BOOZE, BOOZE, BOOZE
The booze industry use to issue warnings to “binge” drinkers; they addressed the “Jekkyl and Hyde” women that “binge” drink. This is another one of the buzzwords. The booze problem is always laid at the feet of someone else—never the booze industry that makes the stuff that “binge” drinkers are made of. You understand that they’re not talking about the girls and fellows who stagger home quietly several times a week, usually over the weekend, drunk but not troublesome. They’re happy with such people so long as they don’t hurt the booze business’ reputation. No, they’re talking about those that stagger home drunk and on the way create problems, beat the blood out of one another in the street, lie in the gutter or smash up things and abuse or neglect whoever is at home.
[“Binge” language is no longer popular with the booze industry. It’s a bit too crass and, in addition, they’re assaulting some of their best customers. Besides, that kind of talk only generates images that the booze industry wants to keep out of the public eye.]
If you bring their reputation as sellers of poison into question they call you names, like “binger” or “Jekkyl & Hyde”. The most abused drug in the world—alcohol! The first thing the booze hits is your power to discriminate—but the booze-makers hold you responsible for not discriminating. Everybody is to be blamed for the havoc in society in general and in the home in particular—everybody, that is, except the booze industry! I’ve had more than one person tell me that the problem lay in those who couldn’t and wouldn’t control their booze intake. I had a woman tell me the same thing about marijuana. And why not—if booze is fine why isn’t marijuana? [This same lady argued in favor of the responsible use of cocaine.]
The booze people feverishly promote and sell the poison and the government spends multiplied millions of dollars trying to keep up with the social carnage.
In light of the statistics on planetary deaths, maiming, abuse, deprivation, crime, destruction of families, and whatever else that comes with booze, isn’t it almost laughable to still hear the serious announcements about passive smoking? Is it not astonishing that there’s a law against driving without a seat belt and no law against the sale of booze thatnecessitates laws for fear of mayhem on the roads? Do you know what keeps this from being humorous? It’s the tragedy that those in power are serious!
Though it’s true that the HIV = AIDS scam no longer grabs headlines and good sense is in some areas prevailing and needy people are being fed, given clean water, offered medical treatment that truly does help [antibiotics and such]—though all that’s true, governments are still pouring millions into paying for anti-viral meds that the pharmaceutical companies now have a phenomenally difficult time selling in America or in the West.
No one anywhere has proved that the (alleged) HIV virus has a functional/physical link to any disease of any kind much less the “marker diseases” of what’s called AIDS. (The “marker” diseases are common medical problems that have been around long before AIDS was invented. If you die of TB but aren’t known to be HIV positive your death certificate has TB as the cause. If you’re known to have the HIV antibody and you die of TB the death certificate shows AIDS as the cause. Isn’t it marvelous?)
Serious war is declared against the still [after thirty years of massively funded research] unproven HIV theory while the open and before-our-eyes truth about the booze industry’s product is grandly ignored. Worldwide, it’s involved in death, maiming, killings, child and spouse and parental abuse, the destruction of marriages, health problems, cost to society, police presence and court time—it’s involved in all that and more beyond calculation. It swallows up multiplied billions of dollars that could be used to create jobs, further medical research, fund housing construction, or whatever!
“It pays taxes!” It pays taxes? That’s what the tobacco industry said! “It creates jobs!” That’s what the tobacco industry said! “Tobacco is physically linked with disease.” Yes, and booze is socially linked with more agony and death than tobacco ever was or could be. If tobacco has physically killed its thousands the booze industry socially [and otherwise] has killed its tens of millions.
Arrrrgggghhhhh!
Western governments spend millions of dollars urging drivers not even to take one drink because it’s too risky. It’s too risky because the drinker might drink more and maybe even go over the legal limit. Is that not revealing? Booze is a thief and a robber! Why is a legal limit set? Because booze is booze and it does what everyone knows it does.
Then the hypocritical booze industry promotes its drug with beautiful young women and handsome young men partying, deliriously happy. Then for a few seconds they add a tiny worded appeal, “Enjoy our product responsibly.”
The tobacco industry has felt the power of opposition but the booze industry bosses and stockholders? They must laugh all the way to the bank as they’re driven in their big Mercs or smile at their sizeable retirement money—they laugh at what they get away with. No smoking adverts on television but booze and great sex, booze and elegance, booze and “the great life”, booze and humor, booze and holding on to your dreams, booze and happy family life—all over the screen, day in and day out.
If society was peopled only with people as strong as Michael the Archangel or as pure as Mary the mother of Jesus or as uncompromising as Daniel who stared down the lions and Gentile kings—if the world was populated with that sort of people booze wouldn’t be a problem.
“I enjoy a beer [and I suppose a vodka or some such thing if he feels he needs something stiffer] when I choose,” one preaching type told me; “It’s a matter of drinking responsibly,” he said.
And the booze industry smiles at such a wise man—a wise Bible teacher who shapes his congregation.
If you think sexual predators groom children you need to remember that the booze industry does the very same thing with its fruit juices and pop drinks with low levels of alcohol in them. [“We’re teaching them to handle alcohol responsibly.” They’re always doing us favors.]
Even liberties can become sinful—Romans 14:13-23 and 1 Corinthians 8:11-13, for example [to be reflected on theologically as well as exegetically].
In addition, there never was in the Bible anything like the modern booze industry with its high-powered booze. It’s a damnable plague and feeds on the vulnerable.
And it isn't enough to be able to quote scripture to support a practice. The Pharisees did that in Matthew to justify their abuse of women and Americans and other nations did that in support of slavery when they quoted Peter and Paul.
To read scriptures to justify what we want to do or to act on "liberties" that support an industry with such a horrendous record as the booze industry has is no wise thing.
If we’re free to drink it then we're free to share it. If we're free to share it we're free to sell it. If we're free to sell it then we're free to own bars and distilleries. Would that be “responsible”?
Paul, the apostle of the free Spirit [F.F. Bruce called him that]! No one spoke more about freedom—yes? But in light of the love of Jesus Christ did he seem to be free? In 1 Corinthians 9 and in 2 Corinthians 5:14 he said he lived his life the way he did because “the love of Christ leaves me no choice” [NEB]. He said one died for all that they that live might no longer live unto themselves but unto Him that died for them and rose again.
I don’t know how to work all that out in daily living and it might well be that in some ways I don’t want to know. If that’s the case I need forgiveness—and I certainly do because my own life is an ongoing struggle with sin.
Still I think it’s true: the booze industry is against everything a disciple of the Lord Jesus is for and for everything a follower of Jesus Christ is against.
Iris Murdoch and Stanley Hauerwas are right; before ethics is a way of doing things it is a way of seeing things. It isn’t that we choose different things from the same world—we see different worlds. “We can only act,” said Hauerwas, “within the world we can envision and we can envision the world rightly only as we are trained to see.”
Could Jesus give the nod of approval to the booze industry and quote texts to say his Holy Father gave it to us to gladden our hearts? I don’t think so!
He who fought all that enslaves people would surely fight such a business; a business that has shaped society and has been shaped by our sinful human society, and even as we watch it helps to destroy the peace and joy and health and usefulness of multiplied millions of our fellow-humans.
I simply can’t see the Church’s approval of the booze industry—tacit or otherwise—as giving the Lord Jesus pleasure or furthering his kingdom purpose.
©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to to post from his website, the abiding word.com.