DD & the Dursleys: Alcohol (was: Better Manners...)

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 158206

> bboyminn:

> The idea behind it is that you bring your kids to
> drinking is a slow and safe manner. That you help them
> establish a responsible and measure attitude toward
> drink. Unfortunately, here in the USA, adults don't
> teach kids how to drink responsibly. Instead KIDS teach
> kids how to drink very irresponsibly.
>
> I've heard rumors of American teens and twenties going to
> Europe and their European counterparts being appalled at
> the American 'drink until your nearly dead' attitude.

Magpie:
Not to speak in generalizations one way or another, but to stick up
for the Americans, "drink until you're nearly dead" isn't completely
unheard of amongst UK and Irish teens--I mean, different kids are
different, but it happens. One thing that could also contribute to
the perception is that I believe a lot of American beer is less
alcoholic. So a kid who might usually drink a beer or two goes out
for a pint of two and doesn't know what hit her.:-) I certainly
don't remember a lack of drinking to excess when I was at school in
England.

Though I do agree with you on the attitude about drinking. In the
US there's often a big difference depending on ethnicity (as I'm
sure is true in other places too). Cultures that are okay with
controlled drinking at a young age but frown on drunkenness tend to
have a lower incidence of alcholism than cultures that keep drinking
forbidden and outside the home.

In HP, it seems the kids have been drinking pretty openly since they
were at least 11, since I believe Butter Beer does have some alcohol
content; it's just low enough that it's not getting them drunk.
Fire whiskey seems to be more associated with heavy drinking.  At 
the same time, the kids' attitude isn't particularly sophisticated.  
I seem to recall Ron wanting to order Fire whiskey in the Hog's Head 
and Hermione scolding him about being a Prefect, which sounded to me 
like Ron was the kid who wanted to do something daring because he 
had the chance and Hermione was being a goody-two-shoes.


I'd say given the adult examples we see wizard attitude
towards drinking is definitely the unhealthier sort. Look at the
maudlin drunkenness in response to bad luck with Hagrid, Trelawney
(who sticks to cooking sherry for some odd reason), Rita Skeeter.
Mundungus also gets drunk (which Ginny finds amusing) and Sirius'
smelling like alcohol doesn't seem like a good sign in OotP. Harry
intentionally gets Hagrid and Slughorn good and sloppy drunk.
Personally I was surprised to see that wands could produce wine in
GoF--surprised the kids aren't drunk all the time if they can just
produce it at will! I think all the drinking in HBP is a great nod
to the water nature of Slytherin--the book's sopping with all sorts
of liquids all the time. If people aren't drinking they're crying,
bleeding, dipping into Pensieves, going to bathrooms, trying
Potions, floating in boats...

-m