I've long believed that outside of Mormon culture drinking (of the alcohol variety) is less a personal choice indicating if you stand on moral high ground or grovel in a pit of societal filth and more just something that you do. When you're 5 you go to kindergarten, 13 you're officially a teenager, sixteen you drive a car and somewhere around there I would imagine you have your first drink. Its a coming of age sort of thing...a rite of passage, a cultural experience, more than a moral choice an individual makes. An average American youth whose parents drink casually and responsibly I don't think ever has a moment where a switch is flipped in their head and says "I think today is the day I will start my descent into hell" and goes and has a drink. That's the way that we (Mormons) are taught to think about drinking (not the descent into hell part the individual choice part). To us it IS a choice between right and wrong, good and evil. A drink to us is a very decided step in the wrong direction. Because (sigh) we know better.
As you all know I am not a drinker. Nor will I ever be. If you really must know I think it is gross, wasteful, and if this makes sense at all, insincere. I really don't respect it or appreciate what it does to people and to families. However, some of the people I love very most are drinkers. And in my time observing them I've been able to draw an interesting parallel with drinking culture and Mormon culture (are you curious?????)
In the following examples please substitute the word "drink" with the words "ice cream":
"Hey its your birthday! Let me buy you a drink!"
"Hey I think you're cute and nice, can I take you for a drink?"
"You got a new job! Awesome! Let me buy you a drink!"
"I haven't seen you in so long! Lets go get a drink now that you're back in town."
"We won our league's basketball championship! We're meeting up for a drink."
"Hard day at work? Wanna go for a drink?"
"You're boyfriend broke up with you? What a jerk. Lets go for a drink."
etc. etc.
Interesting right? Who knew ice cream was such a big part of our culture. No wonder Utah is the number 1 consumer of ice cream.
And in any of these scenarios I personally would substitute ice cream with fro yo. Or vodka but that's just me.
Peace.
"No amount of coffe, no amount of crying, no amount of whiskey, no wine, nothing else will do. I gotta have you" -- The Weepies
3 comments:
So what you're saying is, you're on a bender?
Thanks for the explanation. We poor uncultured---or "differently cultured"---Mormons probably need to hear it.
Wow. You never cease to amaze me. You're so thoughtful and clever. It has to have something to do with all of those books you read.
I think you're right. Frozen Yogurt = a drink for many people. It's unfortunate. And certainly not always a conscious decision. It's just "what people do."
I love you.
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