Socialising != Drinking?
Writing about an entry you don’t have permission to view
I should start out by saying that I’ve got nothing personal against Ian (whose blog entry I’m writing about), but his entry does pretty much sum up the way that people here tend to socialise.
I didn’t used to find it unusual that the way that people at universities in this country “socialise” is by drinking until they collapse, but over the last few years I’ve realised that it doesn’t have to be that way.
I got to know some international students. I spent some time abroad. I became a postgrad. I got more confident in myself, and realised that the fact that I didn’t want to go out to the union every night didn’t make me boring – it just meant that I enjoyed different things to what most of my mates were into, and certainly different to most of the things on in the union.
Sure, an occasional visit to one of the indifferent events is a good laugh, but I really wouldn’t call it socialising. Socialising means to me talking to people, in an environment where one can actually hear what they’re saying to you. So I like sitting in a pub, or in a café. Somewhere I can sit and chat over a cup of hot chocolate or a pint, rather than in a bad club like the union.
So I’ve joined the Café Society . We’ll have to see if the rather unnatural environment of a society social translates well to coffee culture.
October 13th, 2004 at 17:43
COMMENT:
hurrah
October 14th, 2004 at 11:11
Yes! I want to sit in a pub, drink something that actually tastes of something other than chemicals, and actually hear what the person opposite me is saying!
October 16th, 2004 at 23:16
You people sound like me people. Ive joined the Cafe Society too, not been to anything yet. The times theyre meeting havent been v conveinient (spelling – sorry) but Ive been desperate to meet up for coffee and just chat with people and things. Hmmmm…at least Im not the only one hey?!!
October 17th, 2004 at 00:38
Maaaax.
Cupcake handng over ceremony.
Monday 10.30am Raffles it is then. All are invited and dress nicely so we can confuse the staff at Raffles. Serve ‘em right for taking away the coronation chicken sarnie.
October 24th, 2004 at 14:06
Yeah, you’re not the only one – I feel exactly the same way about the stupidity that is the drinking culture. It could be that I’m being thick, but I still can’t see the fun in standing in a dark room with lots of very sweaty, very smelly bodies, listening to pretty-appalling-yet-very-loud music and thus being unable to talk or hear others talk, drinking piss out of plastic glasses, and pretending you’re having a good time
It’s not exclusive to Warwick I think, although I’m pretty sure it’s more or less exclusive to Britain.
I was in Argentina over the summer and they do socialising a thousand times better than we do (just don’t mention the Falklands :). You can spend hours chatting away about everything and nothing in a café (aren’t I cultured with my accented e), or stay up till 4am mulling over a nice chilled lager with some friends. You can go clubbing or dancing aswell/instead if you want, but there’s a lot more choice.
Sure, you might get a little tipsy, but it’s not the aim of the evening and it’s nothing like the extent you see here.
Still, as they say, bread and circuses.
Cafésoc sounds good. Might check it out.
March 3rd, 2005 at 00:16
Hi Max
Sorry for this – it can only be described as postwhoring – but I followed the link from your comment in Roberta’s blog to this rather relevant article. There’s a (hopefully fairly large) blog social on Friday night – link – at which you’d be most welcome.
Maybe see you there!