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Sydney's fun police have put out the light of the nightlife

theguardian.com

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Re: Sydney's fun police have put out the light of the nightlife

#141

Post by Khaine »

chris_wot wrote: post #76
Khaine wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Prove it. Alcohol consumption in Australia has been steadily falling, and yet only now is it a massive social problem.

Sure, I refer you to: https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/health-topics/alcohol-guidelines/al... Actually, alcohol consumption has always been a problem. It is only now that we are even beginning to try to tackle the problem.

So consumption has decreased and yet violence has increased?

Alcohol consumption in and of itself is not a problem. What is a problem is the behaviours a minority of people exhibit when they consume alcohol.

Why is it the majority of people have to suffer because of a minority of arseholes? Because of wowsers.

Re: Sydney's fun police have put out the light of the nightlife

#142

Post by Khaine »

vacri wrote: post #55
cheerioty wrote: post #3

Reads like a joke, but is actually the bloody truth. In the last 6 months, ordering my favourite mix drink resulted in either: - Getting the drink, but had to drink it at the bar were they could "supervise" me! (no joke!) - Getting the drink, only when ordered seperately and "promise" to not mix it in the same glass - Get the first one, second one denied - Direct rejection, because "too late already/wrong day of the…

You could come down to Melbourne, it's got a very healthy nightlife and music scene. It has a little bit of wowserism happening at the moment (no new licenses for bars open past 1am anymore, for example, and some more restrictions on 'music pubs'), but as far as I'm aware, no legislation about timing requirements on mixed drinks (which sounds truly crazy). The main article reads like a horror story for nightlife. It'…

Actually its more people of the far left who are trying to do away with alcohol.

First they went after smoking, with that nonsense about plain packaging. I fail to see that if something is legal, why a company shouldn't have the right to brand and market that product appropriately.

Now they are looking doing away with alcohol. Just you wait. In 10-15 years they will be calling for prohibition due to all the 'damage' caused by alcohol.

Re: Sydney's fun police have put out the light of the nightlife

#143

Post by chris_wot »

vacri wrote: post #137
chris_wot wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No fool, I'm not. I wasn't aware that the god of lightning was throwing down bolts from the sky to murder innocent civilians. And those dastardly killers committing murder by making people fall out of bed, someone should set up a taskforce, stat! It's diabolical. Here's a small hint: those laws weren't just introduced due to homicides, but also for assaults.

I was putting the number of deaths into context, not the cause of it. Laws are sledgehammers, not scalpels, and keeping things in context is important. Cyclists die every year from being car-doored, yet we don't seem to be so passionate about fixing that, nor inconveniencing the whole demographic of car drivers because of a few idiots. As for your last sentence, if you re-read what I said, you'll see "by itself". It…

I probably shouldn't have called you a fool. You seem quite angry!

Re: Sydney's fun police have put out the light of the nightlife

#144

Post by chris_wot »

Khaine wrote: post #141
chris_wot wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, I refer you to: https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/health-topics/alcohol-guidelines/al... Actually, alcohol consumption has always been a problem. It is only now that we are even beginning to try to tackle the problem.

So consumption has decreased and yet violence has increased? Alcohol consumption in and of itself is not a problem. What is a problem is the behaviours a minority of people exhibit when they consume alcohol. Why is it the majority of people have to suffer because of a minority of arseholes? Because of wowsers.

How do you propose to prevent that minority from causing problems for the rest of us? I quite enjoy a drink myself, so I'd be interested in your solution.

Re: Sydney's fun police have put out the light of the nightlife

#145

Post by skuunk1 »

I think the main issue is that Sydney is so spread out and there is very little late night public transportation.

That means a night out for most people ends with a very expensive taxi bill (Uber has helped somewhat though).

If one can only go out drinking very occasionally, the tendency is to overdo it on those times you do.

Re: Sydney's fun police have put out the light of the nightlife

#146

Post by hamstergene »

sqldba wrote: post #5
stevebmark wrote: post #4

I'm an outsider to Sydney and Australia, and I'm a regular visitor. This article rings of an insider perspective, full of "we" statements. It has a vibe of personal anger and personal overreaction. What I'm genuinely curious about is the events that lead to the formation of these laws. Again, as an outsider, the main thing to do in Sydney is drink. A lot. The main thing my friends want to do after work in Sydney is d…

Innocent people kept getting murdered on King St (a popular bar and night life destination, as well as prostitution or at least erotic joints, and possibly some drug use.) A few years back there was a spate of "King Hits" which is when one person hits another person in the head and immediately knocks them unconscious, usually through random chance rather than any kind of skill, but meaning that person then bears the…

So there is a problem with assaults/murders on a street. Why not put cameras there to capture attacker's clearly, create super-harsh punishment for unprovoked attacking, put a policeman on every corner, etc?

How imposing laws against mixing alcohol in a shaker can is possibly related?

Re: Sydney's fun police have put out the light of the nightlife

#147

Post by Khaine »

chris_wot wrote: post #144
Khaine wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So consumption has decreased and yet violence has increased? Alcohol consumption in and of itself is not a problem. What is a problem is the behaviours a minority of people exhibit when they consume alcohol. Why is it the majority of people have to suffer because of a minority of arseholes? Because of wowsers.

How do you propose to prevent that minority from causing problems for the rest of us? I quite enjoy a drink myself, so I'd be interested in your solution.

Sadly I don't have one. I wish our media was less vapid, and "think of the children"-ish.

I mean the fact that yesterday the police spoke to a restaurant[1] over there wine list is absurd.

1 https://www.broadsheet.com.au/sydney/food-and-drink/article/...

Re: Sydney's fun police have put out the light of the nightlife

#148

Post by Khaine »

Khaine wrote: post #142
vacri wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could come down to Melbourne, it's got a very healthy nightlife and music scene. It has a little bit of wowserism happening at the moment (no new licenses for bars open past 1am anymore, for example, and some more restrictions on 'music pubs'), but as far as I'm aware, no legislation about timing requirements on mixed drinks (which sounds truly crazy). The main article reads like a horror story for nightlife. It'…

Actually its more people of the far left who are trying to do away with alcohol. First they went after smoking, with that nonsense about plain packaging. I fail to see that if something is legal, why a company shouldn't have the right to brand and market that product appropriately. Now they are looking doing away with alcohol. Just you wait. In 10-15 years they will be calling for prohibition due to all the 'damage'…

After all it was King O'Malley who banned alcohol from Canberra during its construction. He also is why its spelled Labor.

Re: Sydney's fun police have put out the light of the nightlife

#149

Post by chrisbennet »

tamana wrote: post #120
oldmanjay wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a national health service is an excuse to tell people how to live, I've pretty happy Obama fucked it all up here and just institutionalized health insurers.

The people drinking themselves to shit aren't honorably refusing healthcare for their self inflicted injuries

How about the people who engage in that big killer - sedentary lifestyles? If you want to sit in front of a computer all, day, why should everyone else pay for your lifestyle choice? /s

Re: Sydney's fun police have put out the light of the nightlife

#150

Post by exodust »

tamana wrote: post #122
exodust wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The scientific jury is out on whether drunken violence is a genetic trait. Interesting enough idea. "So your father was an alcoholic" is common among alcoholics and their friends looking for explanation. Violence is also one of those "fallback" mentalities that stupid people embrace when cornered. Genetics aside, stupid people have few resources at their disposal. Violence is there, justified by a century of iconic p…

What do smart people do when they are cornered?

A lot of CCTV footage of violence shows initial verbal altercation that turns physical. The perpetrators abandon words due to lack of verbal skills and general violent drunk or 'gangsta-wanna-be' nature. Victims too, often miss the opportunity to walk away, misreading the situation by running their mouths.

Street smart is about reading the situation, like defensive driving. 3AM Sunday morning as you walk home, awareness of you surroundings at all times is smart - also fun and challenging and just good way to be. Doesn't have to mean "guard up", it just means not careless.

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