Saturday, November 15, 2008

No temperance   posted by Razib @ 11/15/2008 10:55:00 PM
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This article, Some See Big Problem in Wisconsin Drinking, speaks to some of John Emerson's comments below. This made me laugh:
Most people in Wisconsin say the beer-drinking traditions reflect the customs of German immigrants, passed down generations. More than 40 percent of Wisconsin residents can trace their ancestry to Germany. Some experts, though, are skeptical of the ethnic explanation. It has been a very long time, after all, since German was spoken in the beer halls of Wisconsin.


Look, these people might not speak German, but they still eat raw meat (not that there's anything wrong with that!). And Norwegian Americans might not speak Norwegian, but they still eat Lutefisk. It is notable that the piece does not quote by name any of those "experts." I wonder if the author just didn't want to make an ethnic generalization in relation to the origins of drunkenness, and so just inserted the stock "don't generalize!" admonition in there....