Chris and alcohol -

[acrylicpaint]

I was re-watching Chris's Future Message the other day and it really struck me just how seriously 2007!Chris took alcohol. For him, abstaining from the "slow-acting poison" was just as important as not smoking and STAYING STRAIGHT. Now, we all now Chris was a staunch teetotaler for the large majority of his life. My question is, why?

As a freshman in college, I've watched a lot of people (myself included) go from never really drinking at all to becoming mild (or not) social drinkers - and it's really fascinating to me to see how people from different upbringings handle it differently. My biggest hurdle in taking up da reeb was the fact that neither of my parents had ever drank the stuff, and were actually quite terrified of it. (Let's just say my extended family on my mom's side has a little bit of a drinking problem.) The general trend seems to be people who were raised like I was take it slow, while those who were more used to seeing alcohol around the house growing up jump right in.

So I'm wondering where Chris fits in on this spectrum. Borb always struck me as the type of people who indulge in da akkyhol. Heck, they met (and, for that matter, probably conceived Chris) at a bar, and Chris has been well aware of this fact for quite some time. So why did he grow up with such strong feelings againts alcohol? Did he just really internalize all the anti-alcohol literature they probably fed him in school? Or did his parents actually play a role in teaching him not to drink? Discuss.

 

[Henry Bemis]

I'd kind of be surprised if his tee-totaling was D.A.R.E.-influenced. He slept through most of his education; what makes D.A.R.E. any different?

More likely, it was TV that did the trick; this was the golden era of PSAs, after all. Sonic was likely his biggest influence, and hell, he may have been the only person on earth to take Tiny Toons' "One Beer" seriously.

 

[The Joker]

Uncle television said alcohol was bad and he listened to the thing that raised him.

 

[Big Bob Pataki]

pretty much tv told him alcohol was bad for most of his life, i think he only started drinking for the same reason he wanted china: tv told him "that's what adults do."

tv sure can be two-faced at times

 

[The Joker]

pretty much tv told him alcohol was bad for most of his life, i think he only started drinking for the same reason he wanted china: tv told him "that's what adults do."

tv sure can be two-faced at times

We do not mention the name "Two-face" around me.
Didn't he refuse to go to a singles bar though because of the alcohol?

 

[MysticMisty]

Heck, they met (and, for that matter, probably conceived Chris) at a bar

Not only that, Cole Smithey confirmed independently that spending hours together in a bar was more important than raising Chris (at least pre-autism papers).

Chris probably grew up hearing PSAs about THE DANGERS OF DRUGS (go to YouTube and look up drug PSAs if you've never seen the classics) and latched onto tobacky and reeb especially because they're legal after a certain age.

 

[The Joker]

Heck, they met (and, for that matter, probably conceived Chris) at a bar

Not only that, Cole Smithey confirmed independently that spending hours together in a bar was more important than raising Chris (at least pre-autism papers).

Chris probably grew up hearing PSAs about THE DANGERS OF DRUGS (go to YouTube and look up drug PSAs if you've never seen the classics) and latched onto tobacky and reeb especially because they're legal after a certain age.

He could just be drinking good ol reeb to look like a "gorwn up" instead of a manchild.

 

[Marvin]

Heck, they met (and, for that matter, probably conceived Chris) at a bar

Not only that, Cole Smithey confirmed independently that spending hours together in a bar was more important than raising Chris (at least pre-autism papers).

I'd characterize Cole's stories more as claims than confirmations.

 

[pickleniggo]

Heck, they met (and, for that matter, probably conceived Chris) at a bar

Not only that, Cole Smithey confirmed independently that spending hours together in a bar was more important than raising Chris (at least pre-autism papers).

I'd characterize Cole's stories more as claims than confirmations.

Bob didn't strike me as a drinker, really. Barb on the other hand...eh.

 

[Anchuent Christory]

Heck, they met (and, for that matter, probably conceived Chris) at a bar

Not only that, Cole Smithey confirmed independently that spending hours together in a bar was more important than raising Chris (at least pre-autism papers).

I'd characterize Cole's stories more as claims than confirmations.

Beat me to it!

I imagine Cole's information should be taken with a pinch of salt.... much like his film reviews.

Off topic, but do you guys think it pisses Cole off that his autistic, failure, man-child, half brother is more famous (and arguably better liked) than he is?

 

[Henry Bemis]

Not only that, Cole Smithey confirmed independently that spending hours together in a bar was more important than raising Chris (at least pre-autism papers).

I'd characterize Cole's stories more as claims than confirmations.

Bob didn't strike me as a drinker, really. Barb on the other hand...eh.

A man born and raised in the crusty halcyon days of the Deep South, a man who refused to go too far "Yankee" for schooling...I'd be surprised if he didn't have a significant tolerance for the drink.

The Weston half of the family, on the other hand, is a little more closely involved with the stuff; that Harvey Powers lineage thingy pegs some of their ancestors as moonshiners and good-fer-nuthin' drunks.

Also, yeah, Cole-who doesn't particularly view Bob 'n' Barb through rose-tinted glasses-is probably not your most reliable source.

 

[Marvin]

Off topic, but do you guys think it pisses Cole off that his autistic, failure, man-child, half brother is more famous (and arguably better liked) than he is?

I would imagine he tries not to think about it. If I had the opportunity, I'd remind him about it constantly.

 

[The Joker]

We do not mention the name "Two-face" around me.

Spoiler

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[captkrisma]

Chris drinks because the TV tells him sophisticated adults do it...Chris then drinks liqours, and reels from the taste. Lol.

 

[TheRedRanger]

The Weston half of the family, on the other hand, is a little more closely involved with the stuff; that Harvey Powers lineage thingy pegs some of their ancestors as moonshiners and good-fer-nuthin' drunks.

Also, this.

Is it just me, or does that guy look a bit like our hero?

 

[harvey dirdban]

I was re-watching Chris's Future Message the other day and it really struck me just how seriously 2007!Chris took alcohol. For him, abstaining from the "slow-acting poison" was just as important as not smoking and STAYING STRAIGHT. Now, we all now Chris was a staunch teetotaler for the large majority of his life. My question is, why?

A lot of autists are goody-goodies because following rules, even stupid rules, gives them a sense of structure and control. The staunch rule-following tends to make them even bigger targets for bullies, which in turn makes them cling even more to the rules. Chris' teetotaling seems like a prime example of this.

And Chris was doubly disadvantaged in this area, since in addition to being autistic, he grew up in the 90s and idolized characters who were marketed as cool but never actually did anything rebellious. I'm sure in his mind he thought "I don't need to do drugs or cuss to be cool, I just have to follow Sonic's safety tips!" (At least that was the mindset a lot of my autistic classmates had during the same time period.)

 

[Anchuent Christory]

Chris drinks because the TV tells him sophisticated adults do it.

Let's be honest here though, this is why most people start drinking, Because they want to appear more grown up. It's easy to take what's a fairly normal trait in Chris and blow it out of proportion.

Many facets of Chris' character are actually fairly common among the general population, even the more negative ones. It's just with Chris we see a spectacular concentration of so many of them. Couple this with the fact that in Chris' case they all seem to be turned up to eleven, and that he's completely incapable of self moderation.... He shows himself "warts and all"

 

[MysticMisty]

And Chris was doubly disadvantaged in this area, since in addition to being autistic, he grew up in the 90s and idolized characters who were marketed as cool but never actually did anything rebellious. I'm sure in his mind he thought "I don't need to do drugs or cuss to be cool, I just have to follow Sonic's safety tips!" (At least that was the mindset a lot of my autistic classmates had during the same time period.)

It especially has to do with upbringing too, I think. Parents really hammer it into their heads so they won't be so easily swayed by that sort of thing if they end up even only semi-independent. It also doesn't hurt that (in my experience) retarded kids have really religious parents.

I think the "all or nothing" part of Chris' personality comes from the same idea of his definition of hypocrite. You either don't drink beer EVER or you're a raging drunk 24/7. Moderation is something beyond his understanding.

 

[The Joker]

Chris drinks because the TV tells him sophisticated adults do it...Chris then drinks liqours, and reels from the taste. Lol.

"Goes down Salty"

Which outting was it when he drank Long Island iced tea and tried to copy a Simpsons episode by singing "I love the night life"?
I can't see him having a big tolerance for alcohol. It would be funny to see him ct the way he thinks really drunk people do around women.

 

[Saney]

Chris drinks because the TV tells him sophisticated adults do it...Chris then drinks liqours, and reels from the taste. Lol.

"Goes down Salty"

Which outting was it when he drank Long Island iced tea and tried to copy a Simpsons episode by singing "I love the night life"?
I can't see him having a big tolerance for alcohol. It would be funny to see him ct the way he thinks really drunk people do around women.

Chris's Big a night Out.
Wasn't he drunk when he made that rap about raping a jungle cat?