I pit pushy drinkers. That's all of you (in my experience)

The BBQ Pit
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Apologies in advance if I’m missing any further relevant replies. I stared this post about an hour ago, then had some actual work stuff to do. Gotta post and run, then catch up later.

'Cause people have a history of misremembering what I’ve said, and lord knows I’ve done the same to others.

Ah, but like me, that person appears to be saying what they will *think of *you, not what they will actually *urge or require *you to do.

I’m fuckin’ awesome, and don’t you forget it, missy.

But you did eventually learn to enjoy at least certain alcoholic beverages. My point was that I didn’t understand why anyone would keep drinking when they were to the point where it was truly clear that they did not and would never enjoy the taste of any alcoholic drink, merely its effects.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to test and dismiss this moron. I kind of feel like you leapt in front of a bullet for me. :smiley:

Yay! I was wondering if you were going to show up in this thread. :smiley:

All my food is in pill form. This is completly normal.

Well, as at least some people in this thread can attest, leaving aside any issues of health benefits as have already been discussed, there is also the enjoyment of the taste of the beverages themselves. Presumably you enjoy eating well prepared food rather than subsisting on vitamins and sugar water; I, personally, cannot fathom chosing a Diet Coke (ick) over a glass of good wine.

Fortunately for you, this thread isn’t any indicator. Hang out with people who aren’t assholes, and don’t be an asshole if someone offers you a drink, and you’ll be just fine.

Exactly. My family is very much like this (and it’s a Milwaukee thing, too)–I’ve gotten in the habit of offering anyone anything at least twice, if not three times (or more, including variations on the offer), just in case they’re initially declining out of politeness.

It’s quite simple, though sometimes hard to stick to. Repeat, as necessary, politely (and firmly, if repeating), “No thank you,” and “I don’t drink.” Eventually, they’ll give up.

Imagine this discussion mapped onto something you enjoy–reading, perhaps, or a particular kind of food. Now imagine someone telling you that they’ve never met a Thing X that they liked. Wouldn’t you be inclined to wonder if it were simply the case that they’d never been exposed to the good stuff, the stuff that you like, and because you enjoy such a think and wish to share that delight with your friends, wouldn’t you at least make an attempt to expose them to it? Should you argue that you’ve never done something similar (but without the alcohol that you can get all holier-than-thou about), I would confess myself quite incredulous.

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I guess last night when I had 3 beers while building a gingerbread house with friends I wasn’t drinking then. What a fucking ridiculous comment.

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The funny thing is, speaking just for myself, I don’t feel that inclination. I subscribe strongly to de gustibus non est disputandum. If someone tells me flat out they don’t like Jim Carrey movies because they don’t think he’s funny, I’m not necessarily going to try to sell them on The Truman Show. If someone’s made up their mind that they don’t want to see any Jim Carrey movies, regardless of the reason, I’m not going to waste my time trying to change their mind.

Now, if they said something like, “I just wish I could watch one Jim Carrey movie without him hamming it up,” then I’ll start suggesting things, because they’ve implied they’re open to suggestions. But when someone starts out with “I do not like X,” then there’s going to be considerable resistance in place already, and I’d rather talk about something more enjoyable.

Being agreeable does tend to make one a poor conversationalist, though. :frowning:

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You can replace the explanation with the simple step of accepting whatever drink they offer you, taking a deep gulp, stand there for a second or two with an analytical look on your face, and then puke on their shoes.

Regards,
Shodan

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I’ve decided that drinking is like owning a TV. You have some supercillious motherfuckers who can’t just not own a TV–they have to *tell *you that they don’t have a TV, and then explain *why *not having a TV makes them better than you.

You know what? I don’t own a TV. If somebody asks me why I don’t, I’m not going to get bent out of shape about it, and I’m not going to tell them that I don’t own a TV because I’m not a mouth-breathing troglodyte.

That was me. Fucking could not stand Jim Carrey. Avoided him like the plague. But someone convinced me to go see *The Truman Show *when it came out. I didn’t want to. “But this one’s different,” they said. “You’ll see.” So I went. And I loved it. And then I went back to ignoring him until Eternal Sunshine, and I saw that and loved that, too. I can’t remember who it was who convinced me to see it, but I’m grateful to them, because otherwise I would have missed out on two amazing films I absolutely love.

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It’s ok, it’s not your fault that you are retarded.

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Well true. Your posts, on the other hand, are a contributing factor to killing my brain cells, so I guess you carry some of the blame.

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No, I blame the French.

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I tell people about the welding course I was just on and the gate that I designed and made myself. At no point do I try to convince them to take the course or even suggest that they do so. If they are interested then they’ll ask.
I’d gladly sit and listen to someone tell me how they brewed their beer at home and how it tastes without ever considering drinking the stuff. But then I’m always interested in how things work, even those things I’d never use myself.
The same when I make my world famous (well, in my world) blueberry muffins. I’ll offer you one, but if you don’t want it I can assure I won’t be offended. That just leaves more for me.
When I invite people over for dinner, I ask them if they’ll like what I’m making. If not then I’ll make something else. I have no need to convince them to try something they may not like.
In other words, I ain’t their mother to force them to eat what’s on the plate. If they don’t want it, okay fine.

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I think there is a cultural thing about drinking. Remember the scene in the old western where the guy becomes offended when the other guy won’t drink with him and gunfight ensues?
I think there is still some truth in this. By declining a drink, for whatever reason, you are insulting the person offering or putting placing yourself above that person. I’m not saying that it is conscious, but it seems many are offended even in this thread.

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So then you do have (crazy) ideas about having a drink equaling being a jackass? Don’t tell me you don’t anything against booze or consumption thereof, then in the same thread say it’s “true” that you relate drinking to stumbling-down jackassery. Unless you’re telling me that you don’t have anything against jackassery, in which case, fair enough.

But you’re still wrong about drinking.

If it’s at least 80 proof, I’m having two.

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Well that’s a great theory, but it is wrong. I think it’s pretty clear that people are offended when you say things like “I don’t understand why you need alcohol to have a good time” or imply that any amount of drinking means you’re stumbling around making an ass of yourself right before you go puke.

That’s because your statement is pompous, judgmental, and makes you seem like a holier-than-thou asshole, as does the OP’s post and several others. Your protestations aside, you seem way too invested in the issue for me to assume that in real social situations you don’t let any of your disdain leak through, and in any case, you’ve made your feelings pretty clear in this thread, which is where I am responding to you, not at some hypothetical cocktail party at which you are the polite and non-condescending soiree master that you’re painting yourself as.

But I suppose it’s barely within the realm of possibility that you’ve never been passionate enough to try and convince someone that their statement “All X is bad” by telling them about an X they might like. On the other hand, I think it far more likely that you just have a giant blind spot, because it seems a bit farfetched that you just run around agreeing with everyone in real life, especially given your posting history, including your statements in the thread about being drunk.

So just to put it in a sound byte: I’m not offended by people who don’t drink. I’m offended by your arrogant disdain for people who drink, and your ignorant and hyperbolic claims that these drinkers are weak alcoholics who can’t function socially without being liquored up to the point of lampshade wearing.

I’m even more offended by your bullshit about how you would never be such a heel as to question anyone’s statement on their likes and dislikes, no matter how specious their position.

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This isn’t true at all. Even a plain hot dog won’t get you a second look. Ask for ketchup, though, and you’re dead right.

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And I rest my case.

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I don’t deny I have an issue with alcoholics. If you read what I wrote in that thread you’d know why. But that was some 37 years ago. I don’t care that you drink, or that you drink around me*. I don’t take offense that you’d ask me if I’d like a drink. Why would I or anyone if you’re doing it to be a congenial host? I’d say no thanks I don’t drink. If you persist I’ll say I’ve never drank and don’t intend to start now. If you’re really annoying I’ll tell you why I don’t drink. If you take that to assume that I’m saying you’re an alcoholic because you chose to drink that is your issue, not mine.

*If you become intoxicated to the point of assholery understand that I am not your mother, designated driver (unless agreed to earlier), or your head holder when you puke in the toilet. Nor am I the guy who will bail you out if you choose to fight the guy who ‘looked at you funny’, the bouncer, or the police. And for the comprehension impaired, I am not saying that just because you drink you will do any of the above activities, have ever done such things, or even know of anyone who has done such a thing (apparently bouncers only exist to ensure that fire regulations are followed by ensuring there are only X amount of people in the bar:rolleyes:).

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Sorry, but this is a lie. It is your issue, and it’s glaringly obvious. For one particularly clear example, you responded to MeanOldLady in the other thread and said that because she had had a few drinks with friends the previous night, that she “can’t have meaningful human interaction without drink being involved.” That’s a pretty shitty thing to say to someone (not that she seems particularly hurt by it; she seems pretty secure in her assessment of her own drinking ;)).

Retract what you said to MeanOldLady or your above quote is bullshit, pure and simple. Heck, even if you retract, it’s still bullshit: you obviously have an attitude that equates any drinking with having a drinking problem. You might consider reflecting on that.

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If you place it in context you will see that she also said at some point in that thread that she wouldn’t go to a party where there wasn’t any drinking, ergo: She isn’t willing to interact with people in a social setting unless there is drinking involved.
My question was why she couldn’t have that same level of interaction she described without having alcohol involved. It was a valid question and a logical conclusion drawn.

Again there is a level of defensiveness and sensitivity here that wouldn’t be here if we were discussing whether beans belong in a real chili.

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You weren’t responding to her post somewhere else in the thread, you were responding to a post about her going out and having some casual drinks with friends. So your response wasn’t appropriate and was the type of thing that puts people on the defensive, much like your last paragraph here (I have no idea who exactly you’re passing judgement on there, but you are passing judgement on someone, and based on the rest of your comments here, it seems to be “all people who drink”).

Yeah, it’s funny how people get defensive when you insinuate that they’re alcoholics despite knowing nothing other than that they like to drink. Besides, this goes both ways: would you make an issue of it if I said I wouldn’t go to a party that didn’t have appetizers? Or to put it another way, there seems to be a level of hysteria and accusation that wouldn’t be here if we were discussing whether beans belong in a real chili.

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You rest fuckall. He’s right, you’re wrong. Even here, you’re trying to pretend that drinking is a fine and good activity in which you simply choose not to participate, but this is clearly not the case. Do we really need to go through sifting through various threads and start quoting the anti-alcohol silliness you say that equates drinking with having a problem and being a douche, or bring up the stories about your abusive, alcoholic father which have clearly sullied your image of alcohol?

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I see. It’s not about drinking at all is it? It’s about attention. Like this thread, you take an opposing position against something innocent and build a straw man argument.

You don’t drink? Big deal. Others do and enjoy drinking responsibly. Making a meal out of the fact that some people make an effort for all to participate in a good time is bloody weak. My bet is that this is nothing more than one of the many speed bumps you lay down in life to drag others away form enjoying themselves for a moment or two so they can focus on you and your man made mole mountain.

It’s not that you don’t drink, it’s that you need to make a huge production of telling everyone in the world that you don’t drink, and you don’t like the taste and you don’t like drunk people and so on.