So in class we watched a documentary about hazing focused on/inspired by this guy from UC Boulder who had drunk too much, passed out, and then died because none of his frat bros called the police until the morning after (at which point he was already dead). The documentary talked about why this is happening, why a kid like the one who died would do things like that and get himself killed (the film went into some depth about him to show that he didn't have a drinking problem, his parents didn't keep him cooped up at home, he didn't have a troubled childhood, he had no problem making friends, doing well in school or sports, etc.), and the consequences.
This kind of thing always pisses me off, not because they're drinking underage (which I still disagree with), not because they're having a party at a frat house, but because in order for an environment to be created in which a) there is enough alcohol, per capita, for someone to die, b) there is the pressure to drink enough to pass out, c) people don't do a whole lot for people who do pass out, d) going to parties and drinking excessively is considered the only/best way to have fun and e) for this to happen regularly, there needs to be a lot of stupidity and irresponsibility floatin around.
I understand why kids want to go to parties. They feel (because of adds, peer pressure, movies, certain beliefs about our society) that in order to have friends, meet a hot guy/girl, have fun, etc. they need to go to these parties and drink X amount of alcohol.
So, why is it a good idea to host a party and provide for your guests, all the things they need to kill themselves, and then pressure them to do those things. Like WTF? Sure, it's 'fun' but lets weigh the options; on one side we have, enjoying ourselves, meeting lots of people, etc. and on the other side we have, you might die or end up in the hospital. Hmmmm, seems like a really hard decision right? I mean, how can you be so unintelligent!? I just don't get it... Okay, fine, there are other ways to have fun that might kill you: bungee jumping, going on a cruise (apparently), rock climbing (not on a wall), driving a racecar, but when you go to a party and drink excessively, your safety isn't in the hands of time tested equipment, a ship's captain, your climbing partner, or a fine-tuned machine, it's in the hands of someone almost as drunk as you are. That's a really bad idea, so don't do it. If you're going to go to a party, go to one where you don't need alcohol to have fun, or go to one where you won't be pressured to drink yourself into a coma.
Let's say you're in college, it's a Friday night, and you want to have some fun. What can you do? Well, you could watch a movie either solo or with friends, play some video games (again either solo or with friends), play a board game with some friends (monopoly, risk, sorry, apples to apples, cards against humanity, chess, blokus, the list goes on and on), you could go to a restaurant with your significant other, you could hang out at a local park or field with your friends, or you could drink yourself into oblivion. In the documentary one of the reasons the kids had for drinking so much and going to these parties, or participating in these hazing activities, is because they're fun. Well gee, is the only thing you could come up with to have fun life threatening, because that's just sad. Another kid said they drink because they can, well there are plenty of things people can do, but just because you can do something, doesn't mean that you should. Sheesh, I'm pretty sure that's a lesson you're supposed to learn in elementary school. Can you really not thing of anything else to do for fun?
So obviously these kids think that going out and drinking is a good idea and a good way to have fun, but why? How were they raised that they think this kind of thing is a good idea (either from the host's or attendee's perspective)? And to me, a question equally important, how was I raised that I think doing those things is one of the dumbest things ever? Is it an environmental factor? A genetic factor? A factor in how they were raised? So where does the irresponsibility come from? I'm not sure, but hopefully a study will reveal more info, or a new policy instituted by colleges and universities can in some way change the frequency of events like these. But some things that people can do, is keep the consequences of their actions in mind, be aware of how peer pressure is affecting them (and if they feel uncomfortable, leave), and know what you're getting into.
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