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Competition and Alcohol ?

Would teams still go to competitions where alcohol or substance that put you "under an influence" we

  • Yes

    Votes: 84 66.1%
  • No

    Votes: 43 33.9%

  • Total voters
    127

COMTONDAJATT

mint gumri
Messages
302
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

govind is right about promoting responsibility rather than prohibition. most young people are gonna drink and screw and rather than sit in their hotel rooms and play monopoly.

on tangential note, hooking up is definitley part of punjabi culture. gabroos and mutiyaaran have been doing stuff under the peepal trees of pinds foreva. heer ranjha, mirza sahiba, sohni mahiwal wouldnt be famous if they werent :p
 

RJOHAL

New Member
Messages
77
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

Gabroo Tv said:
Again, no disrespect to the committee, all I'm hearing is of the wonderful job they did... However, we must realize that our actions are being viewed by not only our younger generation, but the older generation as well. We must remember this and strive to set good examples, to maintain proper future growth of bhangra. Furthermore, some teams have underage performers who should not have access to alcoholic beverages... It's not about regulating what an individual decides he or she should consume, but rather to convey a message that it should not be promoted/mixed into Bhangra.

Everyone wants to have a good time at these shows, no doubt, but I don't think a committee should openly promote it. In fact, most shows refrain from alcoholic beverages and make it clear in registration packets. Imagine if an underage performer had gotten drunk, and the situation had somehow gotten into the hands of law enforcement... Guess who would be at fault? The persons whom "supplied" the substance...

Again, nothing but respect for the committee, and no disrespect to individuals who drink as well. I have many close friends who drink and I really don't care/mind. It's when we got younger kids looking up to us, I just feel we need to set a good/positive example. That's all. It really bothers me on a personal level when all I see is people, teams, mixing Bhangra competitions with getting "shitfaced" "hammered" and "hooking up".

I've seen Bhangra Competitions being all about "Bhangra" (2004-2007) and more recently (2008-2010) it's not about "Bhangra" anymore... It's more or less being used as a medium to get drunk and promote hooking up with teams from afar. Our parents think we're learning about our culture, but they have no clue what's happening behind closed doors... Every show I go to, I see teams more competitive, yet less friendly. If somebody doesn't speak up and address this now, it'll eventually end up at a point of no return.
I 100% agree with Harjot
 

rajkaran

Member
Messages
720
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

COMTONDAJATT said:
on tangential note, hooking up is definitley part of punjabi culture. gabroos and mutiyaaran have been doing stuff under the peepal trees of pinds foreva. heer ranjha, mirza sahiba, sohni mahiwal wouldnt be famous if they werent :p
Hmmm...that's an interesting way to look at it! hahaha

Maybe I should talk to my parents about this matter so that they can give me a bit more freedom hahahaha
 

neilD

New Member
Messages
33
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

Kush said:
Excuse me govind, your calling me out almost word for word was equally as tacky as my post itself. My choice of the level of drunken stupidity is just that: My choice. if you disagree with it, approach me about it or keep your mouth shut. Talk about people in a generalized sense, or expect people to be pissed off at obvious statements directed at them. I dont even get mad at people on BTF and I'm offended at the JUDGE'S judgement. You know what i think is MORE important than me being drunk or STATING it on BTF? What you do when you are in an inebriated state! did i FIGHT anyone? no. Did i poorly represent my team by being rude, or a nuisance? no. Did i disrespect ANYONE? no. SOBER people do all of these things just as often. I never saw you as a person who would call someone out like that, but now you have poorly represented yourself in my eyes and i'm pretty sure you're fairly sober right now. I figured that instead of quoting me word for word, you'd be a little more classy and make a generalized statement, but I guess your moral opinion forced you to make a mockery of someone. Well here's my answer to you, and any other judgemental individuals here on BTF.

Ladies and gentleman, I drink. I am a fan of Crown and Sprite (not coke, washes out the taste. try it and thank me). Yes, at Bayside Bhangra 2010 i drank a WHOLE lot, and actually reached a state i've only been to about 2 times in my entire life. WHILE IN THAT STATE, i met people, danced, laughed, and partied. I did not get confrontational, I did not talk shit, I did not act out. Ask VIRSA, SMD, NW, APD, or ANY other team that i interacted with. Did I create a scene? Cause a problem for any of you? I'm doubtful. It is the choices we make in ANY STATE OF MIND (high, drunk, tipsy, angry, happy, ANYTHING) that define the level of impact it has. And now, I can state on BTF that in my inebriated state, I was docile, loving, entertaining, and amicable. Do I remember alot of it? Sure, not all, but enough. Hopefully noone is upset by the fact that I can drink 10 drinks and not beat the shit out of someone, when some people might only require 2 to get rowdy. I'm pretty sure I saw you with a few drinks in you as well, regardless of what your final state was. Don't want to tell anyone on BTF you got buzzed/tipsy/belligerent drunk? That's your M.O. but either way I wouldn't be judging you.

But this isn't even about me or your opinion on my posts Govind. You went very tangential and almost digressed off topic with your statement, but lets bring it back home shall we?

SHOULD a competition provide a bottle to its team? Well I ask you these questions as well, should they hold a party at which alcohol is available? Shoulud they have a bar at the venue? The answer, however you want to beat around it, is YES! Why? Because it is in the BEST INTERESTS OF THE COMPETITION! What are they doing? Putting asses in seats, entertainers on stage, and making money. You do what ever you can to make sure EVERYONE is happy and to have a successful event. People LIKE ALCOHOL! People DRINK! You think that by not providing it, you are putting some form of DENT in the drinking population? Hell no. By PROVIDING alcohol, you ARE creating a welcoming environment. See the statement about giving wine as a gift. You are creating a FUN environment. You are guaranteeing the interest of teams in the future, something that is essential to your success AS A BUSINESS!

But what does it speak morally? Lol let's be real. 99% of companies in the world put morality on the back burner, why would a bhangra competition be any different! Fair enough, not providing to UNDERAGE kids is a good point. The only message the competition is sending to its teams (COMING FROM A TEAM MEMBER THAT WENT WITH A TEAM AND RECEIVED A BOTTLE OF GREY GOOSE) was this : Thanks for coming, we're glad to have you. We hope you have fun, and put on a good show. Think of us next year.

Simple as that. You don't like drinking? Don't drink. It's not competitions that are creating the drinking environment at their competitions, it is the PEOPLE ATTENDING THOSE COMPETITIONS.

I'm through with this topic. Anyone else want to call me out for drinking more than you would, let my mom and dad know that they raised a complete screw up who gets drunk on random occasion when he's off in tampa taking a break from medical school, and then laughs about it because he doesn't remember the fun times he had meeting new, exciting people, on a PUBLIC forum that encourages sharing stories and interacting with others. I promise you, they'll care less than me.... So do that.

Peace, god bless :)
Woah, what a freak out lol. Govind quotes one line. You should take a drink or two and chill out.
 

Govind

Member
Messages
364
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

Lol Kush dude I didn't actually remember that you individually posted that comment, and I think you read a bit too much into the line I threw into my post. Anyway, I was actually referring to the collection of posts made with the same message after fusion fever and a few other comps I have attended this year. Definitely was not calling you individually out and !CERTAINLY! no judgment passed here. I don't care if someone was running around the hotel taking 21 shots on an empty stomach...but that doesn't need to be divulged, paraded, and/or glorified on BTF as part of a) your public image and b) (most importantly) getting back to Harjot's point - our message to younger kids about responsible behavior.

I couldn't agree with you more that what someone does when it comes to drinking, drug use, and promiscuity, etc at bhangra competitions is entirely their business. But I would request that they keep it to themselves on a public forum. This is a small community of people and we are all friends here! But sometimes we tend to forget that there are many high school and middle school kids who come and visit BTF but don't post who come to learn about bhangra and also can easily misinterpret our flippant remarks that we very much intended to be shared as a joke :).

All I am promoting here on this public forum is responsible behavior and there certainly isn't any need to be super defensive because indeed I was making a general comment not calling you out yaar! Speaking generally, excessive alcohol consumption does increase the chance of reckless behavior, which is the message younger kids should understand.
 

faizan

Just shut up and dance
Messages
1,736
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

90% of the people at competitions come to get fucked up. Don't be so nieve everyone. The cultural fortress that is Punjab is long gone. The committee recognized the motives of team members, and complemented them, because they understood that the bottle would REALLY be appreciated more than some candy. Liquor and bhangra go hand-in-hand, just listen to the music for God's sake. If kuldip manak and jazzy b are saying get wasted, then i don't know how some kids on btf are going to say that giving alcohol is wrong. Lets all be a little bit more realistic, and a little less idealistic.
 

vj10

New Member
Messages
19
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

faizan said:
they understood that the bottle would REALLY be appreciated more than some candy.
I've never gotten any candy :( aw fiddlesticks.
 

Kush

Active Member
Messages
1,401
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

neilD said:
Woah, what a freak out lol. Govind quotes one line. You should take a drink or two and chill out.
Lol yes I should, then NOT post about it on btf because the young kids might see I had a drink for dealing with my btf drama. thanks for you opinion neilD. Any comments on the topic at hand? Or any of the rest of my post? Ill delete the fluff to help keep people focused.
 

Pooja

I put the double o in cool.
Messages
932
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

Good topic. I'm torn on the issue.

I have to agree with Harjot that we are supposed to be setting examples for a younger generation and also, if any sort of incident were to happen with a youth under 21, the Bayside Committee could definitely have been held responsible...maybe you should make a disclaimer next time in the basket ha.

I personally don't go to competitions to "get fucked up" and rarely drink at them anyways because the atmosphere is just too crazy sometimes...safety issues. However, it is a free country, and it is a person's choice I guess.

But if you are providing it, as a committee you are definitely supporting it. It's inherent in the gesture.

To be on the safe side, I would stay away from providing alcohol...especially considering some kids may be under 21, and providing alcohol to minors is an offense...
 

Jeeti

New Member
Messages
974
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

We all can have our opinion regarding the issue...but it comes down to how the competition wants to be portrayed..its up to the organizers how they choose to reflect themselves to the community..if the competition is ok with giving bottles, so be it...As a drinker myself, lets be real here...is it really gonna matter whether there is a single bottle in the gift basket? Not quite...those that want to drink are going to drink whether its in the gift basket or not.

My second thought...I have plenty of friends that choose not to drink...some are more sensitive to others drinking around them..and others just don't seem to care..the organization should RESPECT those people sensitive to the issue and not provide it. It's a bhangra competition..what kind of message are you sending with a bottle in the gift basket?

Once again...that goes back to my original point of how the organization wants to be reflected...if you don't like the image they have by providing a bottle in the gift basket..then don't apply there in the future. This is a great discussion though...and perhaps one of the most intriguing and generally civil argument we've had in this forum in awhile. Bravo to the member that brought this issue to light.
 

campy614

New Member
Messages
666
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

Honestly I'm pro comp organizers offering a bottle (along with a nice non-alcoholic beverage for those who do not drink). It's a nice gesture and translates to "Thank you for coming. We're glad to have you. We hope you have fun and apply next year."

But wouldn't it be a better idea to provide it at the venue, where "18 to get busy, 21 to get dizzy" is automatically enforced? I'm trying to work this out in my head why that would/wouldn't be a better idea. I don't know, and frankly I don't care that much to continue thinking about it.

Also, quite honestly, kids start drinking at a VERY young age. There was a show on bravo following rich high school kids living on the Upper East Side (Manhizzle) drinking and going to parties. As easy as it is to get alcohol in NYC for people above the age of 21, it's VERY DIFFICULT for anyone under the age of 21 (even if you're 20 yrs, 364 days, 23 hours, and 50 minutes old...) to obtain alcohol. I imagine if kids can get it here, then they can get it nearly everywhere. But I digress.
 

Shahrukh

Active Member
Messages
505
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

campy614 said:
But wouldn't it be a better idea to provide it at the venue, where "18 to get busy, 21 to get dizzy" is automatically enforced? I'm trying to work this out in my head why that would/wouldn't be a better idea. I don't know, and frankly I don't care that much to continue thinking about it.
I think it wouldv been str8 if the comp offered the teams the bottles at the afterparty.
 

Waleed

New Member
Messages
729
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

Pooja said:
Good topic. I'm torn on the issue.

I have to agree with Harjot that we are supposed to be setting examples for a younger generation and also, if any sort of incident were to happen with a youth under 21, the Bayside Committee could definitely have been held responsible...maybe you should make a disclaimer next time in the basket ha.

I personally don't go to competitions to "get fucked up" and rarely drink at them anyways because the atmosphere is just too crazy sometimes...safety issues. However, it is a free country, and it is a person's choice I guess.

But if you are providing it, as a committee you are definitely supporting it. It's inherent in the gesture.

To be on the safe side, I would stay away from providing alcohol...especially considering some kids may be under 21, and providing alcohol to minors is an offense...
+1
 

Saleem

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
1,928
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

Shahrukh said:
campy614 said:
But wouldn't it be a better idea to provide it at the venue, where "18 to get busy, 21 to get dizzy" is automatically enforced? I'm trying to work this out in my head why that would/wouldn't be a better idea. I don't know, and frankly I don't care that much to continue thinking about it.
I think it wouldv been str8 if the comp offered the teams the bottles at the afterparty.
Logistics. The club wont let you bring in outside alcohol to give to their customers. So what competition is going to pay $300/bottle for each team?
 

Shahrukh

Active Member
Messages
505
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

Saleem said:
Shahrukh said:
campy614 said:
But wouldn't it be a better idea to provide it at the venue, where "18 to get busy, 21 to get dizzy" is automatically enforced? I'm trying to work this out in my head why that would/wouldn't be a better idea. I don't know, and frankly I don't care that much to continue thinking about it.
I think it wouldv been str8 if the comp offered the teams the bottles at the afterparty.
Logistics. The club wont let you bring in outside alcohol to give to their customers. So what competition is going to pay $300/bottle for each team?
what competition??
A baller ass competition saleem
 

Shahrukh

Active Member
Messages
505
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

give the bottles at the club
or not at all
people who want to drink will go to the club and do it, and people who dont drink and still go to the club will have to deal with it cuz there's already drinking going on at the club that way all the people that dont drink and dont go out wont be offended

its inappropriate to give bottles to teams otherwise
 

Vijay

Member
Messages
646
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

Jeeti said:
We all can have our opinion regarding the issue...but it comes down to how the competition wants to be portrayed..its up to the organizers how they choose to reflect themselves to the community..if the competition is ok with giving bottles, so be it...As a drinker myself, lets be real here...is it really gonna matter whether there is a single bottle in the gift basket? Not quite...those that want to drink are going to drink whether its in the gift basket or not.

My second thought...I have plenty of friends that choose not to drink...some are more sensitive to others drinking around them..and others just don't seem to care..the organization should RESPECT those people sensitive to the issue and not provide it. It's a bhangra competition..what kind of message are you sending with a bottle in the gift basket?
+1. Agree on both of these points. In 2007, we (Bhangra Blizzard) provided teams with shotglasses with the UB Bhangra logo on them, knowing full well that everyone soon after the show would be taking shots and drinking. every committee knows teams come to competitions to dance, compete, and have fun. we considered throwing in a bottle per team as well, but decided it wasn't appropriate . one of our reasons was because our gift baskets were given in dressing rooms. what would aunties/uncles/kids think when they see a team leaving the venue with a bottle of alcohol in hand? we as a committee just didnt want to be portrayed as such even though common sense says that many of these kids are about to get drunk.

Also, the fact that there are many non drinkers who either choose not to be around alcohol (for whatever reason), or simply dont care. either way, what good is a bottle to them? i have plenty of non drinking friends who get annoyed when at parties all they can drink is water or coke. bottom line is that its all up to choice.
If, for instance, the bottle wasnt provided for teams, would it make a difference? it sounds like the bayside committee did an excellent job of taking care of teams. i agree that it was a nice, thankful gesture, but was it really necessary - i think this is the question that many people should ask instead
 

abhigames

Member
Messages
709
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

buy empty grey goose bottles, and fill them with water. It will take most of you guys half the bottle to figure it out.
 

Kush

Active Member
Messages
1,401
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

Shahrukh said:
give the bottles at the club
or not at all
people who want to drink will go to the club and do it, and people who dont drink and still go to the club will have to deal with it cuz there's already drinking going on at the club that way all the people that dont drink and dont go out wont be offended

its inappropriate to give bottles to teams otherwise
no its not. It's up to the competition. If bayside wants to be a competition that is okay with its teams drinking, then they can be. Just like a club, THEY choose their atmosphere. And just like you said, if you're going to a club, expect to deal with the environment. Same thing for teams going to bayside. So warning to all. If you are OFFENDED by a competition giving you the OPPORTUNITY to drink (not forcing a bottle to your lips and a gun to your head, simply providing it), DON'T apply to Bayside Bhangra. The rest of you, I hope to see you next year. :)
 

Manjot

Active Member
Messages
2,058
Re: Competition-sponsored liquor/drinking at comps

People are going to drink regardless lol like its said before a bottle isn't gonna be enough for a team...theyre gonna buy alcohol regardless...it jus saves them $50 after spending like $300 on 1 ticket..
imo Its a nice gesture by the committee.
 
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