Strong minds, alcohol , violence and free choice
I asked a Facebook fren, 26 year old man , to read the letter I had written about the irresponsible alcohol advertising and the sexist campaigns. He was good to give me a response .. and I appreciate his time..
Strong minds,advertisers, choices, sex sells
It is true that we have strong minds and could decide.. the thing I wonder, is we are manipulated by advertisers into knowing and purchasing products.. do we really have free minds? Why do marketers and advertisers spend so much time and effort on influencing our minds? I mean.. how on earth did we ever manage without cell phones? And is brushing our teeth really good for us? Are the advertisers manipulated by us, or we by them? And does sex really sell? Or is it an assumption that is made - and it is just accepted that is how things are done?
I am not violent when I drink..
Many people drink and are not violent, many people who are violent do not drink.. yep, it is true. Thing is.. many people move so quickly from the nice happy fun stuff straight to violence.. a build up.. and in the last year, there is a rise of incidents of drinking buddies cutting, slashing and killing each other.. after drinking. My fren.. are you pretty darn fun when you are not drunk.?. or is that alcohol becomes the excuse.. to loosen the tongue and the behaviour to put on a spectacle.. why do we need chemicals to alter our brains to have fun? And many children ask their fathers not to go out and drink because their happy drunken fathers turn belligerent.. Risky sexual behaviour is more likely when the senses are clouded. Accidents are happening more often with drunk drivers.. and even if there are no deaths.. there are other injuries and effects which are damaging. and which take their toll on the individuals involved and the health sector What about the friends of drunk people.. if you not violent.. what about the people you leave behind to go home when you know your limits? Are they violent?
People could deal with violent alcohol users..
My fren makes it sound easy.. someone is violent and uses alcohol , you could talk to them and so on. It is not.. thousands of families in Guyana know that it is not easy.. rum shop owners are often begged not to sell alcohol to some families.. the rum friends are asked not to encourage the drinking..
Shame of staying vs Shame of leaving abusive relationships..
One of the complex factors of alcohol in abusive relationships.. is that when he nah drink.. we deh good good.. and that confuses matters and people hope for change. I was drunk, so forgive me. Fear is also a factor which stops people from leaving - many people are killed as they are leaving or after they have left the relationship, money, many different factors which might make staying in the abusive relationship seem better than leaving it.
When to advertise alcohol..
Alcohol advertising is not only on radio and TV, it is on shop signs, billboards. in the promo of events in rural places.. chutney competition, duck curry, cricket, basketball, football.. wherever families will go because there is no alternative. There are billboards, 24/7 all over the place which do not show the negative effects of alcohol use.
Complaining, bitching and going with the flow..
Thing is.. when the flow seems to carrying us nowhere.. do we stay with it? Will you always go with the flow? What would have happened if our ancestors did not revolt, complain , bitch.. about slavery, labour practices, racism.. freedom? A lot of people might resort to alcohol when they feel that the flow is against them. Is that what happens when people get drunk.. that people need to let go of the things which keep them in the flow?
hey gd morning. i read the letter. My view goes a little something like this. we as human beings have minds of our own. if we allow people (advertisers) to manipulate us..then in my view u r weak. im sure every television now has a remote....if something is showing and u dont want to look at it ..what do u do ? u change it right ? good...well same thing goes for advertisements. i think it has been proven that sex sells. i agree with that. we livin in a an age where everything is so different from the previous generations...and as time continues to move forward more things will change and so will people's attitude and behavior... secondly..... i drink alot.. i love beers partying...but thta doesnt mean because i drink it has a negative impact on my family or community.. i can be pretty darn fun when i'm drunk....so not everyone is abusive when the consume alcohol.... it depends on how u react to it and how u handle being drunk...if a family member in ur home is abusive when the consume alcojhol...the best thing to do would be to talk to that person..try to help them...give them options ...if that doesnt work and that person wants to continue being drunk an abusive when seek professional help ..police...help an shelter etc.... most guyanese dnt believe in doin this ...the dnt think that will help or ashamed to do it because of what society will say.....but there nt ashamed of what society would say when the are being abused...how funny is that . people in abusive homes/relationships always have an option to leave or get help...the majority refuses the option and just to live with it an complain.....as for the airin of the beer commericials..promotion ..whatever the case the may be .. i think it should only be aired at nights when presumably children are asleep... guyanese in general need to stop complain for every lest thing and try to better themselves during that time the take to complain and bitch about what is happenin to the coutry/ economy..... go woth the flow...groove in times are changing rapidly..it's how u handle it that counts....So.. I wanted to respond here
Strong minds,advertisers, choices, sex sells
It is true that we have strong minds and could decide.. the thing I wonder, is we are manipulated by advertisers into knowing and purchasing products.. do we really have free minds? Why do marketers and advertisers spend so much time and effort on influencing our minds? I mean.. how on earth did we ever manage without cell phones? And is brushing our teeth really good for us? Are the advertisers manipulated by us, or we by them? And does sex really sell? Or is it an assumption that is made - and it is just accepted that is how things are done?
I am not violent when I drink..
Many people drink and are not violent, many people who are violent do not drink.. yep, it is true. Thing is.. many people move so quickly from the nice happy fun stuff straight to violence.. a build up.. and in the last year, there is a rise of incidents of drinking buddies cutting, slashing and killing each other.. after drinking. My fren.. are you pretty darn fun when you are not drunk.?. or is that alcohol becomes the excuse.. to loosen the tongue and the behaviour to put on a spectacle.. why do we need chemicals to alter our brains to have fun? And many children ask their fathers not to go out and drink because their happy drunken fathers turn belligerent.. Risky sexual behaviour is more likely when the senses are clouded. Accidents are happening more often with drunk drivers.. and even if there are no deaths.. there are other injuries and effects which are damaging. and which take their toll on the individuals involved and the health sector What about the friends of drunk people.. if you not violent.. what about the people you leave behind to go home when you know your limits? Are they violent?
People could deal with violent alcohol users..
My fren makes it sound easy.. someone is violent and uses alcohol , you could talk to them and so on. It is not.. thousands of families in Guyana know that it is not easy.. rum shop owners are often begged not to sell alcohol to some families.. the rum friends are asked not to encourage the drinking..
Shame of staying vs Shame of leaving abusive relationships..
One of the complex factors of alcohol in abusive relationships.. is that when he nah drink.. we deh good good.. and that confuses matters and people hope for change. I was drunk, so forgive me. Fear is also a factor which stops people from leaving - many people are killed as they are leaving or after they have left the relationship, money, many different factors which might make staying in the abusive relationship seem better than leaving it.
When to advertise alcohol..
Alcohol advertising is not only on radio and TV, it is on shop signs, billboards. in the promo of events in rural places.. chutney competition, duck curry, cricket, basketball, football.. wherever families will go because there is no alternative. There are billboards, 24/7 all over the place which do not show the negative effects of alcohol use.
Complaining, bitching and going with the flow..
Thing is.. when the flow seems to carrying us nowhere.. do we stay with it? Will you always go with the flow? What would have happened if our ancestors did not revolt, complain , bitch.. about slavery, labour practices, racism.. freedom? A lot of people might resort to alcohol when they feel that the flow is against them. Is that what happens when people get drunk.. that people need to let go of the things which keep them in the flow?
You have great points there sir.
ReplyDelete