BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook

Subject: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 12:14 AM

Not my choice, but the thread title was the headline at MSNBC:

Why there are so many drunk Brits on Facebook

16 Dec 2011

To be fair, this Facebook photo features two Americans, one of which is me.
By Helen A.S. Popkin

British Facebook users are under the influence of old demon alcohol in 76 percent of the photos in which they are tagged, according to a recent survey.

More than half said they sure wouldn't want their employers or co-workers to see those photos.

And yet, two-thirds of survey respondents said they'd intentionally tagged their "friends" in embarrassing photos to make sure other Facebook friends got a look.

So the big take away from this survey seems to be that three quarters of British Facebook users are lousy friends.

Sure, only 8 percent of survey respondents said they'd been tagged in such photos on Facebook that might cause them to get in trouble with their employers or even lose their job.

But nearly all survey participants (93 percent) said they'd actively untagged their names from photos they found "too embarrassing."

... ... ...

Should we let the representatives from the UK respond, or shall the rest of us just talk about them?

(There is more at the link that perhaps should be considered before getting too extreme with comments?)

John

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 12:18 AM

Well it sure beats having to stagger home from the pubs!...Now they can sit home on their computers, and...wait a minute!!....there's a lot of them on here, too!

GfS

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 12:56 AM

What are the statistics for drunken Americans on Facebook? We need something to compare.

Or maybe not... This Brit does not understand the attraction of Facebook.

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: gnomad
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 01:15 AM

Nor does this one, Jon. Maybe something about Facebook attracts drunks.

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 03:07 AM

The article also mentions some of the very good reasons why this was a "fluff report" that shouldn't be taken too seriously. A good outline of things to look for in the frequent "news" of this sort.

I'm not really sure whether I clicked to look at it because of my fond(?) memories of all the "UK greenies" I've worked(?) with or because of my aversion to the whole idea of Facebook(!).

John

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: theleveller
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 04:10 AM

How do they know they're drunk - did they contact all the people and ask/

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 04:19 AM

Why are commentators on this so po-faced?

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 04:45 AM

Lets face it, theres a lot of us.....

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 05:17 AM

I would guess that most users of Facebook are young(ish) (teens, 20s, 30s ?) and they all own phones with cameras on them (a camera on a phone? - stupid idea!). They've all been rendered 'brain-dead' by popular, celebrity obsessed culture and 'post-music' noise and all that they can think to do with their spare time is drink. Relentless free market ideology and celebrity obsession have made them all insanely competitive, so when they lose their inhibitions through all the drink the competitiveness manifests itself as frantic attempts to gain the upper hand by humiliating each other. Facebook provides the perfect medium for recording this deviant behaviour.

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 07:01 AM

It's fun to imagine them being faced with all this evidence in ten twenty or thirty years, as parents, grandparents, teachers, vicars, MPs...

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 10:49 AM

I have never been drunk on facebook! On beer. On wine. On whisky. But never on facebook.

:D tG

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: gnu
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 03:11 PM

hehehhee

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Little Hawk
Date: 17 Dec 11 - 09:28 PM

Why? Because the pig* in the gutter won't HAVE them any longer, that's why!

*'Twas in early last December
As clear as I remember
I was stumblin' doon the street in sodden pride
When I fell into the gutter
Thinkin' thochts I dared not utter
And a pig come up and lay doon by my side
Two old ladies passin' by
Cast on me a jaundiced eye
And I thocht I overheard one of them say
"Ye can tell a man who boozes by the company that he chooses!"
And wi' that....the pig got up and walked away!

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: mayomick
Date: 18 Dec 11 - 08:08 AM

I would imagine that most people posting photos of a drunk friend are just doing it for a bit of fun. Americans do not seem to understand the British sport of "slagging-off" your friends , which is almost compulsory in some circles in the UK - and in Ireland for that matter.

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Greg F.
Date: 18 Dec 11 - 12:06 PM

Maybe something about Facebook attracts drunks.

Or vice versa.....

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Musket
Date: 18 Dec 11 - 12:47 PM

Hang on, my responsible adult hardly drinks yet she has a Facebook account.

I once considered having my toes amputated to get closer to the bar and I don't do Facebook (or any of the others.) I post here on Mudcat on the basis I get to find old mates, but funnily enough, never been tempted to spout my views anywhere other than;

Mudcat.
On stage.
In the bar.

AHA! That third one. That's the connection. Our friends on the Western shores of the pond may have noticed in the BS section of Mudcat, we can't resist a good thrashing argument.

A few beers helps lubricate debate, it would seem.

Mind you, if you must analyse the Facebook British pissup phenomenon, my take would be that we use it less of a social tool and more of a fun tool, hence most tempting when pissed up.

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 18 Dec 11 - 01:45 PM

IMHO, the reason proportionally fewer Yanks than Brits post drunk photos or stories on Facebook is because American employers are too damned nosey! Job applicants have been turned down because of drunken or risque content on their Facebook pages. Young people are quickly learning that anything they post on Facebook can and will be used against them by the Puritanical hypocrites who run the business world.

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Tootler
Date: 18 Dec 11 - 01:53 PM

Happens here in the UK too. There have been several reports on the media of people either being sacked or turned down for jobs because of what they have posted on their facebook pages.

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: melodeonboy
Date: 18 Dec 11 - 03:39 PM

Surely the question we should be asking is why there are so many drunk Brits (or "Britons", as I prefer to call them) in the first place!

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: ollaimh
Date: 18 Dec 11 - 11:31 PM

i am certainly thankfull there was no face book in my drinking younger days. now believe it or not i almost never drink. about a case of beer or wine every ten years.

although my post may look otherwise.

when i was a party boy, well i rather lacked judgement and i am sure i would have posted a lot of ridiculous things. hence i do give the young foolish drunks a pass on this one.and perhaps we all should lighten up about peoples past--most of us have one.its not like having posted a picture of thenselves committing a felony.(opps --it seems some do post pictures of thenselves committing felonies--but that's not the same as drunkeness)

i just wish that when they are in bars where i am performing, they wouldn't flash those electronic flashbulbs so much. i used to be almost blind from flashes in some pubs when singing or playing.

so lets lighten up about collecting other peoples posted pictures of harmless highjinks. as long as they aren't committing a crime people shouldn't hold it against others for decades --as suggested will happen. jeez i worked as miner driller, blaster and a lawyer(to name a few) and there wwas no monopoly on drunkeness in any occupation or class in my experience.

this has got ne thinking maybe i should take up drinking again?

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Little Hawk
Date: 18 Dec 11 - 11:36 PM

Facebook is a peculiar phenomenon. In an increasingly Orwellian society, it provides a perfect platform for government surveillance operatives (as well as employers) to snoop into people's "private" lives...if those people post much information about themselves on Facebook.

It also provides more opportunities to criminals for getting information about people and practicing identity theft.

This is worrisome, and it's one of the reasons I spend very little time on Facebook, reveal very little about myself there, and am considering replacing my personal photo there with one of a tree...a cartoon character...a dog...a chimpanzee...Angelina Jolie...or Charlie McCarthy... ;-D

Decisions, decisions.

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 19 Dec 11 - 01:58 PM

I have been a beer drinker for many years and I seriously doubt whether any stranger can tell if I am sober, tipsy, or rat arsed.

Like many Brits I have learned:

1. How to hold my drink.
2. When to stop drinking.
3. To behave with a degree of decorum when I am drinking.
4. To remain capable of getting myself home without assistance (my wife will usually chauffeur me, but her sense of direction is c**p, so I have to be able to give directions).

I know a number of people who can and will appear more drunk on two glasses of shandy, than Richard Bridge or myself on five pints of strong real ale.

What you see in these tagged pics (excepting the mooning shots), is young people having a good time, who may be drunk, or just a bit scatty.

I wouldn't presume to know which, and I certainly wouldn't take action affecting their future based on any such presumption.

Mrs Grundy is alive and well, and still sticking that beak into other peoples' business.

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Little Hawk
Date: 19 Dec 11 - 04:54 PM

Don, how much ale is required to render Richard...

1. rowdy?
2. incoherent?
3. comatose?

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: akenaton
Date: 19 Dec 11 - 05:32 PM

"I have been a beer drinker for many years and I seriously doubt whether any stranger can tell if I am sober, tipsy, or rat arsed."

Can't argue with that statement Don!

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Little Hawk
Date: 19 Dec 11 - 06:43 PM

Chongo, on the other hand, is usually pretty easy to read when drinking.

He can vary from

1. garrulous

to

2. riotous

to

3. maudlin

to

4. morose

to

5. downright dangerous

It's best to leave the room around about the beginning of stage 4....

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 04:34 AM

There is no sadder sight than drunken Brits in the city centres on a Saturday night. I would rather it be on facebook than in the street.

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 07:07 PM

Thanks for the vote of confidence in my generation guys! ;-)

To be honest, I don't understand getting stonking drunk - it just means you're being a prick half the time and I've no time for you. Students who haven't learned how to drink are infuriating, and ones who have yet still don't know are worse

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 07:20 PM

But you have to calibrate yourself, and some people find it harder than others. Poor saps.

Perhaps drinking should be treated more like driving - you'd have tuition and have to pass a test before you'd be allowed to drink in a pub or buy it in a supermarket, except when you were being supervised by a qualified drinker, and wearing a big sign saying "LD"... And you could always lose your drinking licence, and maybe have to take the test again...

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Little Hawk
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 01:23 AM

Christ! If they had tests like that in North Ontario, Shane would have failed several thousand times by now....and beer sales would have taken a huge hit. It might have even caused the death of the industry.

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 03:22 PM

""Don, how much ale is required to render Richard...

1. rowdy?
2. incoherent?
3. comatose?""

Sorry to disappoint LH, but in spite of many years sharing the burden of removing real ale from pub cellars, none of the three has ever occurred in my presence.

Don T

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 03:25 PM

"""I have been a beer drinker for many years and I seriously doubt whether any stranger can tell if I am sober, tipsy, or rat arsed."

Can't argue with that statement Don!""

Right on time the local rep for rent-a-berk pipes up without the slightest knowledge of those he slanders.

Par for the course.

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: GUEST,Chongo Chimp
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 05:19 PM

So he ain't reached his limit yet in yer presence, Don? Probably ran out of cash first, right?

Okay, I got it solved as to why there are so many drunk Brits on Facebook. I been workin' on this all week, burnin' the midnight oil here to find out why. And I have arrived at the definitive answer.


You ready for this?


You sure?


Okay, here's why. It is not that there are an unusual number of drunk Brits on Facebook. True there are a lotta them there. A shitload of 'em! No doubt about that. But not what can be called an "unusual" number of 'em. And here's why: There are SO GODDAM MANY drunk Brits just about everywhere ya go these days that it only seems like there's so many of 'em on Facebook...but it's like that everywhere! It took days investigatin' ex-pat Brit pubs all over Chicago for me to determine this fact. Drunk Brits are as common as flies and warm beer in those places. Maybe moreso! You can cover yer eyes, spin around a few times, throw a baseball, and hit one of 'em in the chops every time. That usually starts a big fight, by the way.

Anyways, don't worry about Facebook. It might appear like it's been infested with drunk Brits, but that is just a reflection of the general state of the world right not, not no reflection on Facebook at all.

Now let's start a thread about sardonic Frenchmen on Facebook....

- Chongo

Subject: RE: BS: Why so Many Drunk Brits on Facebook
From: Brian May
Date: 21 Dec 11 - 05:50 PM

I just think we've got more morons pro rata. In this country, if you are a complete waste of space, the government will feed you, clothe you, house you and . . . if you breed, they'll give you more.

So if you're not working, you might as well get plastered and 'talk' to your mates on Facebook.

Simples