The "If you need to drink to have fun" Picture Debate

[Snow_Storm]

Okay, this picture has been floating around Facebook for a while and it's pissing me off as a con goer, party goer and sports fan.



To be honest with you I have seen more of the following:

Sexual Harassment
Assaults/Fights
Immaturity
Drama
Drunkards/Drunkenness

At cons more than I seen at the parties and sporting events I have been too.

I don't get it, why is that it's okay for cosplayers and con goers to attack other people for their life-styles and their own business but the second somebody mocks them, they get very upset.

Yeah, I'm all for having fun with and without alcohol or drugs. However, I am not for attacking people who drink or don't drink or don't do things I enjoy.

[DonQuigleone]

I think drinking extreme levels of alcohol can be a bit... infantile.

In particular, there's no excuse for the behaviour that sometimes goes on at "extreme" parties. You have the stupid games (beer pong, "chugging") which are harmless but stupid (in that there's no intelligence involved, no conversation nothing), to the wanton sexual promiscuity to the shameless property destruction done with much abandon.

However, I lived with American Frat Boys for a college year, so maybe I just have a chip on my shoulder.

In Ireland there's some stupid stuff that goes on while drinking, but at least the focus is usually on conversation. But honestly, I find Irish people have an unhealthy dependance on Alcohol for opening up to other people.

Me, I don't drink at all, which my bias my opinions. I have no problems having fun without restraint sober. I obviously never go crazy like some drunks do.

[NeoChan]

I once believe that Easterns are better cosplayers than Westerns, but those guys are are damn cool!

[Dilla]

Bad cosplay drove me to drink so I could drown out the mental images that scarred my eyes.

What are we debating, exactly? Cons vs. parties in terms of ratchetness?

[Snow_Storm]

^Yeah, pretty much. Like how cosplaying folks get bitter and buttmad when somebody calls them immature but love to say "Oh, well drinking and getting drunk is just as bad", kinda shit.

Well, I wouldn't call it a debate more so of a discussion.

[Vexx]

I think the picture accurately portrays the failure of the maroons on the "drinky" side to have a bloody clue about what "normal" and "grownup" is supposed to be It really isn't even a discussion...

[grylsyjaeger]

Sheila with the pink hair second from the front is pretty banging...

[Dilla]

Originally Posted by Vexx

I think the picture accurately portrays the failure of the maroons on the "drinky" side to have a bloody clue about what "normal" and "grownup" is supposed to be It really isn't even a discussion...

I think that the issue the OP has is how the creator took the best western cosplay example and worst partying example he/she could find and compared to help prove his/her point.

I obviously think that most of us that have attended a few parties in our lives know that generally, parties with alcohol available aren't bad assuming it's between friends. Recreational drinking isn't bad. Likewise, fan western cosplay isn't that usually as good as shown above, as some people have no business cosplaying or at least no business as the character that was chosen.

I tend to think that everyone gets a bit 'holier than thou' when their hobby is insulted, you see it a lot among us anime fans and fans of certain musical genres.

[Vexx]

Having a few drinks while you have a conversation, eat, or play games is recreational... as opposed to "drinking to get drunk or poison yourself" parties (which happen more often than one might think). I loathed accidentally showing up at the latter as a teen or 20-something and would left as soon as it became clear.

And of course, it isn't the quality of cosplay... but that the very idea of putting a costume on is sometimes derided as "immature" by people who don't see the problem with over-drinking.

[Ledgem]

Originally Posted by Snow_Storm

I don't get it, why is that it's okay for cosplayers and con goers to attack other people for their life-styles and their own business but the second somebody mocks them, they get very upset.

Yeah, I'm all for having fun with and without alcohol or drugs. However, I am not for attacking people who drink or don't drink or don't do things I enjoy.

It's not OK for anyone to attack the hobbies or lifestyles of others (assuming no harm comes from it). But why do you think that the image was made? Drinking is mainstream, whereas cosplay most certainly is not. I would not be surprised if the person who produced that image is a non-drinker who finds drunkenness to be a nuisance, and who has been made fun of for their hobbies and interests (presumably cosplay and anime).

[NeoChan]

If a friend of mind ask me to drink..."well' I'm on...!"

...if he says "lets get drunk.".. well, that's stupid. "You got some problems man, coz that won't do (you any good either)."

[Vexx]

I suppose cosplayers are also much less likely to DUI-kill someone on the way home from a con than someone who has drank enough to puke. Then there's the vomit/piss/beer smell aspect.

I love a good beer or mixed drink. I have gotten pretty drunk at times while enjoying good conversation. But drinking to get drunk is not mature or even very smart -- but it is considered "mainstream/normal" without any rational justification while cosplay is considered "wierd/immature".

edit: yeah, what Neochan said

[Hiroi Sekai]

I personally don't drink or use drugs (and never plan to), but at parties I have no problems with other people drinking. As others have already mentioned, I too have no tolerance for partying to the point where one loses their ability to maintain their thoughts and consciousness, but getting a little drunk and enjoying oneself isn't a bad thing really.

My friends get together at our place every weekend, and most of the time they just have a few drinks and everything's cool. Then the one time they stupidly decided to go for hard liqueurs and started yelling about and knocking over things, I got seriously pissed off at them. That's something I almost NEVER do.

Bottom line, have fun but don't be stupid about it.

[Mr. DJ]

I really don't see the debate here...

If drugs and booze are the only way you can have fun, then you have a problem and need to grow up. I have a friend who is exactly as the picture describes, if he isn't high or drunk, he's depressed as hell because he doesn't want to face his problems and nothing that me or any of his other friends have had any effect on him. He moved away, got a new, better paying job and still does the same shit, the only difference is that he's only doing it on the weekends after he gets to see his kids, at least I'm hoping he's seeing his kids. It's fucking grating on me cause I can't stand to see a friend like that.

[NoemiChan]

Speaking of immature, if memory serves me right, it was way back at college (nursing) a psychologist said in his theory regarding human development (I think?)... it was Sigmund Freud... he said "people who are fond of drinking or smoking as a form of comfort makes them remind (unconsciously) about their life as an infant where gratification is on the mouth.. its called like "oral stage"... if you based on that.. well
...those drunkers are really immature (equals to an infants..)

[sa547]

I now understand what that pic wants to say: better off be cosplaying with dignity than being a drunkard without decency.

Drinker, yes... I'm an occasional drinker.

But unlike some, I don't get rowdy and allow my drink to mess my judgment even if I'm done in after a couple big bottles (two liters) of malt liquor. To be honest, it takes considerable emotional self-control at that stage.

Rather, I keep quiet, listen to the conversation, have some good laughs, never inject religion or politics into the talk, never harass people, and when totally drunk, stay in asleep till the morning (I don't drive and will never have a car in a lifetime). It also helps if you pick the right friends to have a drink with, knowing well their personalities for a very long time; I stay away from those (especially guys I don't know) who have violent tendencies while intoxicated.

Anyway, I drink not for the sake of getting drunk, but rather have a good time with old friends, especially that I work very long weeks in a "dry" place almost isolated to the world, and holiday breaks are very rare.

[Nightbat®]

"To become old and wise, one usually needs to have been young and reckless"

Still, back to the topic at hand

I see TS noticed something
Any 'leisure' has no guarantee of being 'decent' and 'civilised'

What we're seeing in the add is stereotyping a stereotype
Who knows what kind of acts those cosplayers commit when NOT at a convention
(hell perhaps half of them snorted coke in the hotelroom to get rid of the nerves during the photoshoot)
and those "Beer Bingers" might just be very mature when NOT attending a beer bash (perhaps they only did it once or just posed like that for the picture)

Though the gist of the add is clear if taken at face value
You can not percieve dressing up as a fictional character to be immature compared to killing your liver and braincells (and other people)

Personally, I don't need to drink to have fun, I don't need to be drunk to have fun (I hardly drink alcohol at all the past 10 years)
But even I have to admit I had some fun times going out drinking/being drunk

[Lord of Fire]

Some people like to over-analyze, it seems. It I take this picture literally, I think it makes sense: getting wasted/high/stoned as a form of entertainment is (IMO at least) far more immature than dressing yourself up as your favorite anime/video game character. Plus, it's definitely more harmful to your body (or even your surroundings) than cosplaying.

I don't really care what the cosplayers do when they're not dressing up, but if I take this pic for what it is, I think it speaks the truth.

[GundamFan0083]

Originally Posted by Vexx

I suppose cosplayers are also much less likely to DUI-kill someone on the way home from a con than someone who has drank enough to puke. Then there's the vomit/piss/beer smell aspect.

I love a good beer or mixed drink. I have gotten pretty drunk at times while enjoying good conversation. But drinking to get drunk is not mature or even very smart -- but it is considered "mainstream/normal" without any rational justification while cosplay is considered "wierd/immature".

edit: yeah, what Neochan said

That's what I thought also.
I've never heard of someone dying as a result of cosplay.

DUI on the other hand is a day-to-day occurence.
We don't have COS-checkpoints on the weekends for cosplayers, but we do have DUI-checkpoints, and for good reason.

I see nothing wrong with that image.
As someone who likes RUM and GIN, and drinks regularly on the weekends, I can say that getting shitfaced for the sake of it is vastly more immature than using your creativity to fashion a costume that is as close to your favorite anime character/video-game character as possible.

Last time I checked all it takes to get drunk is a trip to the liquor store, whereas creating a costume for cosplay requires artistic skill, considerable time for makeup/proper costume fit, and the money to buy the materials.

In other words, cosplay is a labor of love that requires intelligence, while any idiot can get drunk.

[Ledgem]

Originally Posted by Nightbat®

What we're seeing in the add is stereotyping a stereotype
Who knows what kind of acts those cosplayers commit when NOT at a convention
(hell perhaps half of them snorted coke in the hotelroom to get rid of the nerves during the photoshoot)
and those "Beer Bingers" might just be very mature when NOT attending a beer bash (perhaps they only did it once or just posed like that for the picture)

I do not think that the image attempts to make the statement that cosplayers are somehow better or do not do drugs, or drink, or engage in reckless activities. Cosplay is not mainstream, and I am sure that many people in society find it strange and deride it. I interpret the image to say that there is nothing wrong with cosplaying, and it partly accomplishes that by pointing to a more socially accepted activity that can be harmful.