Reader Henry Horres reads a lot of newspapers, and his general sense is that The Post and Courier, like most media, trivializes drinking alcohol to the point that it encourages it.
His concern is not that of a teetotaler with a philosophical objection to drinking. His concern is that alcohol is related to traffic fatalities, domestic violence, crime, financial stress and poor health.
He notes that food and entertainment stories and reviews often deal with alcohol.
So do many events photographed on Saturday’s party page.
The Post and Courier has a regular wine column and calendar. It has written about martini recipes and the best places to go for drinks.
Perhaps most of all, however, he objects to the choice of comic strips in The Post and Courier. Andy Capp, Shoe, The Lockhorns, Hagar the Horrible and Beetle Bailey, he says, are regular offenders.
Horres assumes children read the comic page, and he sees those strips as a way to “brainwash each new generation into the realm of a drug cult which beguiles itself with the illusion that the consumption of alcohol is a superficial matter and not a deadly serious concern.”
Horres acknowledges that he takes a hard line — much harder than other people might take. It is a matter of opinion, he says.
It is also a matter of data: In the past year and a half, more than 4,400 Post and Courier stories mentioned alcohol. Others mentioned wine, beer or cocktails. Horres’ observation that alcohol has received plenty of attention in The Post and Courier is correct.
The nature of those stories, however, is also telling. While some did describe the social scene, restaurant news and recipes, some involved famous athletes penalized for alcohol offenses. Some concerned crimes where alcohol played a part. Some alluded to alcohol’s role in broken families and in domestic violence. Some stories connected alcohol to traffic fatalities. Calendar listings have included meetings of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Alcoholics Anonymous and Al Anon.
Horres applauds stories that point to the devastating results drinking can effect. And he applauds stories that report on research into drinking trends.
He simply fails to see anything redeeming about those comics that end up over drinks at the bar.
According to research reported in The Washington Post several months ago, Horres might feel encouraged. Figures in the comics are sobering up somewhat.
American University Ph.D. candidate Robert Brooks analyzed 151 comic strips from 1961 to 1999. In 1983, 7 percent of the comics referred to alcohol use. In 1999, 3 percent did. Thirsty of Hi and Lois is now usually Mr. Thurston and rarely is drawn with a red nose any more.
Post and Courier Features Editor Steve Mullins acknowledges that alcohol is present in comics. But he says the way it is portrayed in comics does not encourage the use of alcohol at all. Perhaps, the opposite. He says Andy Capp, for instance, “is portrayed as kind of a loser when alcohol is involved in the strip. It may well be cautionary if you put it in context over time.”
Mullins says alcohol is a significant part of the social life in The Post and Courier’s area of coverage. “The area’s demographics and our economy show clearly how popular bars, nightclubs and restaurants are.” The newspaper’s job, he said, is to mirror society, not to filter it.
I believe Mullins is correct. Certainly there are large numbers of people in the Lowcountry who do not drink alcohol, but there are large numbers for whom it is a significant issue. We write about annexations although some people are not interested in them. And we cover football although some people don’t know the difference between a first down and a field goal.
Society in general seems to have become more sensitive to the danger of drinking and driving. Police and courts have cracked down. Schools and organizations have ramped up driver safety programs.
Accordingly, The Post and Courier regularly reports on DUI accidents and on assaults, murders and violence that involve alcohol. The Post and Courier recently reported in depth on local trends in binge drinking and on South Carolina’s counties with the highest incidence of drunk driving deaths.
Horres is to be commended for voicing his opinion on a subject important to him. He and people who share his feelings are part of the society the newspaper seeks to mirror.
He and Mullins are both correct that it is the duty of The Post and Courier to continue to be vigilant in reporting trends in drinking and problems associated with alcohol.
