The puke piles in the streets on Monday mornings are very telling. There is a whole troop of zamboni-cleaners who are given fulltime work in an effort to keep up with the consecutive every-20-metre splatters, yet weekend after weekend, their jobs still exist.
The newspapers distress about teenage binge drinking, parents wage war with letter writing their complaints, and commercials edge emotions with an adult culture that relies upon alcohol in every setting.
I am the first to admit that Canadians can be a bit prudish. But both my American colleagues and myself feel shock and fear the lawsuits and court cases of negligence that have yet to hit Australian schools. Teachers are allowed to drink on-campus after hours. Parents, teachers and students share celebratory drinks (often too many) at valedictory dinners. The Xavier College front-page photos earlier this term of the boys drinking in their school uniform is the least of their (and the community’s) embarrassment. (One wonders what else but alcohol starts a culture of arrogance and violence?)
In many ways, it is a great tradition. In many other ways, the intake of alcohol in Australian culture is a terrifying reality.
Sure, in our early 20s we had university parties that got out of hand. But I think it’s pretty normal at 27 that my days of “flip-cup” tournaments and messy keg parties are over. Most of my friends feel the same way, and those who haven’t grown out of that phase only do it because they don’t have very much else going on.
But in Australia, you’re just as likely to have a middle-aged colleague tell you about their weekend bender as you are a 16-year old. It is very much the norm here to drink to the point of excess, and it’s a ‘bit of a gas’ to add your own mess to the streets.
It’s not something I understand, and it’s not something I want to be a part of. But I’m wondering if Australia is untouchable, behind the times, or just, really a lot more fun?
There is something to be said for giving trust to a group and allowing them the satisfaction of setting their own boundaries. I guess that’s what the parents who purchase alcohol to serve to their under-age children and drink with their own friends in the background believe.
Is it my prudish side that believes adolescents needs strong guidance and a helping hand to navigate positive direction?
The road toll of drunken drivers keeps rising, I think Australia has to consider whether or not it has a problem.
Tags: australian alcohol, binge drinking
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