Column:
Alcohol is no excuse for rudeness
Published March 12, 2010
Despite being in Mizzou Arena this Saturday, I wasn't able to watch the game. Thanks to some stubborn standing fans, I was unable to see the first 15 minutes of the second half.
My family sits on the concourse level, which is occupied mostly by season ticket holders. Like my Granny, most people choose this particular level because of its accessibility because there are minimal stairs to reach the seats, and no one standing to look over.
The seats in front of my family have been empty all year. Obviously, it wasn't going to happen at the Kansas game, and true enough, five minutes before tip-off, six men filed in.
There were plenty of signs these men hadn't been to a game in this particular setting. They acted like they were at home on a couch, lounging around and slapping each other, as well as leaning over the edge of the glass and banging on the light display surrounding the arena. When people asked them politely to sit back in their seats so they could be seen over, they were highly rude in return. Oh, and they brought a Jayhawk along. That was a bit of a problem.
As disruptive as they were from the start, the second half was even worse. Both smell and actions informed us they had been drinking. The Jayhawk missed his seat no less than three times. Soon into the half, most of them were standing despite repeated requests to sit down from the people in the section.
Now, I really don't care if you drink. I don't myself, but honestly I see no problem with drinking. My problem is when people act as though drinking makes them entitled to act like morons.
Alcohol is used too often as a scapegoat. I honestly don't see any validity in it, because you have control over yourself and keeping yourself from drinking to the point where you don't. I've grown up attending events where there is a bar for the adults and everyone drinks. What people do not do is get drunk and start acting like idiots. It's a professional environment, which people generally keep in mind.
Of course, a party environment is a party environment, and that's fine. It's when removed from that environment that it's necessary to adapt to where you are. I don't mind people coming back to the residence halls a little loud; I'm usually awake myself.
But there are times when this isn't OK. My residence hall entered continuous quiet hours in honor of finals the evening before Reading Day last semester, something I greatly appreciated, because both my roommate and I had two finals that Friday.
When people got loud after midnight, I went outside and asked if people could please be quieter because I was studying. A girl who doesn't even live on my floor looked up at me with wide eyes and loudly exclaimed "Studying? That isn't until tomorrow!" They ended up quieting down after a while, and the previously study-friendly environment was restored.
I wish the men at the game had considered their behavior in this way. Although some sections of the arena might be more accepting of this behavior, this wasn't the environment. I can only be thankful it distracted me from the game because by the time I was able to actually watch the game, it was beyond hope for the Tigers.