Gladwell writes on drinking in the new New Yorker. Basically, the guy says that the way we act when we drink is primarily determined socially. Not everyone gets rowdy like us young men on a Friday night.
The examples he cites are pretty fascinating. There's the Italian immigrants in New Haven in the 50s just do a glass of wine every meal or so. A native people called Camba in Bolivia gather in groups every weekend, sit in a circle, and go thru an elaborate ritual (one guy takes the bottle, pours for another, and the two of them drink before another pair repeat). These guys get tanked, unlike the Italians, but there's no flirting or fighting or dance. It's pretty civil convo and such, though a lot of them do pass out.
What determines these different behaviors are the immediate conditions imposed by the respective cultures. Us North Americans get tanked because our bars are filled with "get tanked" stimuli" (i.e. loud music, low-cut tops). Plus, all those alcohol ads just make it look so much fun. The Camba drink in relative quiet with no sexually built in stimuli.
Gladwell seems to hold up the Italians and the Camba as good examples. Drink with meals, be civil. I'm of the opinion of fuck that shit. Looking at it objectively, I'd rather drink the way I do. I like dancing and being loud and such (though I know I'm lucky I'm not prone to alcoholism). I like the Dionysan side to Friday nights. I like the sexuality associated, the little bit of danger. Just a little bit. Maybe I'll grow out of it but right now, I'm glad I'm not Camba. And I'm glad my liver works.
Though, as Chapelle says, never pass out when you're with white people. Regardless of culture.
