John MacDonald: You can't put alcohol violence down to marketing

These researchers calling today for a ban on alcohol marketing and sponsorship sound to me like they’re living in the past. Maybe it’s the circles I mix in. But I reckon things have come ahead leaps and bounds when it comes to our drinking culture in New Zealand. And before you start yelling “what about things like crate day mate?” - I’m not saying we’ve got it perfect. But I think we’ve moved on from any decade before the current one - when what these experts are saying today might have carried more weight. So health promotion advisor Lizzie Barratt and researcher Dr Debbie Hager are saying that, with people drinking more at this time of the year, there is a spike in violence - especially by men against women and kids. I’m not going to argue with them on that one. But is advertising to blame for that? I don’t think so. But it’s not just an end-of-year thing. They say there needs to be a permanent ban on alcohol marketing and sponsorship to protect women and children from violence. They say a ban would eliminate alcohol’s role in reinforcing a masculine drinking culture and eliminate its link with sporting activities. And, if we do nothing, things will only get worse. But the alcohol adverts I see these days are way different to the ones we used to see. For starters, they are way less “blokey”. They also seem to be promoting restraint, as much as anything. I really started noticing this a couple of years ago. Maybe further back than that. When the beer companies seemed to be putting as much effort into advertising their zero-alcohol products, as their other products. So doesn’t that diminish the argument for a marketing ban and sponsorship ban? What’s more, whatever I personally choose to drink has nothing to do with what I see on a billboard or whatever beer logo I might see on a rugby jersey. I’m not saying that the alcohol companies should be allowed to run ads encouraging us to get tanked. I‘m just saying that I don’t think banning alcohol ads and banning alcohol sponsorships would stop the mongrels who do get pissed and go home and beat up their partners and kids. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.