Malcolm Gladwell says Irish are bad drunks
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The Irish are bad drunks who can't handle their liquor, like Italians and an obscure Bolivian tribe says Malcolm Gladwell in the latest issue of New Yorker.
The world's most famous pop psychologist bases his evidence on studies of various ethnic groups in New Haven in the 1950s.
He says that Italians at the time drank every bit as much as Irish did, but that family rituals and practices meant that the drinking took place in a structured environment.
The Irish it seemed just got drunk, here there and everywhere. When it came to admission to the local alcoholic center, only 40 Italian names were mentioned while there were literally hundreds of Irish.
Hey listen, 1950s New Haven doesn't sound like Nirvana to me either and I might like a few scoops before heading home for the nightly bacon and cabbage too.
A dollar to a dime the Italian Mama had a much better evening meal waiting with a nice glass of wine.
The Irish can't even stand up to the Cambia tribe in Bolivia says Gladwell, who drink 180 proof rum morning, noon and night, yet never get drunk or angry because it is all within a cohesive cultural structure.
Gladwell meanders on in his piece and throws in this gem.
"If you are good-looking and the world agrees that you are good-looking, drinking doesn't make you think you're even better-looking."
Huh? Methinks Malcolm might need a drop of the hard stuff to knock some of this nonsense out of him.
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