A force of nature...

I wrote this editorial in response to the annual footy final fights.
Happy reading...


What is the most powerful force in nature?
A tornado can drive a corn cob through concrete and the deep sea pressure of water can tear metal apart. But I’d lay my bets that peer pressure causes more damage than any other natural force.
Peer pressure, in my view, is akin to gravity - it’s everywhere and the more weighed down you already are, the more it affects you.
But I’m not talking the same old clichés about youth and children here - I’m talking about all of us.
Who here honestly doesn’t care what anyone else thinks about them? If that was really true you would drink with your boss on the weekends and, trust me, Pumpkin Patch and Osh Kosh B’Gosh would be making quite a lot less money out of Roxby Downs.
But we all did get the ‘peer pressure talk’ at school or from our mums years ago so I’m not going to waste my time convincing you to resist.
Instead, I’m asking you to embrace peer pressure and use the power for good.
Would a night out at the pub with our sporting buddies go so badly wrong if there were a few more people ready to say "come on mate, time to rein it in"?
Here’s a revelation for you, if you’re having a good time and one of your mates is going too far and ruining someone else’s good time - it is your business. If you throw in your two cents then you’re probably doing that person a favour because, let’s face it, how many of us really want to be known as "that idiot from the other night"?
Don’t just say no to drugs - say no to...well I’m not supposed to actually print the word I was thinking so let’s call them ‘dummies’. (I can write it here! Say no to dickheads. It's not guns that kill - it's wankers)
Our last round of local court reports boasted an unusual number of assaults and, to be fair, most of them were alcohol-related.
What surprised me, though, was how so many of these people had a "damn good reason" for their attacks, despite the severity.
So I’ve decided, it’s time to reclaim our right to a night out without brawls, harassment, drink spiking or drunk drivers.
But you, and only you, can make it really hard on yourself, and your friends, to ruin someone else’s night out. So embrace the power of peer pressure and get out there and wield a little bit of it!