Spring Break
Community forum: alcohol(ism) in media
Issue date: 3/4/08 Section: Forum
On Feb. 26, 17 people - students, faculty, Barometer staff, Mike Fetterley from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and Lt. Jeff Lanz of the Oregon State Police - sat down in the conference room of the Barometer to discuss alcohol in media - the second installment of a series on "isms" in media.
Friends and critics of the Barometer were quick to point out the incongruency of alcoholism on the list of discussion topics, asking, "was this a joke?"
While the discussion was truly about all forms of alcohol consumption - from holiday dinners to high-risk parties - "alcoholism" was an inadequate reduction in language.
Alcoholism is a disease, and an individual's problem (affecting many others along the way), which is treatable. Institutionalized oppression based on identity (like racism and sexism) are disgusting behaviors of privileged people; the victims cannot easily find treatment.
While the forum did not attempt to equate the two, alcohol was chosen as a discussion topic for its prevalence within college life. Just as all -isms are interconnected, alcohol consumption can be connected to many -isms.
Borrowing Marilyn Frye's "birdcage" analogy of oppression, alcohol issues may be seen as a bar of that cage.
Participants shared specific examples of either witnessing or directing dealing with alcohol poisoning, vomit in elevators, waking up to noise at 2 a.m., drunkards fighting and the incredible enforcement expense of responding to alcohol-related incidents.
In the forum on Feb. 26, three common topics of alcohol(ism) in media were discussed and critiqued:
1. Inaccurate social norms in advertisements selling alcohol,
2. News coverage of alcohol-related crimes,
3. Alcohol stories in pop culture as entertainment unto themselves.
With the first common occurrence - advertisements selling alcohol - marketers frequently further stereotypes and misunderstandings (with media as monetary beneficiary).
Friends and critics of the Barometer were quick to point out the incongruency of alcoholism on the list of discussion topics, asking, "was this a joke?"
While the discussion was truly about all forms of alcohol consumption - from holiday dinners to high-risk parties - "alcoholism" was an inadequate reduction in language.
Alcoholism is a disease, and an individual's problem (affecting many others along the way), which is treatable. Institutionalized oppression based on identity (like racism and sexism) are disgusting behaviors of privileged people; the victims cannot easily find treatment.
While the forum did not attempt to equate the two, alcohol was chosen as a discussion topic for its prevalence within college life. Just as all -isms are interconnected, alcohol consumption can be connected to many -isms.
Borrowing Marilyn Frye's "birdcage" analogy of oppression, alcohol issues may be seen as a bar of that cage.
Participants shared specific examples of either witnessing or directing dealing with alcohol poisoning, vomit in elevators, waking up to noise at 2 a.m., drunkards fighting and the incredible enforcement expense of responding to alcohol-related incidents.
In the forum on Feb. 26, three common topics of alcohol(ism) in media were discussed and critiqued:
1. Inaccurate social norms in advertisements selling alcohol,
2. News coverage of alcohol-related crimes,
3. Alcohol stories in pop culture as entertainment unto themselves.
With the first common occurrence - advertisements selling alcohol - marketers frequently further stereotypes and misunderstandings (with media as monetary beneficiary).
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