Our changing culture !

Statistics tell a story.   In recent years there has been a steady increase in what has become known as the " Coward's punch " and street bawls outside pubs and night clubs are now regular events. Property damage is rife and cab drivers taking drunks home do so in a climate of fear.

The pundits offer many reasons for this change in culture.  Most blame it on the increasing number of outlets offering alcohol and the extended trading hours, and it does seem to be a fact that the majority of these disturbances occur late at night or in the small hours of the morning - when patrons are disgorged with a belly full of alcohol.

It is a fair question to ask why this was different in a kinder, gentler age that was just a few years earlier ?

Remember the days when a visit to the pub was usually something done on Saturday or Sunday afternoon - and the pub had a local band performing entertainment ?  Disco has replaced live music and this form of entertainment now is concentrated from early evening until the approach of dawn - and the main objective of these gin palaces is to make a profit from alcohol sales.

Performing a gig at a pub used to be a way for live music bands to gain a following, and many of the big names in the music world got their start in this fashion.   Patrons followed their favourite band and venues paid to attract the right music to fill their premises - and they provided food - which helped reduce intoxication.

Finding a pub with a live band is now a rarity.   Noise abatement laws put a stop to that - and as a consequence our habits changed and the industry evolved into the " night club " style venues we see today. Strangely, residents who bitterly complained about the live band culture on weekend afternoons and evenings and demanded that it cease, today seem silent on the timing change and extreme noise when what replaced them empty out.

Unfortunately, there is no way back.   Once a way of life changes - it is gone forever.  The local pubs are fewer and many have evolved into huge entertainment venues that have embraced the near twenty-four hour trading regime.   The music industry has changed course and instead of playing gigs in pubs the impetus is on getting noticed on the radio and television music channels.

Perhaps the lesson to be learned is that any kind of change brings with it the inevitability - of more change.
When we killed the live gig at the local pub we set in motion the need for a replacement - and today we have a new monster that is causing great disquiet in the community.

Taming that monster needs to be done with care - lest we create something even worse !