By Dylan Fink | Sports Writer
Nearly all the most important moments throughout history have happened over a shared drink: the signing of the American Constitution, the delivery of Winston Churchill’s “Their Finest Hour” speech (allegedly) and in the evenings after Ernest Hemingway finished writing for the day.
Safe to say, sometimes the only answer for humanity in certain times is a good drink. It’s time Baylor students reduce the stigma of casual drinking culture.
In a digital era where loneliness is a raging epidemic among college students, a trip to the local bar every now and then is the perfect way to hang up and hang out.
Pub culture has been a source of community and local camaraderie, accompanied by the refreshing taste of a well-brewed beer, since the appearance of English alehouses in the10th century.
“The great British pub is not just a place to drink beer, wine, cider or even something a little bit stronger,” Ben Johnson, the editor of History UK, wrote in 2015. “It is also a unique social centre, very often the focus of community life in villages, towns and cities throughout the length and breadth of the country.”
This is a culture scene that could easily exist here in the Baylor community if the stigma around having a casual drink with friends were reduced. With places like Pinewood Public House and The Buckle, Baylor students are primed to cap off a long day of classes with a relaxing drink enjoyed among fellowship.
While Baylor is a dry campus, that doesn’t mean students of age can’t enjoy a time in fellowship with an ice-cold lager off campus.
Such opportunities as trivia nights at Dancing Bear Pub or Freight Icehouse and Yardbar or an evening around a pool table at The Buckle or Cricket’s Drafthouse and Grill, all offer a unique experience that is hard to find elsewhere.
Now the argument that such communal pros of hanging out at the local bar can be found at just about any coffee shop does exist. Coffee, on the other hand, has historically been the everyday drink of aristocrats and the elite.
“Although both coffee and tea were introduced into Britain around the mid-1600s, their prohibitive prices ensured that they remained the preserve of the rich and famous,” Johnson wrote.
Whereas the price of a specialty drink at Starbucks can be over $7, a fresh beer during happy hour at your local bar can be found for as low as $2.50. As coffee prices rise, the cost to find fellowship in a neighborhood pub remains the same.
For college students being educated on a budget, a cheap beer seems like the most reasonable option for a post-class pick-me-up.
With the enjoyment of good beer with even better friends, we must acknowledge the need for control. As the most majestic of Budweiser Super Bowl commercials always end with, the importance of “drink responsibly” is a badge to bear with the delicious sip of America’s most famous pilsner.
Responsible drinking is the center of the pub culture that Baylor students ought to be more open to. Despite what your elementary school DARE officer might have told you, a good beer or two over a competitive game of trivia with your friends will not have God at the ready to smite you.
The opportunity for better bar fellowship among the Baylor community could take an already top-10 undergraduate experience and cement the Baylor student community at the top spot.
The next time midterm studying feels like too much of a weight on your shoulders, go down to one of many great bar options around the Baylor community and enjoy a pint or two with your friends. Better yet, make some new ones.
