the mix sexism, classism, violent fraternity and sorority
initiation techniques, and drug use, all of which is just as pervasive as
alcohol in many colleges and universities. >>
Don't be silly, Pete. We don't all need to smoke because tobacco farming
was important to America historically; and we don't all need to drink
because it's a part of the culture of our colleges. You'll notice, if you
care to look over my posts, that I did not suggest otherwise.
I am not trying to berate or belittle anyone for not drinking. I don't care
in the least. Zazie expressed awe at the idea of living in a country where
sixteen-year-olds can't drink, and my only point was to inform her that her
idea of America is a bit off-the-mark. Many sixteen-year-olds in America
drink regularly, many more have at least tried the stuff, and by twenty
(still under the age restriction) it is plainly the exception for a person
to have never tried alcohol. Of course there are twenty-year-olds who don't
drink and never have; there are twenty-five and thirty-year-olds with the
same credentials and jolly good for them, I say: but most people have
already imbibed intoxicating liquors before they can do it legally. That is
a fact. I meant to express it to Zazie, who was unaware of it. That is
all.
And for the record, I don't think there is any need to "absolve" drinking
because this requires that there is something innately wrong with the
practice. I do not believe that there is. And while sexism and classism
and the other things you list are present in our society, they are not
analogous to alcohol in our colleges. Firstly, sexism and classism et al
are obviously problems; I do not believe that alcohol in our colleges is,
fundamentally, a problem, although abuse is sometimes problematic. And
alcohol is used (illegally) by the vast majority of college students at some
point or another in their academic career. This, again, is a fact. Beer
has become closely associated with college in popular American culture, in
fact. Even at very good schools where students are responsible and
hard-working, many or most of them drink from time to time. Most everyone
in America knows this, and most no one in America cares very much. My only
point was to let Zazie know this, so that she does not go on thinking that
America, with its drinking age laughably higher than the rest of the
industrial world, is a strange land of puritans where no teenagers ever
drink. Even Holden drank, and he was 16 in the '50s.
That is all. I respect anyone's choice not to drink, and will not think
less of them for it. I was merely trying to point out a few facts to Zazie,
who was apparently unaware of them.
-robbie
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