On Sun, 15 Jun 2003 03:19 Craig Coonrad wrote: >On Sat, 14 Jun 2003, Keith Thomas wrote: >> Human motivation is an incredibly complex phenomenon >> and I don't think we should be looking for a simple, >> mono-causal explanation of the high (disastrous) >> levels of alcohol consumption in societies that >> have recently become 'civilized' - I use 'civilized' >> in the way Daniel Quinn uses it in his books. <snip> >Now, if American Indians and Australian Aborignes also lacked this same >enzyme...well they would behave just like these Asians. They either >wouldn't drink or only drink small amounts. > >The disastrous affects of alcohol on Indians and Aborgines is biochemical >in nature IMO. I don't buy the "The Noble Savage" myth that they drink >because of loss or remorse for their idyllic hunter gather way of life or >because of the demands of 'snivelization' (as peter tosh would say). > That's what I thought, too - until I spent three months last year working with Aboriginals. It was a transforming experience for me. Keith