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Respectable drinkers, sensible drinking, serious leisure: single-malt whisky enthusiasts and the moral panic of irresponsible Others

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  • Karl Spracklen

Abstract

In the public discourse of policy-makers and journalists, drinkers of (excessive) alcohol are portrayed either as irresponsible, immoral deviants or as gullible victims. In other words, the public discourse engenders a moral panic about alcohol-crazed individuals, who become what Cohen [1972. Folk devil and moral panics . London: Routledge] identifies as folk devils: the Other, abusing alcohol to create anti-social disorder. However, alcohol-drinking was, is and continues to be an everyday practice in the leisure lives of the majority of people in the UK. In this research article, I want to explore the serious leisure of whisky-tasting to provide a counter to the myth of the alcohol-drinker as folk devil, to try to construct a new public discourse of sensible drinking. I will draw on ethnographic work at whisky-tastings alongside interviews and analysis of on-line discourses. I show that participation in whisky-tasting events creates a safe space in which excessive amounts of alcohol are consumed, yet the norms of the particular habitus ensure that such drinking never leads to misbehaviour. In doing so, however, I will note that the respectability of whisky-drinking is associated with its masculine, white, privileged habitus - the folk devil becomes someone else, someone Other.

Suggested Citation

  • Karl Spracklen, 2013. "Respectable drinkers, sensible drinking, serious leisure: single-malt whisky enthusiasts and the moral panic of irresponsible Others," Contemporary Social Science, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 46-57, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:rsocxx:v:8:y:2013:i:1:p:46-57
    DOI: 10.1080/21582041.2012.745590
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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas Thurnell-Read, 2013. "‘Yobs’ and ‘Snobs’: Embodying Drink and the Problematic Male Drinking Body," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 18(2), pages 103-112, May.

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