Barbara Murray (1976)

Something's going on. Listen and I'll tell you. Kids at Jackson Junior High are learning all about alcohol. Something's going on. Something going on. [Music] Hey, you dropped your books here. Let me help you. [Applause] [Music] Um, I'm Barbara Murray, your substitute teacher for the week. Um, Miss Gunther's sick. [Applause] This is your alcohol project week, isn't it? I saw some of the posters in the hallway and Miss Gunther called me on the telephone and told me a little bit about it. Um, but I wasn't here when you started, so maybe you could bring me up to date. Well, Mark and I were having an argument about alcohol. He says drinking's bad for you, but if it's so bad, how come it's not illegal? Oh, there's no way they could illegalize it. Oh, look. Look, they tried prohibition once before and it didn't work. So, there's just no way they can illegalize it. Oh, well, um, just one at a time so we can hear what you have to say. Well, does anyone have anything to say? Yes. Alcohol is a drug. Who needs drugs? Yeah, but isn't it right that all the important people in the world practically drink? Even the president drinks just to be sociable. So, what is really wrong with it? My parents drink, but they're not drunks or anything. I mean, they can control it. Yeah, but yeah, some people just don't know when to stop. They don't know when to control it. That's right. She's right. It's just a few people that give alcohol a bad name, and they're the ones we have to worry about. What about you? Do you drink? Yeah. How about it? [Music] Come on, Barb. Try this. No, I I don't want to. Come on. Just a sip. You like it? All right. Hey, play something a little louder. Something a little more pat. [Music] I don't think I want to. No. Well, um, whether or not I drink isn't really relevant to the project. Oh, come on. That's not fair. Yeah. Come on. Uh, I I'd really like to tell you, but um there's so much work to cover. We really better get going here. Um, maybe if we would move on to the next step in the project. Uh, Oh, you mean the history of [Music] alcohol. You might think that to take a drink is the latest thing to do. Something invented recently for folks like me and you. Well, it's not. You know it's older even than men. Alcohol's been on this earth ever since the world [Music] began. In the beginning, along with the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees, there were naturally sweet grapes, a fruit. When this fruit we know as grapes combined with yeast and then combined with the heat of the sun, the natural grape sugar underwent a chemical transformation. Mom, [Music] right? Wow, that's terrific. What do you call this stuff? Man called it wow. Uh wine. How do you make it? Okay. You want to be like that? I'll find out for [Music] myself. I'd better write that down. I wonder if fish would work as well as a bunch of grapes. Fish fermentation. So man tried wheat and barley. Wheat? Barley? Who said that? Never mind. I think I'll try it. Now that's beer. Beer. What a great name. Glad I thought of it. I'd better write that down. I think I think I've had enough. Man discovered beverage alcohol and found that drinking was a pleasant social experience. [Music] If this still only works, I'll have contributed something terrific to the world. Now, just a few glands of barley, a little more heat. This still is fantastic. This deal is terrific. Distillation. That's it. I'll call it whiskey. No, no schnops. Maybe I'll just call it a day. Lick, this is a last [Music] straw. Some people just don't drink cuz that's how they think. But that's okay. The Hebrews like their wine and the Italians too. The Germans drink their beer like the Africans do. In China and Japan, rice wine was always grand. Russians have been drinking vodkas. Ever since they were tiny, Todd Scotch can drink their scotch. The English drink their gin drinking ale. If you were a D or it all depends on where you came, the type of drink you drink. But alcohol can be enjoyed by all depends on how you think. It's up to you to pick and choose. It's up to you to pick and choose depending on who you are. You know, I I've really done it now. My first teaching assignment, it's got to be alcohol. I feel so hypocritical teaching those kids about drinking what I don't drink myself. Come on, Barbara. There must be something that you like to drink. No, I like um milk and soda if you want to know the truth. I bet I could find something that you'd really like. I don't like the taste of it. I don't like to drink and that's all. Cut it out, will you? [Music] Thank you. Thank you, sir. Barb, there are so many varieties of taste. Coffee, banana, lurds, creamed to mint. If you wanted to drink, you could find something you'd really like. If you don't like to drink, then there has to be another reason. Find out what that reason is and you'll know a lot more about yourself and why you feel like you do about drinking. Oh, that's funny. What is it? Oh, that's just what we're talking about in the class right now. Why people feel the way they do about drinking. I say one stereotype. Say the bum that drinks and gets drunk and lays on the street corner. Little scrawny guy with glasses who has a big fat wife who always peck pecking on him and all drinks to forget. Well, the big businessmen that go out and drink down their lunch. Let's take a look at some of these kinds of people. You mean like real tough guy drinkers? Move it, man. Get over there. Make some room. Yes. First, there's the two fisted drinkers. Ah, here it comes. On television, they always make drinking look so glamorous. [Music] That's right. The sophisticated [Music] drinker. Cut. Was that all right? My high school friends believe that drinking, a lot of drinking, made you more romantic. The fact is that if you drink a lot, you also make a poor and that a lot of liquor actually makes you less romantic. Well, yeah, but what about my folks? They drink. And it's not because of any of those reasons. What about you? Where do you fit in? Do you drink or don't you? Oh, now wait a minute. No, now wait a second. Look, I've got an idea. Why don't we find out where we all fit in? What do you mean? I mean as part of your alcohol project. Why people do or don't drink. Everyday people. Hey, I'm going to ask a cop. That would be a neat idea. That's like a principal. Yeah, some big business. Big shot. It' be great. Yeah, they drink all the time. That's the sin. Hey, how about an Italian restaurant down in DC? They drink a lot of wine there all the time. All right. Do you think um being Italian has anything to do with your drinking habit? Oh, yes. Yes. Uh there's a long tradition of drinking wine. I don't know. Probably back to the Roman times. Well, the Jewish people use wine to introduce a joyous occasion. Wine is a joyous beverage. Well, why do you drink? Well, I enjoy drinking. It helps me relax. And the drinking that I now do is basically wine and beer. And usually has to do with a meal. Actually, alcohol uh does not fit into the Baptist faith in terms of its ceremonials or its doctrines. Uh Baptist believe in total abstinence. In order not to even introduce the taste of alcohol in the communion element, we use grape juice. Uh, normally it's beer, maybe a couple beers with guys have to work and wine with dinner. Well, Becky, I'm a Mormon and I've been asked that question a lot of times. And there are many, many reasons why I don't use alcohol. Alcohol destroying man's capability to react, to govern his own mind, his body is a very great sin in my estimation. Uh, why do I drink? I drink because I like it. Really? It is. Why don't you have Barbara first? No, thank you. Come on, Barb. Not again. No. No. Not again. No, you're not going to get drunk on just one beer. That's why you all try one. Over the mouth. What? Through the teeth and over the gums. And look out, Tommy. Here it comes. Come on, buddy. No. No. Mom and dad, I This sounds silly, but was there anything in my background and the way I was brought up that makes me feel the way I do about alcohol? Well, it never meant that much to me, so we never served any in the house. Now, why? Well, I used to have a drink or two when we went out uh or on special occasion, but when I saw that it made your mom uncomfortable, it just didn't mean that much to me. And we never had alcohol in the house. So, we never had any alcohol in the house and I was never really exposed to it. And you never developed a taste for it. Of course. Well, I guess that's the way it was. But we never did tell you that you could or couldn't if you wanted. It just uh never came up. And uh it was not that important. Gee, Barbara, we're sorry, honey, if we've done something wrong. Oh, mother. It's not a question of right or wrong. I I just want to know when I began to feel the way I did about drinking so I'll understand myself better. Well, then cold drink, soft drink, anyone? love one. So now you know I really don't like to drink and the pressure is on me. You know I really don't have anything against drinking. Well, why don't you just tell your friends you don't like to drink? But how's she going to do that? I mean all her friends would think she's just a square and you know wouldn't want her to come to all the parties and things. Well, who needs friends like that? She should do what she wants. Yeah. But yeah, but what if she really likes those friends and likes being around them? It'd be silly for her just to stop being around those people just because they drink a little. But she doesn't like to drink and they're pressuring her. Well, what are you going to do, Miss Murray? [Music] [Applause]