Public Tolerance of Alcohol and Tobacco

Public Tolerance of Alcohol and Tobacco


Public tolerance of alcohol and tobacco is vital to many structures within our society. Not only are we as a whole addicted to these substances, we are very economically dependent on them as well.
From a structural functionalist’s perspective, the use of both alcohol and tobacco serve many purposes within our system. Countless jobs are tied to the use of these chemicals. Consider the number of brewery workers and bartenders in Wisconsin alone. If there were a major change in the consumption of alcohol, the number of lives affected financially would be staggering, not to mention the reduced tax base. It is with this in mind that the use of alcohol, in many cases, is not only tolerated but actually encouraged.
We see the biggest and best athletes in positions promoting alcohol. This is a statement to young and old that in order to be the big tough guy who the world loves, we must drink his favorite beer. The...