Dear Editor,
Dr Ruairi Hanley’s recent article on Diageo’s promotion of an annual day to commemorate the creation of Guinness (IMT, 30 July 2010, see http://www.imt.ie/opinion/2010/07/in-search-of-a-well-fair-system.html) is to be welcomed.
This particular marketing ploy must be seen for what it is, and in my opinion is the same old guff that Diageo (Guinness) has been regurgitating for decades. It centres on the myth that the consumption of its particular beverages is in some way synonymous with being Irish.
The general thrust of the message is as follows: come on lads, let’s all feel good about ourselves and our fun-loving nation as we knock back the pints; sure it’s all part of who we are and we deserve an excuse to forget our national woes in these dark times; and let’s mark Ireland’s great gift to the world by having Arthur’s Day enshrined in the annual calendar.
This exercise is just an instance of a powerful drinks company with a vast promotional budget at its disposal ensuring that it perpetrates awareness of its beverage in the national consciousness. That it can do this with scarcely a voice being raised is in itself a depressing example of the power of this particular vested interest and our national ambivalence towards alcohol.
If there is any commemorating to be done, let us remember the hundreds of thousands of people of all ages that are either alcohol dependant themselves or are directly affected by alcoholism. Let us commemorate the victims of drunk drivers and their relatives. Let us remember the victims of sexual and domestic abuse, and of street violence. Let us remember the gardaí, paramedics, rescue workers, doctors and nurses in emergency departments across the country who day after day must contend with the consequences of alcohol abuse.
Dr Michael Loftus, Deel Medical Centre,
Crossmolina, Co Mayo.
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