‘Don’t Be an Ass’ campaign breeds shaming culture

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The “Don’t Be an Ass” posters hanging around campus have certainly grabbed the attention of many students, but the effect has not necessarily resulted in anything positive. The signs, which first appeared last semester, assert that no one likes a loud drunk, a clumsy drunk or a belligerent drunk. The strategy of social consequence-focused anti-binge-drinking campaigns is simple enough: grab the attention of students and get conversation going about the consequences of binge drinking.

Diego Silva, the assistant director of student life, spearheads this campaign and said that the initiative came from former Dean of Students Barbara Avery.

“A directive that came to us from Dean Avery last year was, can we look into creating some kind of social norm campaign that we can just add to the programs that individual offices are doing?” said Silva. “That was about as specific as the directive was. It was up to us to figure out what direction we wanted to take that in.”

In creating the campaign, Silva and his team were looking for a fresh take on the old problem of binge drinking on college campuses. His approach was inspired by the strategies of commercial advertisement powerhouses.

“Looking at the market in Western culture markets, like Geico and Esurance and things like that, I think those have been some of my favorites,” Silva said. “I have tried to pull some inspiration from that off-the-wall, kind of totally separate issue but kind of tying in that final message.”

The in-your-face type messaging has certainly garnered numerous student double-takes, but the “Don’t Be an Ass” campaign’s party donkey fails to address larger issues at hand. It not only neglects the issue of alcoholism, but it could even potentially worsen the problem of binge drinking on campus.

Demanding that students not “be an ass” is a prescription that implies being embarrassingly drunk is a choice. While most students are capable of consciously choosing to drink responsibly or not, not everyone has complete control over their drinking habits.

Alcoholism is a real problem on college campuses, considering that about half of college students who drink engage in binge drinking as well. The “Don’t Be an Ass” campaign understandably cannot solve alcoholism, but it may be doing just the opposite. By shaming students who may have a drinking problem, the seemingly benevolent donkey in a party hat turns into a fear campaign.

The Journal of Advertising published an article concerning the effects of certain anti-drinking campaigns, focusing specifically on the process of fear control and the risks of campaigns that activate fear.

“Maladaptive changes occur to control the fear, such as denial,” author Joyce M. Wolburg writes. “In extreme cases, boomerang effects can be seen, such as more excessive drinking and more risky behavior.”

Aside from potentially making matters worse, the “Don’t Be an Ass” campaign lacks strategic creativity. While the campaign’s headline is original, the message is not.

The Other Hangover Campaign” 2011 at the University of Minnesota, the “LessThanUThink Campaign” 2012 at the University of Alabama and the “Don’t Turn a Night Out into a Nightmare Campaign” in Australia all share the same message as “Don’t Be an Ass.” Unsurprisingly, all of these campaigns have reported success in visibility and approval, but none have reported success in reducing binge drinking. The decision of bringing into the world another anti-binge drinking campaign with a similar motive seems to miss the point. Occidental needs a new campaign to confront an old problem.

Instead of targeting the individual doing the drinking, the campaign should target the act of drinking itself. List health issues or the excessive amount of money spent on alcohol as incentives to act responsibly.

Fear of social consequences can be a compelling message for some, but the risks outweigh the benefits in this case. Shaming potential alcoholics brings about the denial that is as poisonous as that next drink.

Kevin Liu is a senior Politics major. He can be reached at kliu@oxy.edu.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. While I can understand that the language being used could be shameful in some individual’s eyes, I personally disagree. We’ve got to put more responsibility on individuals. Even alcoholics have to make the decision to drink or not drink – which is why many remain sober in permanence. Being called out for behavior which impacts others doesn’t always “feel good” – in fact, that’s kind of the point. Cognitive dissonance is part of the learning process!

  2. Alcoholism is a serious issue and this campaign is by no means trying to denigrate that fact. It is also a little unrealistic that we would somehow reduce alcohol consumption and dependency on campus with a social norm poster campaign, as the writer suggests we should. What this campaign is trying to achieve is to bring to light some of the facts around alcohol use and misuse on this campus, as well as encourage individuals to make smart choices when consuming alcohol. We want to get students’ attention and spark conversations about alcohol norms on campus. We plan on continuing the campaign with more messages on alcohol use statistics, healthy behaviors, and resources, and hope that students accept these messages in the spirit in which they are being given. Resources for alcohol dependence are readily available through Emmons for those that are struggling with those issues.

    We encourage any Oxy students to provide us with constructive feedback on how we can improve the poster campaign or any new ways to address alcohol and drug culture on campus.
    But remember, when you do choose to drink alcohol, don’t be an ass.

  3. “Demanding that students not “be an ass” is a prescription that implies being embarrassingly drunk is a choice.”
    Sorry, but it is a choice. Individuals need to understand that they are not drinking the right way. To hide behind the facade of “alcoholism” and it’s “serious problems” is to remove all accountability. Programs like Think About It and Dont be An Ass are meant to inform people that something is horribly wrong when several people get transported- there needs to be a serious change in how we consume alcohol, and people need to accept that we don’t know how to drink. We are not “alcoholics” dealing with serious issues, we’re just college students who get way too drunk and need to be taught a lesson.

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