4 ms·
There's no mention of when this was. It's easy to judge past events by our modern morals and laws, but keep in mind that those weren't always the same. Even wit
by chrismeller 9y ago
There's no mention of when this was. It's easy to judge past events by our modern morals and laws, but keep in mind that those weren't always the same. Even within the baby boomers' lifetimes standards were drastically different...
Personally, I think the better example is that his wife was constantly arguing with him about it. Regardless of the actual standards at the time, he was apparently routinely crossing the line with the woman that presumably loved him and bore his children.
Of course just as the author tacitly accepts alcoholism because of her upbringing it's possible her mother is the exact opposite because of hers, but it seems unlikely...
- Mz 9y agoI wasn't judging anything. I was just giving a TLDR of the drinking habits referenced in the article. My father drank pretty heavily. No one in the family ever called him an alcoholic. He quit after he left the army, having fought in the front lines of two wars. I think he drank to quiet the nightmares so he could sleep. He was already dead (at about age 89) when I finally realized that for all that he was a raconteur who told endless stories, he never told war stories about WW2. His stories about Vietnam were told humorously. If Vietnam was joke-worthy, WW2 was apparently unspeakable. I am the last person who would be judgy about this story.
- chrismeller 9y agoThe italicized "even while driving" seemed a bit judgemental. My bad if I misread that.
- Mz 9y agoNo, it was just something that implies that he drank constantly, except at work and for 40 days each year for Lent. At a very early age, the author learned to pour dad's beer in the car for his travel cup. This was a routine and ongoing practice. It is a detail that is suggestive of "If he isn't sleeping or at work, he has a beer in his hand. That's how much he drinks."