The UVa Cavalier Daily chimes in today with a front page article on the Harvard binge drinking study discussed here.
The “at-risk demographic — white, underage males,” according to todays CD article, were less likely to engage in binge drinking “if they attended colleges with greater numbers of African-American, Hispanic and female students.” Interestingly, the Harvard study, according to a press release distributed by the Harvard School of Public Health, defines healthy minorities somewhat more broadly: “African American, Latino, Asian or older students,” and, mentioned elsewhere, women. It’s fascinating to see how Asians are enlisted as minorities whenever they’re needed to make some point, and excluded at other times.
But back to the at-risk young white males: “large concentrations of high-risk students allow peer pressure to fester and establish a social norm accepting of heavy drinking.” Sounds like young whites need to be kept below a “critical mass” to avoid binges.
Also making an appearance in today’s CD article was UVa’s Dean of African American Affairs, M. Rick Turner (whom we last observed sending out an email to all UVa minority students urging them to vote for Daisy Lundy for student council president). According to the good dean, more blacks means less drinking:
Drinking in the African-American community, especially in this generation, has never been a primary source of social satisfaction,” Turner said. “African-American students do not have to drink in order to have a good time.”
Given the fragile emotional health of the “at risk demographic,” Turner’s last sentence strikes me as a rather harsh put-down coming from a high university official. Some might even regard it as “insensitive,” although I myself hesitate to level such a serious charge.
UPDATE – Actually, the good dean appears to have gotten something right (although that doesn’t excuse his taking a smug “drunk whitey” tone regarding a soberness-challenged demographic group). An “Alcohol Alert” from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism on alcoholism among various groups points out:
Alcohol use is increasing significantly among Asian Americans, who constitute one of the fastest growing U.S. minority populations (6). Among adolescent minorities studied nationwide, African Americans show the lowest prevalence of lifetime, annual, monthly, daily, and heavy drinking, as well as the lowest frequency of being drunk (7). Hispanic adolescents have the highest annual prevalence of heavy drinking, followed by Whites (7). Among all age and ethnic groups, men are more likely to drink than are women, and to consume large quantities in a single sitting (7,4).
Drinking in the African-American community, especially in this generation, has never been a primary source of social satisfaction,” Turner said. “African-American students do not have to drink in order to have a good time.”
Would it be insensitive of me to state that the reason for this is that they prefer to do drugs instead of alcohol?
I’m wondering about all the liquor stores and billboard ads for Colt 45 (or whatever it is) that I see when I drive through the hood.
Not to beat a dead horse here, since Richard and Laura beat me to the punch, but seriously – has this guy ever turned on MTV? Rap & hip-hop (especially rap) both focus on drinking like none other. “Gin and Juice.” “Pass the Courvoisier.” I could go on and on…
Regarding your update: I’m curious as to how the prevalence of drinking (including lifetime drinking?!) of adolescents relates to the drinking habits of college students. Of course, some would say that adolescence extends into the mid-twenties, but I doubt that’s the group meant here.
Wow. You guys act as if you’ve actually lived in black neighborhoods. Tell me something, what kind of research papers cite MTV rap videos?
Honestly, Cobb couldn’t have said it better. The comment made was stereotypical and slighty racist, however the comments made after by readers were just as equally stereotypical and racist. The only thing that fires up stereotypes are two things: 1) those who fight stereotypes with stereotypes and 2)those who don’t fight stereotypes at all.
You all have gone to stereotype to straight up racist. You can’t judge a group of people just because some people of a certain group does one thing.The only person that can judge someone is God and don’t forget that.
just because black americans promote drinking in their videos and songs does not mean that ALL black americans drink. if i was to say that ALL white americans do pot, LSD, estacy, and other illegal drugs then what? i would be just a stereotypical as you, but i’m not. so don’t judge all because of a few.
Though they are not a panacea,
statistics often help reveal the truth:
Elicit drug use
among black Americans: 9.7%
among white Americans: 8.5%
Substance dependence: =
Underage alcohol use:
among blacks: 19.3%
among whites: 32.8%
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/nhsda/2k2nsduh/Results/2k2Results.htm
seems the study is accurate, though not the whole story.
There may be other sources, but the message is that our stereotypes, while a useful tool, are often inaccurate.
Thanks