The Rocket

Issue date: 9/7/07 Section: Opinion

In 2006, Brian Setzer released an album titled "13." One of the tracks, "Drink Whiskey and Shut Up," describes a bar with no televisions or fancy drinks. It goes back to a time when you would talk to the person sitting beside you and socialize.

Today, bars are amusement parks for 20-year-olds. There's a sports game on constantly, people continuously pump dollar bills into game machines and disc jockey/karaoke nights happen on a weekly basis. I've been to bars that are just filled with dart games and arcade machines. There are also bars where on certain nights, the owner will rent a mechanical bull. For your sake, please stay out of these places.

I am constantly amazed at how the maturity level of students plummets once you fill them with alcohol. I'm going to use Ginger Hill as an example because I spend quite a bit of time there and have seen a wide variety of behavior.

To begin, the bartenders at Ginger Hill are some of the most courteous and friendly people I have ever met. Once the bar gets crowded, I cringe as columns of people reach over each other, waving cash in their faces and demanding to be served.

Acting like a loud drunken idiot is not going to get you a drink. Not to mention the fact that there is usually some kind of music playing and it's loud enough already without having to hear your obnoxious demands for a jaegerbomb on top of everything else.

A simple "please" and "thank you" will make sure you get served promptly. More importantly, it will help you out when you return in the future. I understand it does get crowded and things take time, but waiting an extra minute or two will not make you instantly sober. Large tips help, but it does not give you the right to act like a 12-year-old for the rest of the night. It also does not mean that the bar staff caters only to you. It just baffles me that people would want to anger the person that not only gets them beer, but also has the power to cut them off.

Last week, I saw a drunk buffoon trying to dance with this girl that could barely even stand. Not only was that horribly wrong, but it was also sad, just by looking at the guy, you knew that the only way a girl would even talk to him would be if she had no clue where she was. I have many different things I could say about this person-most of which can't be placed in print. I could say not to do things like this, but the people that would even consider that kind of behavior are too stupid to be able to read a newspaper, so I won't bother.

Don't assume I want to turn bars into churches; I enjoy having a good time as much as the next guy. Just please be courteous and show the public that you are an educated college person that holds on to a higher form of intelligence and respect.

Heed Mr. Setzer's advice: drink your whiskey and shut up.

Tony Maiocco is a senior journalism major and a regular contributor to The Rocket.

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