|
Under the headline "Faces of Schoolies: What Has Been Your Favourite Drink?" the Gold Coast Bulletin published responses by eight Queensland teenagers at the Schoolies festival (29 November, p8). It printed a colour photo of each person beside their name, age, and their school. To download the article, please click on attachment on the right.
What of the reasoning behind this piece which treat binge drinkers as
celebrities? Kids binge drinking might be good business for Gold Coast
bars, nightclubs, and liquor stores-- in the same way that a car crash
provides work for tow trucks and mechanics- but the paper does not
advocate people should speed up on the roads to feed those businesses.
(Of course, that could be next week's feature: interviews with
P-platers on, "how fast have you driven on our roads?")
This article subverts the effort of parents and schools to educate
children about safe use of alcohol. It reinforces the idea that
"determined drunkenness" is the measure of a good time, despite the
damage it does to the physical and mental health of young and older
Australians alike.
CAAN will lodge a formal objection to this story with the Gold Coast
Bulletin and would encourage members of the public to do the same.
Date: 2007-12-10
|