Jarts In The Frozen Food Section

Let's say you're walking through your local supermarket. There, next to the frozen spinach and next to the Tombstone pizzas, you see the old lawn jarts from the 70s. Would you be confused? Amused? Angry that these now illegal "toys" are right there for anyone to grab?

Now, let me take you to two nights ago. My wife and I were grocery shopping at our local Publix. We walked past the cold beer section when, what to our wondering eyes did appear? A giant tub of ping pong balls. Again, what are ping pong balls doing here, in the refrigerated section of a grocery store?

To answer this question, let us first remember our proximity to on of the larges universities in Florida. Then think of misguided college student ingenuity. When college students get bored, they create things. Things like drinking games. Specifically, this thing called, "Beer Pong."

I'll spare you the rules and regs of beer pong, but suffice it to say it's a drinking game. Is there anything wrong with drinking games? Well, yes!

Now, before you get all up in arms, thinking I’m an anti-alcohol teetotaler, stop. Breathe. I'm not anti-alcohol. I do consume alcohol. I do not, however, agree with the whole idea of drinking games.

What's the big deal? Yes, contestants enter the drinking games voluntarily, but they're forced at worst, encouraged at best, to drink more than they might normally consume. That's just not good. Drinking games pushes alcohol consumption in larger amounts than someone may truly wish. Then, with the peer pressure, stigmatization, etc. that other contestants may create when the loser refuses to drink his/her allotted amount, well, again, overconsumption often takes place.

This is why I was really disappointed when I found accruements for drinking games at my local grocer – marketed in a way to encourage drinking games. In essence – marketing (promoting) drinking games.

If you spot something out of the ordinary in your local liquor aisle, you can probably bet it's geared towards some sort of drinking game. I hope food sellers will take notice of the dangerous act they promote and engage in more responsible marketing.