Last week, one of my sociology professors gave this example to illustrate how conflict affects our daily lives: When you go to the bar and drink too much alcohol
sometimes you might punch each other he said.
After the chuckling died down my professor went on with his lecture. I couldn't help but think, however, how keenly observant my professor had been ' and sadly how right he was.
Weekend violence Uptown is completely out of control. As a former Post police reporter, I checked the police reports every Monday. It was usually the same story; there is always one (but usually more like two or three) fights in or outside a bar Uptown.
As a student ' and as a frequent Uptown bar patron ' I find this completely inexcusable and, frankly, quite scary. Studies have shown that there are clear links to alcohol use and violence: The more people drink the more violent they get.
I'm not a physiology major, but I don't buy it. Are we really that uncivilized that after a few too many Nati Lights we feel the need to kick the living daylights out of each other?
In my last column, I said I was tired of Athens residents' common decree that students are all drunk and disorderly. I have to say, though, that given the recent trend of bar-fighting as an extracurricular activity, I can't blame the non-student citizens of this town for thinking that we're all uncivilized drunkards.
Not too long ago, my 5-foot-10-inch boyfriend got picked up and slammed face-first into a wooden beam by a rather large bouncer at popular Uptown bar. (He still works there, by the way, but I'll spare him and his place of employment the decrease in sales that would undoubtedly occur if their bar patrons knew how they treat paying guests.)
I know someone else who got thrown out of a different bar ' and onto a curb ' two weeks later. He had to have his jaw wired shut and reconstructive facial surgery since the incident, which happened almost three months ago. I don't know the whole story about what happened to provoke the argument between this guy and the bouncer, but throwing someone into a curb is inexcusable.
Last quarter, I had the unfortunate assignment of writing a front-page story about our own men's club ice hockey team's scuffle Uptown that resulted in several hockey players' arrests. I've since been told by friends of the team that the fight wasn't as bad as the cops made it out to be. I felt really bad about writing that story and embarrassing those guys, but to be honest I'm no longer sorry that their names and arrest charges ran on the front page that day.
If you're dumb enough to resort to throwing punches to resolve whatever drunken conflict you've concocted, you deserve whatever comes your way because of it.
I know there are plenty of us who have a good time Uptown and manage to act like the decent human beings we are while we're doing it, but the constant fighting absolutely has to stop. We students need to take responsibility and stop beating the crap out of each other every weekend.
Bartenders and bouncers, we know your job is hard and thankless, but some of the responsibility is yours. Kick that loud, staggering, belligerent drunk guy out before he starts that fight he's been threatening for the last half hour. When you do ask someone to leave, show him or her the door. Don't slam them into it.
Gentlemen, grow up and stop fighting over girls. This sounds silly but it happens all the time. We fine ladies don't all love you, and we don't have to. Don't haul off and punch the love of your life's new boyfriend, her ex or the drunk guy who looked at your honey's butt a little too long.
Be a man and walk away.
And as for everyone else, say excuse me when you bump into someone. Don't purposely pour your drink over the ledge at The Junction and watch for the reaction. Wait your turn at the bar ' without calling the bartenders' names.
Spring is here, and with it the season of hardcore partying has arrived. I've tried to convince community members and the city police that we students really can party safely and civilly.
It's up to all of us to prove it.
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Emily Vance
