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Comments 4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, June 9, 1987 Editorial Tm Teens And Drinking We note with interest the letter to the editor in this week's ed: tion of the Port Perry Star, from "Teens without drinking problems." The letter, which was signed by some 60 teens from Port Perry and area, is a direct response to a letter in last week's paper from a group of parents who expressed a great deal of concern about young people and the use of alcohol. We have to agree with the statement in the letter this week that the events described by the concerned parents do not reflect the average teen party. Thank goodness for that And we are pleased to see that teens these days are looking out for each other"' and are 'aware of the nsks involved' when it comes to drinking and driving. - But we wonder seriously about the statement in the letter this week that "a lot of teenagers drink but we'don't feel that our lives are in danger." - Does this mean that a lot of teens drink just a little? Does it mean that teen drinking at parties or elsewhere is considered "socially ac- ceptable' because drinking and driving is "socially unacceptable?' Nowhere in the letter do the teens acknowdedge that drinking is a proven hazard to one's health, and in Ontario it is against the law to consume alcohol under the age of 19 years. It is also against the law to provide alcohol to someone under 19 years of age. It is true that the parents of most teens today would be less than honest if they claimed they never attended a party when they were teenagers where alcohol was available? So what. it wasn't. right then and it isn't right now. A careful reading of the letter in this week's paper strongly sug- gests that there is a distinct lack of trust and communication between some parents and their teenagers on this subject. "If your children drink and keep it a secret, itis oniy t because they know you would not understand." That sentence tells a lot. Of course, the vast majority of parents ' are not going "to understand' why a 16 or 17-year old drinks. And of course parents feel angry and betrayed' when they find out their kids are doing something behind their backs. The tone of the letter printed in this week's paper and the tone in the one from the Concerned Parents last week suggests above all else that there is a strong need for parents to get together with their teenagers and have a truthful and open discussion about this issue. The teens are 'asking their parents ° 'to have faith in (oyr) better - judgement.' ' They are asking parents to give Ham a chance to pro- ve that their trust was not wasted. That sounds like a heck of a good idea. But it's sol to be a two- way street. And somewhere along the line. somebody has to say that even a little drinking by teens is illegal. It is our understanding that the Concemed. Parents tiv organiz- ed a meeting in Port Perry for June 18. There's nothing wrong with that. We would suggest that maybe it is time for a meeting between parents and teens. Maybe it is time for parents and teens to clear the air, talk frankly and openly with each other, find out the other's expectations, and most importantly find out why there seems to be a betrayal of trust on both sides of this issue. "Hopefully, the letter which was printed last week and the one that appears in this issue are the start of some kind of dialogue that "will lead to better understanding of all the ramihications involved in this subject. : Port Perry S1 = [< : i Le bd I * | 235 QUEEN STREET for PERRY Of TARO Phone 985-7383 O Box 9Q (08 INC J PETER HVIDSTEN Meter Of Te Publisher: ! ¥. x52 = Py . ul New Save ASX Bix Advertising Manager tems a 3 JB McCLELLAND Editor CATHY OLLIFFE News & Features Subscrptor Rate = Canada $320 00 per year |, Elsewhere $60 00 per year Single Copy SO COPYRIGHT All yout and Com pos: Tx REE TSR TIN (ORES Dy Te Ate A y trang department of the Port Perry Sta PORT LIARS BP DORIS UNOeT CO0Y? wT and may not be reproduced withou! Me wr ® - i Chatterbox THE OUTSPOKEN COLUMNIST I've had it with being mealy-mouthed. I've had it with tip-toeing around subjects because I'm afraid of what people might think of me. I've decided to take oh a new image and become the Port Perry Star' s "Outspoken "Columnist." I came to this conclusion a aouple of weekends ago, while sitting around in the backyard one Saturday evening with my husband and an old friend who began discussing, as they invariably do, my column. They have everything in the world to talk about, but every time we get together, they somehow get around to telling me how I should be filling this space. They discuss the latest letters to the editors situation, how many are singing my praises and how many hate my guts. They pontificate on my ) latest subjects, debating any debatable subject matter, and drawing their own conclusions: - Generally, they sit back in their lawn chairs, drinks in hands, much like the subjects of a Sherlock Holmes nove] (in a drawing room, inhal- ing a snoot full of expensive pipe smoke, Jux- uriating in casual discussion of important world matters, while wearing red velour smoking jackets, curled up on horse hair settees with bran-, dy in front of a roaring fire). Even though the discussion centres around my columns, their conversation is singularly self- serving, an opportunity to spout off, sound impor- tant, and intellectualize about the good and bad points of writing a column. I really believe they do this because, in their 'heart of hearts, they wish they were writing a col- umn of their own. Since they don't, one being a lumber yard employee, the other being an art gallery manager, they enjoy spouting off through my column. Not that I mind. Often, they present in- teresting new ideas to me, as they did on the night in question. On this particular evening, both men focuss- ed their deliberations on the tone of my column, rather than the subject matter itdelf After a - discussion of some length, they agreed my column wasn't straightforward enough, lacking conviction and overflowing with fence-sitting. I was appalled when I first heard this. Hav- ing fancied myself as a rather outspoken person, I naturally assumed my writing followed suit. Oh no, they said, and proceeded to point out that I do. in fact. become outspoken about once every six months, at which time"l am pulled off my high horse by letters to the editor, and other assorted criticism, and then revert to writing mealy-mouthed columns once again "But I strike fear into the heart of my boss, every time I do this." I said, and related the in- famous story of Queen Street's courier trucks. Would he fire you because of situations like that, they asked" 1 don't think so, 1 replied by Cathy Olliffe Well then, they said, do it. People like reading controversial columns, they added. They took Barbara Amiel, columnist for the Toronto Sun and MacLean's magazine, for example. "I hate Barbara Amiel,"" my friend said. "I think she is a right-wing bore and I hardly ever read her because she infuriates me. But I'm curious about why these publications continue to print her stuff. So one day, just awhile ago, I pick- ed up her column and read it. And sure enough, I got mad. That's why people read it. They may 'not like it, but it sure gets them thinking." I contemplated this piece of information for a moment, and then contemplated all the boring little pieces of fluff I write sometimes So I had to agree with them. Why fill valuable space with drivel, when you can fill it with a thought-provoking opinion, which is the essence of column-writing anyways? And then I thought about the other columnists in this paper. John B., as far as I'm concerned, is a terrific writer. I always read his column because he always teaches me something new. He knows so much about everything. Still, he almost always sticks to facts alone, and rarely ventures into anything controversial. Stirring up excite- ment isn't John B.'s ball of wax, even though he is a brilliant writer. Chris Carlisle's columns are interesting and funny, but humour almost always outweighs anything else. Besides, she's not local, and can't really comment on local controversies. Peter Hvidsten's columns are as happy as all get out, and are almost always positive with a capital P, because, well, that's the kind of guy Peter : i He couldn't criticize his worst enemy. So, I realized, there is definitely room in this paper for an outspoken columnist. Someone who speaks his or her mind without regard to the consequences. That's not saying I'll have an opinion on something every single week. That's too much work. And it's not saying I'm going to rip something apart for the sake of ripping. That's not fair. Chances are, I'll still have a few fluff columns injected here and there, but when I do sink my teeth into an issue, I'm not going to pull any punches. Hopefully, all this will make my column more interesting More thought- -provoking. And more un And yes, I'm prepared for the onslaught of cancelled subscriptions and other assorted hate mail that will likely follow. It makes me laugh, gets my blood flowing, as well as striking fear in- to my boss's heart. Oh yes, and it's fun. Which reminds me, the moment this job stops being fun, I'll get a job someyhere else