Barefoot Doctor; Being a (Drunken) Gentleman Means Having Manners
Elite British magazine Country Life published a ‘Guide to Being a Gentleman’ last week in which they decreed: “being a gentleman doesn’t mean priggishly passing on the Port. Getting steaming drunk is fine-the key is doing it in an appropriate setting”
Skrufff asked Barefoot his view on the etiquette and ethics of getting ‘steaming drunk’ politely ……
Barefoot Doctor; “Being a gentleman means having manners. Manners comprise and are based on maintaining both respect for, and a keen sense of reciprocity in connection with, those you find yourself among.
Getting out of it in a non-work, non-critical situation, whether on alcohol or anything else, is entirely the business of the out-of-it getter and is not for anyone else to judge one way or the other.
However, it’s the responsibility and obligation of whomever is getting themselves out of it in whichever way they do, to be able to take care of themselves entirely, no matter what, under no matter what circumstances.
To abnegate this obligation and instead dump the responsibility for your safe passage onto others is bad manners – unless they’re a close beloved, or your tour manager or some other crew member and you’re paying them (or in some other way trading with them) with the clear understanding that part of their duty might involve taking responsibility for your wellbeing when you’re out of it. In a nutshell. “
Questions by Skrufff.
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