Well, before the uproar on how a beer does not lead to alcoholism, I will say, there are a lot of different influences that go into a person's decision to drink and abuse alcohol, but I believe those influences include mainstream media.
Let's start by taking a look at some staggering statistics:
In the United States, 17.6 million people abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent and alcohol problems are highest among young adults ages 18-29. In fact, there are an estimated 10.8 million underage drinkers in the U.S. and Twenty-nine percent of 12th graders have engaged in binge drinking.
The average U.S. household has at least one TV set turned on for about seven hours a day and the average school-aged child spends 27 hours per week watching TV. Over the course of a year, children spend more time watching TV than they spend in school or participating in any other activity except sleep with 40 percent of a 6-year-old's viewing time, and about 80 percent of a 12-year-old's viewing time is spent watching shows intended for adults.
While I write this Google has about 162,000 pages…now 163, 000…. when you search for beer
summit obama. That is a lot of press over a gimmick to get the "American People" to buy in to our new administration's "cool" or "hip" factor.
Yes 60% of Americans do report drinking is a part of their life, but do we really need to fill the airwaves with what brand of beer suits our new chief of staff? Does this bit of information really help the ObamaNation feel closer to their President? Does drinking really lead to more meaningful conversation as proposed with this Beer Summit?
I find it very hard to believe the answer to any of these questions could be anything but an emphatic NO.
How can we suggest to our fellow Americans that all of our differences, not the least of these; race, can just melt away as long as we have our favorite beer in hand? It is preposterous to believe the hot button of race relations can be met with any amount of sincerity or see any real CHANGE when the emphasis of the Summit has, almost immediately, shifted from RACE to the President's beer preference.
After all it is not being touted as the Race Summit
Seeing this shift in emphasis is what spurred me to even open my laptop and give Google one more 'hit' for beer summit obama. When beer and not race becomes the issue we are no further along in the "Change" of this nation than when we started down this road so many months ago. Instead I suggest that when The Prez decides to down a cold one during prime time television as a platform for any reason, he serves only one purpose; to make having a cold one 'cool'.
Maybe I am stretching with this….maybe not. Only time will tell.
Until then "This Blog's for YOU"
Javier Mendoza
July 29, 2009 Urban Word of the Day
The meeting of President Obama and any parties for which an injustice has occurred. This meeting must take place in the White House and be broadcast throughout the media.
