The Booze Bounty
Pizza delivery people are being bribed to turn in minors with visible six packs, and no, not the abdominal kind. Compare our Puritanical approach to that of countries like France, where drinking isn't prohibited for kids -- hence, they aren't all apeshit over alcohol like kids are here. Essentially, in my experience, it's considered piggy to get sloppy drunk there, where alcohol is considered something to be enjoyed in moderation, before, after, or with meals. Moreover, because alcohol isn't demonized and prohibited, there isn't the impulse to go sneak out and drink. And, it's so nice, in France, to go to an ordinary cafÈ, not a bar, and be able to order a glass of wine and a snack at 4pm and watch the world go by. Maybe what's wrong in our neck of the bois isn't a national problem with alcohol but with the Puritanical prohibitions against it. And the same goes for drugs, if you take that logic a step further. How many "criminals" are we paying to keep in jail, who would otherwise be productive members of society who like a nightly toke? (Thanks to A.Ho for the link tip.)
According to the article: they're busting kids for underage drinking, but trying them as adults.
Irony alert.
A Fly on the Wall at May 29, 2004 2:48 PM
Remember the good old days before Rudy Giuliani, when you could sit on a stoop in NYC with a beer in a brown paper bag, and no one would bother you?
Lena at May 29, 2004 5:52 PM