Yes, I finally saw the movie Sideways (thanks for asking) and had a good time watching it and found myself laughing hard a few times, but didn’t think it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. In particular, I didn’t think it nor the hoopla about it was worth discussing here. Yes it is a movie that incorporates wine and wine jargon, romanticizes it a little. OK. So what? But now, The New York Times has brought up a great question. How come no one is talking about the fact that the main character could easily be classified as an alchoholic, yet the movie basically condones his behavior, or at least makes us sympathetic to it?

This is worthy of some serious discussion. He steals money from his parents, uses alcohol as a crutch socially, and as an escape from emotional realities that he’d rather not deal with. Not to mention does things like drink from the bottle while driving, and in desperation from the spit bucket when in personal crisis. According to every criteria I’ve ever heard, that’s a serious drinking problem.

The Times asks, why is no one talking about it? That’s a very good question. Perhaps because as a society we are in denial about our relationship with alcohol and prefer to rail against the criminal and health risks of drug addition instead.

What do you think? Read the full article here.