Social Setting Analysis

In today’s society, alcohol has become one of the main necessities for people to create relaxation, confidence, and the ability to be social. In the short story “A Bartender Tells What Man Did to Booze, and Booze to Man”, an anonymous bartender gives an up close and personal account of his observations about the effects alcohol has on men. He emphasizes the change in their character after a few drinks. Koren Zailckas from Smashed shares a memoir of her life describing her relationship with alcohol abuse and the problems that it caused for her. Although certain types of alcohol are used to support good health, it is the excessive consumption and misuse that leaves people dependent resulting in significant social, physical, and mental

Alcohol-Related Windows on Simmel’s Social World by William J. Staudenmeier Jr. from the text, Illuminating Social Life, dives into the topic of alcohol and how its role in society can be directly reflected back to Simmel’s work. The text was introduced by explaining how alcohol has been a major influence throughout American history and how it has shaped the interactions of difference cultures, races and ethnicities by characterizing drinking as “conflict between coexisting value structures” (98). Simmel’s ideas about the core differences between dyads and triads was applied in the context of how group interaction significantly changed when the role of alcohol becomes a factor to socializing. Three different group stratifications can be seen

We live in a world where we are defined and judged by our every detail. It does not matter if it is our race, religion, gender, sexuality, or economic status, people are always ready to make inaccurate conclusions of who we are. The problem with this is that over time it has made our society fill with hatred, leading to certain groups feeling as if they are superior to others. Minorities have been oppressed and and discriminated against with barely any hope for the future. As a result, it is up to people worldwide to come together and fight for the right of equality.

Some underage students feel the need to involve alcoholic beverages in their social gathering because of social media’s portrayal of party’s, peer pressure and other reasons. Little do they consider the problem of underage drinking, especially on college campuses or fraternity and sorority homes. First of all, students drinking underage are violating the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which declared that only individuals over the age of 21 were legally allowed to consume alcohol. In Paying for the Party: How College Maintains Inequality, by Elizabeth A. Armstrong and Laura T. Hamilton, their research depicts that at Midwest University, “The alcohol-fueled underage party scene on campus is mostly located in fraternities” (52).

Taverns were central to communities, they were places where travelers and locals met with friends, or stopped for a meal and a place to sleep while traveling. Taverns could be a place where the more unsavory elements, prostitution, and trade of stolen goods. Normally, drinking in public was the domain of men. Women usually drank at home, a woman in a tavern was at risk of being considered a prostitute, although, widowed women were frequently granted licenses to run taverns as a source of income. In addition to separating men from women, and the reputable and the disreputable women, taverns divided men people by class. The elites drank in the city centers, while the working class drank elsewhere. And drink they did, an estimated four gallons of high proof alcohol per capita every year, plus beer, wine, hard cider. Water may have been of questionable quality, but alcohol dehydrates the body, leading to the desire for more liquid.

There was forever a peculiarity that I was not blind to, a certain strangeness that grew increasingly and often times embarrassingly pronounced the more I became aware of the rigors of social norms. His whole existence spoke of an inner duality, a cosmic unbalance that resulted in his inherent oddity.

A Lots of great ideas are born and destroyed in a bar or tavern, leaving you to wonder how different our whole outlook and way of life would be if we did all our major planning and decision making there.

Entering the Park Tavern, a bar and grill in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia proved to be quite different that the bar and grill locations. Most bar and grill restaurants like Dugans and J.R.Crickets, have music so loud that conversation is to a bar minimum basically eye contact is usually in replace of verbal conversation. Park Tavern gave an ambience that was welcome with open arms by all parties in the venue. One could appreciate the live band performances versus the DJ spinning the same records for three to four hours.

Morgan's Tavern and Grill is a former garage transformed into a quaint tavern. Guests can stop in for lunch and a pint, or enjoy dinner with the family. Sit out on the deck and enjoy the weather and people-watching while you eat your meal. The space features a covered roof, ceiling fans and propane heaters so guests can enjoy the outdoors any time of year.

This is the local bowling alley in Ellicott City, MD. It is considered to be more than just a bowling alley as it has a billiard table, lounge, snack bar, and arcade. It is quite large and has over 30 lanes. There were several employees along with league bowlers and people who walked in when I visited. The first thing that I noticed was the variety of people who were there. The ages of the people were approximately 20 to 60 years old. The ethnic makeup of participants was primarily Caucasian and African American. The social groups at this location included couples, families, people who belong to bowling leagues, and groups of friends. They all varied in age and gender. Most were dressed in pants and other casual clothing items. All were required to wear bowling shoes. There was a lot of cheering and bantering going on amongst the groups. Some people were quite loud and gave each other high fives (a form of symbolic interactionism), especially if they or someone they know bowled a strike where all of the pins are knocked down. This is acceptable behavior at a bowling alley. Some of the formal norms posted at the bowling alley are not eating food, beverages and substances near the approach area and not bowing when a bowler is bowling in the next lane. Most people were eating and drinking in appropriate places in between taking a turn to bowl. There was a good deal of conversation happening among the

In a speakeasy this is what is done, mostly only drinking. This is exactly what a speakeasy is, many people including young women whom have the secret code spend their free time at these bars, and it is the only way to consume the delicious and calming drink after a day at work or just for pleasure. Aside from drinking there is also dancing going on, mostly by young women with bob haircuts and flapper dresses. If alcohol would not have been banned these speakeasies would never have existed, it is said that this would decrease the violence rate, but did tit? Inside of these

On the way to the bars I noticed a large, but hard to spot, exchange of people, ideas and even items. Most people moved in large flocks that tended to fuse and split spontaneously. There were parallel floods of students going out and returning home. From what I heard while eavesdropping, some students told others about what lay ahead--for instance, ”cover charges” at bars, or people they weren’t fond of--and others about

The bar is quite large with 2 service areas with huge selection of beers and spirits also showcasing a wine selection area. The bar has a nice marble counter, which is complimented with a sleek scattered tile design.

In addition to dinner, the menu included an open bar. What originally started out to be an innocent and business appropriate function turned into a wild free-for-all that lasted into the late hours of the night, and behaviors erupted that should never occur in any business relationship. The following morning, a large percentage of those in attendance at the party were absent from work, and many of those who did show up were tardy and ill, incapable of performing their duties. Productivity was significantly decreased for the entire day, and for some, even into the following day. In light of that single event, the practice of “open bar” social gatherings between the financial office and the dealerships was abolished. It is not surprising to note that according to the United States Office of Personnel Management, the rate of absenteeism is estimated to be 4 to 8 times greater among alcoholics and alcohol abusers (L'Etoile, 2011) .

We then walked round and started making friends. The other patrons were a mixture of a few in the corner who seemed more stuck up and as though they were looking down their noses and us and the people in the middle of the dance floor who didn’t have a care in the world and were thoroughly enjoying a good old boogie to some 'RnB '. Overall, the venue itself looked rather tired and