i apologize for stepping on any toes with my semi-inclusive 'you people'. let me open it up. anyone who consumes alcohol in order to escape reality, alter mood or emotional state, forget, or any of the other countless reasons they may come up with for willingly putting poison into their bodies gets no respect from me. not as a whole person, but for the time that they do so. if you like to do so, for any reason, i dont respect you while youre doing so, and during any time that you are still under the influence. not necessarily intoxicated, perhaps just 'man, i need a beer'.
any other time, its the same as usual. if were normally cool, then were cool. if not, then nothings changed there either.

let me reiterate that im not personally attacking anyone here. nor do i hold anything against anyone here for having alcohol in their fridge. there is alcohol in my own fridge, which is why i have not posted a picture of it. its my suitemate's and i dont like it, but i deal. also, we may have to sit down, you and i, and discuss your view of 'a few' and how it differs from the that of the rest of society.

Clearly, you are a man who has priorities.

Well, here's my fridge:

Wheeee - about to begin flamewar...All, beware:-)

I feel almost diametrically opposed to customsex on this topic. I think judging anyone on what they put into their bodies is utterly irrelevant. If the effect it has on them makes a negative impact on me <b>then</b> I would have an issue, for example if a junkie steals my VCR, car or even worse, my empeg, then I would have major issues...if they stay in the comfort of their own home in a drugged coma I couldn't give a rats ass. Drunks - should never drive, and if obnoxious, should be escorted home/to a cell/away from others.

I am personally not a fan of drugs (in the harder sense, you know - heroin, cocaine, nicotine etc) but I probably have one glass of red wine a day (for purely health reasons) and currently have two bottles of Bombay Sapphire gin, a bottle of Smirnoff and an Absolut Citron in the freezer, and rarely have less than a case of Stella in there.

Been a while since I was a student, so I can't manage the serious sessions now, but I don't think I would understand anyone who hasn't been absolutely stocious at some point in their life. I don't know anyone who hasn't had at least one amusing party incident - "where am I?" "what did I do last night" and the classic "and you are...?"

Life is for fun (IMHO) and, while I can happily have fun with no alcohol (and often do because I love my Scooby so driving the folks to the pub isn't a chore) I can also have fun with it.

So, where was I - oh yes...just chill out man. Respect should have nothing to do with whether someone drinks or whatever...it should be about their actions.

A web cam in the fridge is actually useful

...and of course, you can check whether the light really goes of!

There is too much food and not enough beer in your fridges.

A bottle of wine for the ladies...

I'll join the stella camp.

anyone who lets a friend drink and drive (or who abandons someone who's had too many) is just as despicable

Reminds me of the old Finnish saying "Kaveria ei jätetä!", or "never leave a comerade behind!". Originated during the war, but has become a modern classic - in Finland in the winter, if you leave someone too drunk to find his own way home, he will probably die of cold...

anyone who consumes alcohol in order to escape reality

Hell, I drink to escape reality. Just like I watch action movies to escape reality, or read books, or go for a walk.

Sometimes reality, in the form of the day to day grind, needs time off. Getting drunk is one way to give it time off.

Drinking to excess -- to the point where you've lost all vestige of control -- is generally a bad thing, but even that can be useful sometimes.

Alcoholism is a problem. Don't get me wrong -- my father died a couple of years ago, almost certainly because of the drink, although he had other health problems.

It didn't make me respect him any less, though.

OK, as long as we're saying, "My name is davec and I don't have a drinking problem, I'm fully stocked..." Here's my fridge...

I... must... own.... kegerator!

I take pleasure in alcohol in similar ways that I take pleasure in food, sex, roller coasters and countable other things. Hedonistic? Sometimes. Social? Sometimes. Therapeutic? Sometimes.

Human nature.

With that said, there are a lot of annoying, dangerous, and/or self-destructive drunks out in the world. During my early adulthood, I spent years living in a dry house by choice and it was a good thing.

-brendan

Hell, I drink to escape reality. Just like I watch action movies to escape reality, or read books, or go for a walk.

good point, thank you for that

And so customsex learns that the only great sin in todays culture is intolerance...

perhaps. but i have always been open to opinion adjustment, given good enough reason. thats not to say that i just did a complete 180 from my last statements.
and i believe i am very tolerant, ive already mentioned the alcohol in my own refrigerator.

Actually...I more or less agree with most of your second post.

I just thought the reaction was funny. Posting something like that here is akin to fighting a forest fire with a water pistol.

the only great sin in todays culture is intolerance

....and I feel a lot more tolerant, when I've had a couple of pints with good friends in the right surroundings!

akin to fighting a forest fire with a water pistol.

true. i wasnt really trying to change anything though. just continuing my thoughts, in such a way that it was clear what i meant, so the ambiguity dint make people jump to the wrong conclusions.

and anyone who lets a friend drink and drive (or who abandons someone who's had too many) is just as despicable.

Just in case that was somewhat directed towards me , I never let that happen (knowingly). I thew about 6 large parties at my place in my college career, in which there were many people drinking. I didn't let people drive home drunk or slightly intoxicated.

I did have a roommate last year (who I wasn't close with), who would often go out to the delis (the drinking spots at my school), and drive home without a DD. I didn't like it, but there wasn't a lot I could do about it (I could have gone with him, you say? That's not very fair to me, considering I couldn't babysit someone 8 years older than me every single weekend night).

The problem I have with drinkers is simply when they affect other people. At those parties I've mentioned, people who have been drinking have hurt others by saying or doing things that they probably wouldn't have done sober, and that's when I have to say it's pathetic. Otherwise, I know it's just something people do. My roommates have generally been the types to have some beer(s) during a football game, and that's cool. I prefer a nice, tall, ice-cold coke, but that's just me.

driving while intoxicated is the only way to drive...

driving while intoxicated is the only way to drive...

You just can't help yourself, can you?

Just in case that was somewhat directed towards me

It most certainly wasn't, but thanks for clarifying your position anyway. I was simply responding to your inclusion of the drunk driving issue in our discussion... And it's a very relevant topic whenever alcohol is being discussed. There are far too many who are laissez-faire about DUI, and far too many people who don't help their friends out when they've had too many.

the only great sin in todays culture is intolerance...

While I think this is a prevalent attitude in today’s world, I don’t see it very often here. Instead I see a much healthier version of tolerance in which people are viewed with respect, even if their ideas are not. I can think of many conversations in which there have been sharp responses where ideas were attacked and not the people posting them. Thus you have statements along the lines of “XXX is not a logically supportable position because of YYY,” rather than “You are an idiot if you believe XXX.” In fact, not only do people mostly stick to debating ideas, but even when there is a sharp conflict in one thread, in another the same two people might together be trying to figure out some technological difficulty. The result is a community built on respect of persons, not ideas.

In contrast, I think the popular sentiment in the world is that “all ideas are equally meritorious,” which is not only silly, but also self-defeating since some people disagree with the premise and therefore their ideas (based on the original statement) must be meritorious. So then you get a revision like “all ideas are equally meritorious, except for those who do not believe that all ideas are meritorious, in which case their ideas are not meritorious.” That doesn’t sound quite as nice though, so it gets rephrased as “we will tolerate everything but intolerance.” Sounds nice, but doesn’t work and often results with the “intolerant” people being treated with disrespect.

As I said though, this BBS doesn’t seem to fall into the second trap. It is generally accepted that all ideas are not equally meritorious, and when one is posted that is disagreeable it is generally debated vigorously, but within the realm of ideas, not personal attacks. A little more on-topic, I think this is why the “you people” in the original post got such a rise. Interpreted rightly or not, this was perceived as an attack of persons, not just ideas.

very well said, and thats why im not afraid to say whats on my mind here. i know that, for the most part, how ever someone may think of me in their head, they tend to keep it civil on this board. ive stated that the 'you people' was not a personal attack. it wasnt, insomuch as it was meant towards anyone that drinks. i wasnt singling any one person out and i certainly was not judging anyones character based on the contents of their fridge. the group residing on these boards is one of the coolest things i feel im a part of, simply because of the levels of intellectual discussions and intelligent thoughts that are shown here. and because of the ability to always be open to listening to the other side, especially if it doesnt fit your beliefs. and for other reasons. all in all, a very great community, one which i am proud to say that i am a part of.

You know, I have absolutely no problem with drinking (except in combination with driving), but I agreed with your original statement (in more of a jokely way than it was taken, and perhaps meant) due to the fact that there was nothing else in those fridges. I mean, come on folks: you need a good protein base when you do your binge drinking, after all.

You didn't see my freezer in that pic. The life of a bachelor has little use for fresh food.

The life of a bachelor has little use for fresh food.

Cue game show music...

<The Late Rod Roddy>
It's time for everyone's favorite game... "Guess What's In Rob's Freezer!"
</The Late Rod Roddy>

My guesses:

1) At least one bulk pack of frozen burritos, chimichangas, and/or taquitos.
2) One of those big-ass bags of breaded chicken tenders.
3) Six boxes of Hot Pockets

HEY PAL! You just wait a second... There is a stack of velveeta slices in the drawer and plenty of uhhhh other stuff there in case you missed it...

You're right about the burritos and hot pockets. My freezer also features Ling Ling frozen dumplings, various brands of pot pies, waffles, and frozen White Castles on a regular basis.

Dang, I thought the chicken tenders were a sure thing.

Do you at least have a Fry Daddy?

no. I wanted one though.