So in Auckland the Santa anarchy got a little out of hand. The NZ Herald has more:
A gang of drunken “Santas” caused merry hell across central Auckland yesterday, robbing stores, tagging buildings and assaulting security guards.
Three men were arrested on a variety of drunk and disorderly charges, and two security guards had to be treated for cuts after being hit with beer bottles.
The group of 40 men – mostly in their mid-20s and dressed in ill-fitting Santa costumes – began their “Santarchy” shortly after 2pm. First stop was the Victoria St motorway overbridge where they smashed beer bottles and urinated. ….
Changa Manakynda of the Princes Wharf Star Mart said the ordeal had been very distressing. “They came in, said ‘Merry Christmas’ and then helped themselves.
In a follow-up story here, organizer Alex Dyer said he wasn’t responsible for the mayhem.
“I can’t physically restrain people from doing stupid things. I can’t say, ‘Okay 50 drunk men, all listen to me: Please, nobody do anything stupid’.
“If someone does something stupid and gets caught for it, that’s their problem.”
He said Saturday was not an anti-commercialisation protest.
“People do Santarchy in other countries, sure, and for them maybe that’s their aim, but with us we’re just dressing up as Santa and getting drunk. We just like booze.”
The naughtiness made worldwide headlines … here’s a wire story in my paper.
I think that acting buffoonish while drunk is a bit more acceptable in N.Z. than the U.S., hence they get a more of that type of thing.
I can’t speak for New Zealand, but that’s certainly the case in England. A great deal of behavior that is categorized as alcoholic or borderline alcoholic is acceptable over there. The government is trying to change the drinking culture for the better (read: more responsible), and the recent decision to keep pubs in the UK open after 11:00 p.m. is aimed at reducing the motivation to get really drunk before closing time.
Extreme drunkenness is also accepted in Japan – less so for women than men, but much more so for both than it is here. The rationale is somewhat different than the UK: there’s a much stronger emphasis on haragei (nonverbal communication), because speaking directly is not considered socially acceptable. As a result, it’s like living in a giant pressure cooker. Public drunkenness is used as an excuse for saying things that people would never say while sober, and it’s readily forgiven.
Interesting topic, especially during the festive holiday season. . .
Yeah. I’d say, it’s not just a question of how drunk you get, but also what society expects of you when you’re drunk. I think in N.Z. drunken loutishness is perhaps seen as more amusing than distasteful, and so you get more of it.
Another thing to consider is that Americans just don’t drink that much. Ever since prohibition, American alcohol consumption has been significantly lower than that in Europe. So it isn’t just that behavior is accepted, Americans just aren’t as drunk as people in the UK and, I just looked it up, New Zealand as well.