It is inevitable, I suppose, that folks get all whipped up and excited when the big event comes to their town but this is getting a little weird:
A B.C. government MLA is facing drunk-driving charges after an evening of Olympic-related events. In statement issued Tuesday afternoon, North Vancouver-Seymour MLA Jane Thornthwaite apologized for her behaviour... The B.C. Liberal MLA, who has three children, was driving home at about 1 a.m. on Tuesday when she was stopped at a North Vancouver RCMP road check. A spokesman for the RCMP said a 51-year-old female driver came to their attention – he would not confirm it was Ms. Thorthwaite – and the driver provided a breath sample that indicated her blood alcohol level was over the legal limit of .08 per cent.
I am not so much interested in the gotcha of the story so much as how, when combined with the instantly beloved beer drinking gold medal winner and the crowded streets out of control, it does paint a picture of what a pervasive and intimate - yet hazardous - role drinking has within Canadian culture. It's hard to place. We are comfortable pushing the pounding back, don't navel gaze too much about it. We even make it a point of pride in any number of contexts. What must it look like to others?