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People Have no Staying Power

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Garpal Gumnut

Garpal Gumnut

Ross Island Hotel
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2 January 2006
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Just over two hours ago, I took a taxi, with my good mate Ahmed driving to watch sunrise on the Strand. I was somewhat, how shall I say, incapable.

I was struck by the lack of people, inebriate or sober.

I do worry about the younger generation.

They have no staying power or mojo, perhaps due to the nanny state in which we all now live.

In my day we would have been setting the fire on the beach for the recovery champagne breakfast.

Labor Governments have a lot to do with this nannification of our youth and population.

Safety first, don't enjoy.

It seems the Vatican has been ousted by the homegrown ALP wowsers.

gg
 
No idea of the purpose of this post. Trying to decide if it's tongue in cheek, or just trying to elicit an inflammed response.

Personally I'm all for youth today not having the staying power you describe. Binge drinking is a scourge that needs to be eradicated. The harm it does to health, the deaths and tragedy involved, certainly don't make it worthwhile.

As for your belief the ALP are responsible for the nanny state, lest we forget Howards move with the mining boom money into bringing about the middle class welfare state that has destroyed the tax base. Explain to me why anyone deserves a "benefit" from the Govt if they can pay the rent, put food on the table, buy clothes at K-mart. It's the Government pandering to the pretence that someone else can help or is to blame that is letting down this country.

May the new year bring in political Leaders who push back to the voters the ideals of taking responsibility of their actions, and any negative consequences should they arise.
 
I think the original post wasn't being too serious. At least that's how I took it. :)

Anyway, I did notice myself last night that New Year celebrations seem to be nowhere near what they used to be. At least they aren't here in Hobart. An hour after the fireworks and most people had left, the crowd was actually quite thin, and many of those remaining were in the taxi queue. Going back to the 1990's most would still have been there at that time, and there wasn't such a thinning out of the crowd until 3 - 4 am.

Whether or not it's better or worse it has definitely changed at least around here. It used to be one big party. Now it's watch the fireworks and go home. Big difference.

I suspect that Falls festival taking a large portion of the younger crowd has a fair bit to do with it. That plus there's no drinking on the street etc these days either and they've taken the family attractions away too. So there's not much point to it all other than the actual fireworks unless you're inside at the Taste (food festival - entry with tickets only on NYE) or heading to a pub / club. Either way, there's no point staying on the street so people don't.

I'm no binge drinker that's for sure, I literally drank nothing other than water last night, but I do think the laws could be relaxed a bit surely. As long as they aren't getting ridiculously drunk then I can't see any real harm in people drinking outside just because technically it just happens to be a street - which is closed to everything except taxis anyway. It's not as though the ban actually avoids the possibility of a drunk being run over - all it does is encourage pre-loading at home and/or drinking lots whilst inside a pub or nightclub.

I suspect it's probably much the same everywhere? The celebrations look impressive on TV but then you'll spend hours getting to/from just to see some the venue just to see some fireworks and maybe a bit of music etc. With the exception of places like Sydney, fireworks are fireworks. If you wanted an actual party as such then you'd be better off in a pub / club or having your own party at home.

Anyway, Happy New Year to everyone.... :D
 
May the new year bring in political Leaders who push back to the voters the ideals of taking responsibility of their actions, and any negative consequences should they arise.
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+1. I shall not be holding my breath, however. Governments are determined to demonstrate that they know best (what a joke!). As a consequence, fewer people take less responsibility in everything. We will soon be a nation of zombies.
 
sydboy007 said:
Personally I'm all for youth today not having the staying power you describe. Binge drinking is a scourge that needs to be eradicated. The harm it does to health, the deaths and tragedy involved, certainly don't make it worthwhile.

As for your belief the ALP are responsible for the nanny state, lest we forget Howards move with the mining boom money into bringing about the middle class welfare state that has destroyed the tax base. Explain to me why anyone deserves a "benefit" from the Govt if they can pay the rent, put food on the table, buy clothes at K-mart. It's the Government pandering to the pretence that someone else can help or is to blame that is letting down this country.
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Aren't you actually describing simple vote buying here? All governments do it. Most recent example is the Gillard government automatically paying into people's accounts the Schoolkids' Bonus. This is money that was always available but families had to apply for it. Many of them couldn't be bothered apparently. So, presumably in order to hold on to Labor votes, the government felt obliged to make it an automatic payment, telling the recipients it was to help them with educating their children. Of course, they could go and spend it all on fast food for all the government cares.

I see the Nanny State more as removing individual decision making from people via enacting more and more laws about what we all may or may not do. You refer to binge drinking which I agree is unhealthy. (I also think, however, it's usually a pretty brief rite of passage for some teenagers, few of whom persist with such stupid behaviour.)
So - thinking perhaps of the lovely extra tax revenue - the government slapped a large penalty on those premixed drinks known as alcopops, apparently concluding that they were solely responsible for binge drinking.
No one knows why they came to this conclusion, or whether perhaps it was just the obvious thing to say to explain the tax.

Anyway, the kids aren't to be deterred. They just bought bottles of spirits and mixed their own, in most cases ending up consuming more alcohol than if they'd drunk the premixed stuff. Net effect on binge drinking = nil.

Then I heard on the news a couple of days ago that someone was prosecuted for being in possession of a few fireworks. Apparently it is now illegal to have your own crackers. Instead, local governments spend crazy amounts of money on big spectacular displays where the population is obliged to travel often long distances to view this wonder.
When I was a kid we always had fireworks on the appropriate occasions and were taught how to handle them responsibly by our parents.

Bicycle helmets: another rule of the Nanny State. Perhaps makes some sense for a cyclist on a main highway, but to insist those recreational riders quietly tootling along a dedicated bike path is paternalistic and unnecessary.

Plenty more examples, all of which are designed to reduce the impetus for individuals taking responsibility for themselves and, as you say, any negative consequences.

gg's latest post has just reminded me of another measure by the Nanny State, one which leaves me just incredulous, i.e. that it will soon become an offence to offend someone. **** unbelievable!
 
Julia said:
You refer to binge drinking which I agree is unhealthy. (I also think, however, it's usually a pretty brief rite of passage for some teenagers, few of whom persist with such stupid behaviour.)

......

When I was a kid we always had fireworks on the appropriate occasions and were taught how to handle them responsibly by our parents.
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Based on my general life experience to date, teenagers drinking heavily doesn't bother me too much provided that there are no motor vehicles, firearms or similar dangerous things involved. Unprotected sex fits into that category of nasty risks too.

Age plays a big part in this one. There's a big difference in how employers, police, courts or anyone else tends to view an 18 year old who binge drinks versus a 30 year old still doing the same thing. As a rough guide, I'd say that if you're over 25 and still doing it then that's a bad track to be on. If you're still doing it at 30 then the words "write off" come to mind - the odds of change at this point are unlikely unless/until something drastic happens (health, law, whatever).

As for the fireworks, I too remember them well and think it somewhat unfortunate that there is a ban these days. Sadly, with idiots doing things like using them to harm animals I can see why governments felt a need to act on this one.
 
DB008 said:
Would love to do this, but drinking + lighting a bon-fire on the beach, you would get locked up now days.
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Especially if you didn't have some one present with a senior first aid certificate, also a fire risk awareness certificate, the correct number of extinguishers appropriate for the said bonfire and a designated responsible person.
The designated responsible person should hold the above mentioned certificates and also should have attended and hold a current team leader certificate.
For further information on where to buy the certificates contact your local union office or branch of the ALP.:D
 
When I was 20 most of my peers including myself were like ferral chooks with no heads.

My Brother and I would attempt to go into the large town to attend the paille de dance each Saturday night at Warrnambool.

After being spruced up, straight eight hair oil to make it stick way out front and the cut blue jeans and black shirt we would make it to the Hawkesdale Hotel. In a round with about eight we would then venture on to Woolsthorp, but often with two or three rounds at Hawkesdale we would roll the vw over and Dad would again have to rescue us.
So many times we would spend Sundays on the farm after mass with jacks pushing the sides back out. It looked okay though as a multi coloured grey machine.

Anyway same thing if we made it to Woolsthorpe, Koroit was the next town but usually avoided that way as S/C Ma....... was on the lookout for us both. But you get the drift, we could all drink drive and get away with it and if we did make it to the dance the girls would not say yes anyway. Good self regulation in itself but if one did say yes it was usually the one a bloke married before the luck ran out altogether or got killed going to the dance too many times.

If you lost your job in the morning you would be having morning tea at the next job two doors away.

Anyway back on topic, kids do not have the cash today or the jobs, people generally are eating out less to save. The hard work we did such as shearing, hay-carting or anything else made us strong with the staying power my good gg.

We cannot compare the two eras in my view, the world has changed and I am sure in my mind it is not the fault of the youngsters either.
 
If it is any consolation to you GG, last night/this morning some friends and I were treated to an utterly illegal fireworks display put on by a distant neighbour - possibly in the next street. I have not ventured out as yet to look for neighbours with missing fingers or a front garden full of paper bits, so cannot say for sure, but I suspect whoever got their hands on some black market crackers was unsure of when to set them off as a few were set off each hour, on the hour, from 7pm through until the wee early hours. Each eruption was met with increasing glee and exhortation for more from the occupants of many houses in my street and the next.

Your worry over the younger generation may also be displaced. I was host to 6 adult friends and their young adult and teenage children for the past few days. Unfortunately I doubt my humble abode is as commodious as Chez Gumnut, so there were bodies sleeping all over the place. It was all us oldies could do to outlast the youngsters in order to ensure that the young ladies sleeping on the lower level were kept separate from the young gents tucked away upstairs. We poor parents were flagging in the early hours while our offspring were still going strong. One poor Dad was heard mumbling something about just sleeping on the landing at the top of the stairs, less he wind up related to me via a grandchild ;)
 
I'm young. I got home at 430am, then was up at 8 to take some relatives visiting from overseas out on the Harbour (I was drunk when I agreed to do it so early on NY day). Then went for a long boozy lunch at the Wato Bay Hotel. I will sleep well tonight!

Some of us have staying power!!!!;)
 
McLovin said:
I'm young. I got home at 430am, then was up at 8 to take some relatives visiting from overseas out on the Harbour (I was drunk when I agreed to do it so early on NY day). Then went for a long boozy lunch at the Wato Bay Hotel. I will sleep well tonight!

Some of us have staying power!!!!;)
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I'm in a similar boat McLovin. Tomorrow will be a looooooooooong day.........
 
DB008 said:
I'm in a similar boat McLovin. Tomorrow will be a looooooooooong day.........
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I'm pulling through! Went for a 85km ride this morning at 7, then went for breakfast with a few mates. Came home, had a nap. Ready to knock the head off a few tall frosties.

It's like being on school holidays this time of year.
 
DocK said:
If it is any consolation to you GG, last night/this morning some friends and I were treated to an utterly illegal fireworks display put on by a distant neighbour - possibly in the next street. I have not ventured out as yet to look for neighbours with missing fingers or a front garden full of paper bits, so cannot say for sure, but I suspect whoever got their hands on some black market crackers was unsure of when to set them off as a few were set off each hour, on the hour, from 7pm through until the wee early hours. Each eruption was met with increasing glee and exhortation for more from the occupants of many houses in my street and the next.

Your worry over the younger generation may also be displaced. I was host to 6 adult friends and their young adult and teenage children for the past few days. Unfortunately I doubt my humble abode is as commodious as Chez Gumnut, so there were bodies sleeping all over the place. It was all us oldies could do to outlast the youngsters in order to ensure that the young ladies sleeping on the lower level were kept separate from the young gents tucked away upstairs. We poor parents were flagging in the early hours while our offspring were still going strong. One poor Dad was heard mumbling something about just sleeping on the landing at the top of the stairs, less he wind up related to me via a grandchild ;)
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Aww, Dock, don't you know that the only way to separate the sexes is to prise them apart with a crowbar?
 
simple, most of the good events are on new years day not eve... most young people arent lame starting fires on a beach and other similarly lame drinking activities...
 
Planning on my first alcohol free day today since the since Christmas eve eve. This time of year hurts.
 
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