It did occur to me soon after posting that drinking slowly (to the point that it’s basically not at all) would allow me to give the impression that I’m drinking, an honest answer when people ask “what are you drinking?” with minimal side effects.
The drinks I’m able to mostly enjoy tend to be “fruity” drinks that have… signaling issues.
I’m now reminded of being challenged by a somewhat belligerent drunk once to the general effect of “What are you, a fag or something?” in reaction to some bit of insufficiently masculine signaling or another.
The response “Yes, actually, why do you ask?” really bewildered him.
I assume you identify as straight, which makes that approach less viable, but it can sometimes be worth being aware of the signaling benefits of confidently ignoring peripheral rules.
Oh I totally agree with that. I’ve spent the bulk of my life deliberately ignoring whatever social conventions I wanted to, and I can actually manage a fairly confident response when challenged about it. (I occasionally wear a lab coat and/or top hat, and when asked why I’m wearing it, my response is “Huh? Why aren’t you?”)
But I’m trying right now to get a decent familiarity with “the rules” so that when I choose to break them, it’s a conscious decision I’m making from a position of strength and knowledge, rather than ignorance and an inability to blend in if I needed to.
It did occur to me soon after posting that drinking slowly (to the point that it’s basically not at all) would allow me to give the impression that I’m drinking, an honest answer when people ask “what are you drinking?” with minimal side effects.
The drinks I’m able to mostly enjoy tend to be “fruity” drinks that have… signaling issues.
I’m now reminded of being challenged by a somewhat belligerent drunk once to the general effect of “What are you, a fag or something?” in reaction to some bit of insufficiently masculine signaling or another.
The response “Yes, actually, why do you ask?” really bewildered him.
I assume you identify as straight, which makes that approach less viable, but it can sometimes be worth being aware of the signaling benefits of confidently ignoring peripheral rules.
Oh I totally agree with that. I’ve spent the bulk of my life deliberately ignoring whatever social conventions I wanted to, and I can actually manage a fairly confident response when challenged about it. (I occasionally wear a lab coat and/or top hat, and when asked why I’m wearing it, my response is “Huh? Why aren’t you?”)
But I’m trying right now to get a decent familiarity with “the rules” so that when I choose to break them, it’s a conscious decision I’m making from a position of strength and knowledge, rather than ignorance and an inability to blend in if I needed to.
A whisky sour is the an ok compromise between fruity and manly.