Drunk Drivers: The Bigger Underlying Problem
By David J. Stewart
A young Texas man named Reggie,
who was only 18-years of age at the time, had one drink too many in
September of 1999 when he decided to drink and drive. He ended up killing
two youths and horribly injuring and disfiguring a young woman only 20-years
old. Jacqui is the true victim in all of this.
The whole ordeal is tragic and
sad.
The company that made the beer,
the store that sold the beer, the person who provided the beer to an
underage drinker (Reggie) should all be held legally responsible. Such
accountability would shut down the beer industry overnight (Amen to that!)
Amidst the
widely varied opinions many people have concerning this particular case,
most people fail to address the core issue... a society that glamorizes and
promotes a culture of booze and partying. The kid was only 18 for crying out
loud. What Reggie did was wrong, but where did he get the booze, and who or
what motivated him to get drunk? There are bigger fish to fry than Reggie.
I'm not saying the matter should be let go, not at all. What needs to happen
is that the community needs to hold the beer companies and sellers
accountable. Kids should be taught not to drink alcohol at all. You can't
take two drinks if you don't take the first.
Ever heard the song, "Somebody" by Toby
Keith? The lyrics go... "Get drunk and be somebody!" No wonder kids go get
drunk. What do you expect? It's our messed up American culture! Watch the
video... SONG OF FOOLS!
Reggie is just the by-product of our hypocritical American culture and
people shouldn't be so hard on him. I understand that when people see Jacqui
disfigured, they want Reggie to burn in Hell; but that won't solve the
problem. Jacqui has dedicated the rest of her life to warning young people
about the dangers of booze. That's the right thing to do, and we should do
the same. That should be the focus of this forum, instead of wanting to fry
Reggie. Alcohol is by very definition, a narcotic. Yet, people drink alcohol
for recreation. It's no different than abusing prescription drugs for fun.
Society always looks for
someone to blame, wanting to crucify individuals who mess up; while
completely overlooking and deliberately ignoring the underlying causes. If
it weren't for the love of money, alcohol would be outlawed. Reggie's just
the tip-of-the-iceberg, another manifestation of a major alcohol problem in
America. Sadly, as long as there are greedy corporations, shady lobbying law
firms and corrupt politicians, the problem will continue until the public
demands change. And that's the problem, society guzzles their beer, praises
drunkenness in songs and on TV; but then cries out for drunkards who hurt
innocent people to burn in Hell. You simply can't have it both ways. We're
either going to promote a society of abstinence from alcohol, or else we're
going to have to continue dealing with drunk drivers and deaths.
The very notion of drinking alcohol and not driving is flawed. How can beer
drinkers, once they're under the influence of alcohol, have enough sense not
to drive their car? It is totally irresponsible and hypocritical for anyone
to promote alcohol consumption, while simultaneously asking intoxicated
drinkers not to drive.
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