A good friend of mine is very shy, especially around the ladies. That is, until he gets liquor in his system. Once the social lubricant enters his bloodstream he turns into another man and begins talking to every woman he sees. More often than not this ends poorly; however, I commend him for his efforts. This past weekend we were in the presence of the opposite sex and my friend was completely sober. While his chances of impressing a woman drunk are slim, they are nonexistent when he is sober. Therefore, I instructed my friend to drink as much as possible, as fast as possible, so he could muster the nerve to speak to this beauty. This plan worked to perfection, as 5 Miller's later he was conversing with this woman. Knowing he had a chance to begin a "relationship" with this woman, he monitored his alcohol intake so he didn't cross the threshold of "comically buzzed" to "belligerently incoherent." This plan worked to perfection and by the end of the night he landed her phone number and even got a hug. Knowing when to commence, as well as discontinue your drinking is key in situations such as these.
In this real life scenario, alcohol was the medium for my friend. Without the presence of Mr. Miller Lite, he never would have communicated with that woman. Therefore, alcohol acted as the medium and relayed a message between a sender and a recipient.
To some, this may seem to be a reach and may even sound crazy. However, this media studies class has really opened my mind as to the endless number of mediums that exist. Alcohol itself may not always act as a medium; however, when it is the difference maker between no communication and communication, it certainly is fulfilling the requirements of being a medium. This is what makes alcohol so popular. Many conversations, relationships, and memorable nights would never take place if it wasn't for alcohol acting as the medium. Certainly, this isn't always a good thing as alcohol also initiates many unwanted and violent conversations. When drank properly and in moderation, alcohol has the ability to serve as a much needed social lubricant.
Kevin, I think you pose a very interesting question in this blog and that is regarding the effectiveness of beer. It is very interesting to see the effects of being drunk has on an individual or in some casses, just the perception of being drunk is enough to greatly influence a person's actions. I think alcohol give people an excuse to act in a way that they normally would not, and for some people these means being more outgoing.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your post here. Earlier this semester I wrote a similar post about vodka as a medium and you have definitely justified my reasoning for it as well. Do you think that the availability of alcohol at clubs is what makes them so popular rather than if they were alcohol free? What about college parties for instance?
ReplyDeleteIn response to Michael's post, I once heard of a study where two separate focus groups were given beer to drink and have a party with. One group was given standard alcoholic beer and the other was given non-alcoholic beer. The people were not told what the focus group was for and both parties went about the same. Both groups felt the feeling of being drunk and the lack of inhibition associated with drinking alcohol. It had seemed that the drinkers of the non-alcoholic beers had convinced their minds that they were drunk and were acting so. Perhaps its not the alcohol that is the medium but merely the feeling of drunkenness.
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