Research Blog #8: Case
Research Blog #8: Case
For my case I plan on focusing upon two specific events in history: the release of National Lampoon's Animal House, and the raise of the minimum drinking age countrywide. While many points and aspects in history contributed to the precarious relationship that currently exists between college students and alcohol, these two events had a considerable impact. Both of these events were influential in the development of today's college drinking culture, as both brought about new perspectives and resulting impacts for college students. With the release of National Lampoon's Animal House, came the era of binge drinking. The over the top party lifestyle of the characters within the movie was originally meant to discourage people from that kind of wild behavior. However, the effects of the movie were subversive. The bad habits of the characters seemed to entice college students into engaging in those bad behaviors. Hazardous drinking practices, such as binge drinking and pre-gaming, became widespread. While traditionally college students have always held parties and did their fair share of experimenting, it was only after the release of Animal House did it become common that the parties truly started to resemble the outrageous, dangerous and obscene events that were depicted in the movie. It was not long after the release of Animal House before college drinking culture was put under deeper public scrutiny. With the change of dynamic in how college students regarded alcohol, there was a public demand amongst parents and administrators alike to produce new reforms in attempt to rein the students back in. The result was the mandate that raised the drinking age from 18 to 21. This law was only one of the many ways that were being argued for dealing with college drinking culture. Unfortunately the effects of this new reform were similar to the effects of Animal House. The new push only created a counterculture, now one in which included illegal aspects by way of underage drinkers. With the majority of the typical student body being under 21, and the majority of students choosing to engage with alcohol, the move only helped push drinking culture underground. An underground drinking culture made it even harder to regulate the safety of the students when it comes to drinking, as now the line of conversation has been closed for students out of fear of being in trouble with the law. The new need for secrecy, coupled with the recent rise in hazardous drinking habits, ended up creating a dynamic that everyone was hoping to avoid.
For my case I plan on focusing upon two specific events in history: the release of National Lampoon's Animal House, and the raise of the minimum drinking age countrywide. While many points and aspects in history contributed to the precarious relationship that currently exists between college students and alcohol, these two events had a considerable impact. Both of these events were influential in the development of today's college drinking culture, as both brought about new perspectives and resulting impacts for college students. With the release of National Lampoon's Animal House, came the era of binge drinking. The over the top party lifestyle of the characters within the movie was originally meant to discourage people from that kind of wild behavior. However, the effects of the movie were subversive. The bad habits of the characters seemed to entice college students into engaging in those bad behaviors. Hazardous drinking practices, such as binge drinking and pre-gaming, became widespread. While traditionally college students have always held parties and did their fair share of experimenting, it was only after the release of Animal House did it become common that the parties truly started to resemble the outrageous, dangerous and obscene events that were depicted in the movie. It was not long after the release of Animal House before college drinking culture was put under deeper public scrutiny. With the change of dynamic in how college students regarded alcohol, there was a public demand amongst parents and administrators alike to produce new reforms in attempt to rein the students back in. The result was the mandate that raised the drinking age from 18 to 21. This law was only one of the many ways that were being argued for dealing with college drinking culture. Unfortunately the effects of this new reform were similar to the effects of Animal House. The new push only created a counterculture, now one in which included illegal aspects by way of underage drinkers. With the majority of the typical student body being under 21, and the majority of students choosing to engage with alcohol, the move only helped push drinking culture underground. An underground drinking culture made it even harder to regulate the safety of the students when it comes to drinking, as now the line of conversation has been closed for students out of fear of being in trouble with the law. The new need for secrecy, coupled with the recent rise in hazardous drinking habits, ended up creating a dynamic that everyone was hoping to avoid.
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